Tired Spurs still expected to win, win, win and win, insists William Gallas

 
Tom Collomosse1 November 2012

William Gallas has revealed that competing on four fronts has left some Tottenham players tired but it appears they are unlikely to earn much sympathy from manager Andre Villas-Boas.

Villas-Boas has made a solid start to life at White Hart Lane. His side are fourth in the Premier League after nine matches and will move into the quarter-finals of the Capital One Cup if they can overcome Norwich at Carrow Road tonight.

They have also at least three more matches to play in the Europa League, which contributes to a busy schedule before the turn of the year. Villas-Boas wants to challenge in all competitions and has chosen strong teams in virtually every match as a consequence.

The Portuguese could rotate the side tonight in order to give a breather to players like Aaron Lennon, Kyle Walker, Jan Vertonghen and Gallas himself but the Frenchman warned his team-mates that such a policy is likely to be a rarity under Villas-Boas.

“We know it’s very difficult sometimes because we play so many games and some players are very tired,” admitted Gallas. “They play with the national team as well so it’s not easy but when you’re a professional and you play for a big club, you have to be ready for this.

“We have to be strong inside. What is good about the manager is that he is a competitor and a warrior. He wants to win everything so when we have a meeting before every game, he always says the same thing.

“He says just to win, win, win and try to win all the competitions. Can we challenge on four fronts this season with the squad we have? I don’t see why not.

“All the players know what they have to do. Even if they are tired on the pitch, they know how to play with their heads and they learn how to be very clever. That way, they gain more experience, so it is good for them.”

Villas-Boas will also be keen to have Emmanuel Adebayor involved again soon. The forward has been marginalised this season due to the form of Jermain Defoe and appeared unhappy with Villas-Boas during the 4-2 defeat against Chelsea, when he had to wait until the 74th minute to come on as a substitute.

Spurs said Adebayor missed last week’s Europa League match at Maribor and the Premier League win at Southampton on Sunday because of a back problem.

Assistant manager Steffen Freund added that Adebayor was also doubtful for the trip to Norwich, this time because of a stomach bug.

If Adebayor is again absent, Villas-Boas must decide whether to stick with Defoe, who has started nearly every game this season, or rest the England man and push Clint Dempsey further forward.

Defoe said: “Norwich had a fantastic 1-0 win over Arsenal recently and I imagine they will still be buzzing after a result like that. It’s another tough game and another one that we must win.”

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