Andre Villas-Boas: 'Stoke make it hard to play against and they are hard to break down'

Published: 24 December, 2012
by DAN CARRIER at White Hart Lane

Premier League
SPURS 0, STOKE CITY 0

THERE was to be little Christmas cheer at White Hart Lane on Saturday as Stoke City came to play the role of misers: their defensive record is the best in the league, and Spurs manager Andre Villas-Boas was to be frustrated as he watched his side struggle to carve clear chances against their visitors in a tempestuous 0-0 draw.

“It was a difficult game,” said the manager. “Stoke make it hard to play against and they are hard to break down.”

The first half was marked by some unconventional refereeing by Lee Mason, while Stoke's physical game led to stop-and-start football from both sides.

Adebayor perhaps came closest with a header that went just over, while his strike partner Defoe pushed an effort just wide.

The second period was much the same – Stoke showed why they have lost just three this term, and drawn so many. They camped out on the edge of their box and Tottenham found it too hard to get the breaks. Defoe, Bale and Dembele all had long-range efforts blocked as AVB's charges found themselves shuffled down alleys and along cul-de-sacs by their visitors.

The closest Spurs came to seeing a winner was in the dying moments, when a superb header from Gylfi Siggurdson was brilliantly saved with one hand by Begovic in the Stoke goal. Bale also felt he was tripped in the box as he went to pull the trigger, but otherwise, it was frustrating for the home side who now find themselves sixth.

SPURS COMMENT by Dan Carrier

Mr Man creator Roger Hargreaves wrote a nice little tale called Mr Impossible, and one of his tricks was to boot a ball so high in the air it came down with snow on it. Watching this Stoke side is like watching Mr Impossible with his brothers have a kickabout. It was wallop it in the air and rush forward, and Spurs didn't have the nous to get it on the deck enough to find a way through. AVB's biggest challenge in the New Year is to instil in his side the confidence to do the unexpected when they're facing brick-wall sides – the sort of unexpected play that used to come from the boots of Rafael van der Vaart or Luka Modric.

Spurs: Lloris, Dawson, Caulker, Vertoinghen, Walker, Sandro, Dembele, Bale, Lennon, Adebayor, Defoe. Subs: Friedel, Parker, Gallas, Naughton, Sigurdsson, Livermore, Townsend.
Attendance: 35,702