'Tottenham don't need another striker for title charge' - Highlights of Tony Evans Q&A

The big issues: Scroll down to read what Tony Evans had to say ahead of a huge week of London action
James Benge3 March 2016

A dispiriting night for north London’s title chasers has only added to the importance of Saturday’s derby, with defeat for either side likely to cause huge damage to their title ambitions.

In his most recent Standard Sport column Tony Evans warned that both sides face a decisive week in their title ambitions. Having both fallen at the first hurdle in midweek the meeting of Tottenham and Arsenal at White Hart Lane takes on ever greater importance. But who will come out on top?

However it is now time for doom and gloom across the capital, not after another stirring Boleyn Ground night saw West Ham reignite their hopes of arriving at the Olympic Stadium with Champions League football in tow.

Elsewhere Chelsea have finally clambered in to the top half of the table, and seem set to appoint Antonio Conte in time for the new season. Will he be the right choice for Roman Abramovich?

Tony Evans had his say on these issues and more - you can read the best bits from his Q&A below

Tottenham's title hunt

(Clive Rose/Getty Images)

Question: Will Spurs' failure to sign another center forward in January ultimately cost them the Premier League title?

No, definitely not. I was impressed by the way they played against Fiorentina with Chadli as a false nine.

But it worked and the midfield were given room to run down the channels. My bigger worry is they’ll run out of legs.

They looked weary last night and they’ve got a lot of big games coming up quickly. Pochettino talked after West Ham about how difficult the relentless cycle of games is to cope with.

Arsenal's imbalanced midfield

I’m most unsure about those nicknames, Alex! I like Ramsey but the combination with Coquelin doesn’t thrill me.

Both of them seem to get caught between two stool: neither is a natural deep player nor gets up and down enough to support the attack. Coquelin sits more but playing that position isn’t merely about sitting: you’ve got to know the right time to drive forward.

That pair neither support the attack well enough nor protect the centre backs. Wenger has not got that midfield balance right.

Chelsea's incoming boss

Question: Why are Chelsea in such a rush to appoint Antonio Conte? Is his brand not tarnished by his failure to report match fixing in 2012? And is he actually all that good?

I think he is tarnished, though his ban was subject to him not having to admit any guilt, I think.

What really surprises me is that he’s in the Mourinho style of management. He likes to work players hard, keep things tight and is combative in his dealings with other managers. The ‘good football’ demanded by Abramovich isn’t coming from Conte. It’ll be interesting how Hazard takes the appointment.

European Super League

You’d hope so. But I’m not so sure that this is what it’s all about.

The ‘big’ clubs are rattled. They can see an age of new competitiveness across the decision but they’re whining “but that affects out competitiveness”, meaning they won’t automatically get into the Champions League.

Awwww. The crazy thing is, proportionally, the five club at the meeting will still be much richer than the Leicesters and West Hams of the world and, if they were run properly, the would still have a huge advantage.

The Dorchester Six

1/6

Let’s face it, the amount of money United and Liverpool, for example, have spent should put them into the top four. The problem is they’ve spent like idiots. If they run their business properly, the ‘big’ clubs will still dominate.

The new TV deal hasn’t even kicked in and they are panicking. It’s pathetic.

Re-read the debate in full below

22 January 2017

@standardsport @TonyEvans92a would a European breakaway league be the final nail in the coffin for football? #greed

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Tony says: You’d hope so, Craig. But I’m not so sure that this is what it’s all about. 

The ‘big’ clubs are rattled. They can see an age of new competitiveness across the decision but they’re whining “but that affects out competitiveness”, meaning they won’t automatically get into the Champions League. 

Awwww. The crazy thing is, proportionally, the five club at the meeting will still be much richer than the Leicesters and West Hams of the world and, if they were run properly, the would still have a huge advantage. 

Let’s face it, the amount of money United and Liverpool, for example, have spent should put them into the top four. The problem is they’ve spent like idiots. If they run their business properly, the ‘big’ clubs will still dominate. 

The new TV deal hasn’t even kicked in and they are panicking. It’s pathetic.

3 March 2016

The big football news of the week was the meeting of five top Premier League CEOs at the Dorchester to chat about the European Super League, which has gone from the realms of Fifa 99 video game to potentially ruinous proposal.

Tony's take on that is coming right up...

3 March 2016

@TonyEvans92a @standardsport#AskEvans Tony, I'm a huge #LFC fan but can't understand why so many on the internet laud Sakho so much...

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Tony says: You’re just trying to get me battered on twitter, aren’t you John? I don’t see it either. He’s athletic but he doesn’t know how to use his physicality properly and makes terrible decisions.

You never feel secure with the ball at his feet and he takes up bad positions. Aside from that he’s great. Rodgers didn’t fancy him. I suspect there’ll be another central defender coming in apart from Matip

3 March 2016

A question here from Hammerette 90, nice and simple:Will West Ham make the top four?

Tony says: Bilic got asked this last night. His response was interesting. He screwed up his face and thought about it for more than 10 seconds before saying: “We cannot think about such things.”

He can smell it but doesn’t want to get overexcited about the prospect. So, yeah, I think they can. They’ll need a bit of luck and to get Collins back asap but if they play as well as they did last night they can beat almost anyone.

The run of Chelsea (a), Palace (h), Arsenal (h) and Leicester (a) will be vital. There may be a cup semi-final thrown in. Looks tough and I can see why Bilic doesn’t want to start dreaming yet.

3 March 2016

Ozil when he hears what Evans has to say

3 March 2016

Agree with Tony? Think Pochettino would usher in a glorious era at the Emirates where N7 overflows with milk and honey? Or is Wenger still the best man for the Gunners?Have your say in Standard Sport's poll with the link above.

3 March 2016

So would Pochettino secure the title at the Emirates?Tony says: The easy answer is yes. The truth is probably not unless he had two years at the Emirates to change the nature of the squad.

I mean, can you imagine Ozil in a Pochettino team? Arsenal have no one like Dier, who’s disciplined, aware and willing to subvert his game for the team’s sake.

Not so sure, either, whether the Arsenal centre backs could replicate the way Alderweireld has performed. It would need at least one summer transfer window to put in a proper spine.

3 March 2016

And we're off, with a first question inspired by our poll of the day: How would Mauricio Pochettino fare if he made a shock swap across north London?

29 February 2016

The Q&A with Tony Evans will start at 12pm on Thursday March 3rd. Leave your questions in the comment box above!