tottenham-hotspur

It has a been a tough couple of weeks at Manchester United. First, that limp draw with Liverpool at Anfield, then the narrow but unsatisfying victory over Benfica, and finally that traumatic defeat at Huddersfield Town last weekend. Victory over Swansea City in the League Cup ensured that the wheels didn’t come off United’s season, but the positivity associated with the new campaign has rapidly dissipated. It is not a good sign ahead of Tottenham Hotspur’s visit to Old Trafford on Saturday.

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After 118 years Tottenham Hotspur prepares to say goodbye to White Hart Lane. The century has not aged the old ground well, with Spurs’ facilities outdated and other clubs moving ahead. It is testament to Mauricio Pochettino’s talent as a manager that he has taken the Lillywhites to second on the Premier League’s sixth largest budget. José Mourinho might typically be out to spoil the party, but with the Manchester United manager has long since prioritised winning the Europa League. It might not be a scratch team on Sunday, but it is likely to be far from full strength.

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At what point does, seemingly, appalling luck become par for the course? Since Manchester United last picked up maximum points in a Premier League game, a very familiar pattern has played out: dominant in possession, much of the play, very few chances taken. Three matches, three 1-1 draws. It has left the Reds 13 points off the Premier League leaders.

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Once upon a time Manchester United’s fixtures against Tottenham Hotspur were settled before a ball was kicked. United’s record at White Hart Lane is excellent – and the side has not lost there since 2001. However, long gone are the days when Sir Alex Ferguson could construct Tottenham’s downfall with three simple words: “Lads… It’s Tottenham.” It doesn’t do the North London side justice; the balance of power is shifting in the Premier League.

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New season, new challenges, new expectations. Familiar opponents. Tottenham Hotspur’s visit to Old Trafford on Saturday kicks off the Premier League season – a campaign in which the pressure is firmly on Louis van Gaal to stimulate a strong Manchester United performance. After spending £230 million acquiring new players, since joining the club last July, Van Gaal has few excuses left.

United’s short pre-season tour of the USA was tightly micro-managed by the Dutch coach. Commercial arrangements shelved, fixtures moved and flying time greatly reduced. All in the name of a strong start this season.

Indeed, Van Gaal’s grip on the club is now strong and the hierarchy has responded with another influx of talent: five players that patch some of the more significant holes in United’s squad. At least three – Matteo Darmian, Morgan Schneiderlin and Memphis Depay – will start for Untied against Spurs at Old Trafford this weekend.

United comfortably won this fixture last season during a golden period in which Van Gaal’s side not only beat Spurs, but Liverpool and Manchester City with some flair and attacking verve. Still, that momentum fizzled out in the final month of the campaign and memories also remain fresh of Tottenham victories at Old Trafford in both 2012 and 2013. No longer can United simply turn up and expect a north London collapse in Manchester. Sir Alex Ferguson’s old rallying cry, “Lads, it’s Tottenham,” no longer applies.

Nor have too many in Van Gaal’s entourage forgotten United’s calamitous start to last season – home defeat to Swansea followed by just 13 points secured in the opening 10 games of the campaign. The Dutchman’s determination to start the season strongly prompted not only pre-season reorganisation, but early moves in the summer transfer market. Not least because United faces two winnable, but pivotal, fixtures against Club Brugge in the Champions League qualifier this month. After just four games on tour, United cannot afford to be undercooked heading into the opening fortnight of the new campaign.

Still, Van Gaal has more than one headache with which to contend. Goalkeeper David de Gea is reportedly not in the right frame of mind for Saturday’s fixture, with a mooted transfer to Real Madrid still not resolved. The Spanish club is yet to meet United’s asking price or offer Sergio Ramos as part of the deal. It is a saga that could go right up to the transfer deadline on 2 September, and with all sides at an impasse, there appears to be little momentum towards a speedy resolution.

It says little for United’s planning that one of the world’s finest goalkeepers will sit in the stands on the opening day of the new campaign with a freshman replacement facing the most daunting fixture of his nascent career. Van Gaal is seemingly not in the mood to offer de Gea any leeway.

“The player has to manage this situation,” Van Gaal said in his defence on Friday. “I think when it is September 1 then there is already a decision made, because then the transfer period is over and then we have to manage the new situation. That may be easier, but I don’t know, we have to see and wait, and observe. I am the victim, the fellow players are the victims, the club is the victim.

“We have observed and seen him in training sessions, we have seen him in matches and he is not the David de Gea of last year. This is the most important match, so I want players who can only focus on the match and he is not capable of doing that.”

Either way, de Gea’s situation will be resolved within the next three weeks. Meanwhile, Van Gaal is seeking to add two further players – a defender and an attacking player – to his squad. Pity, it would seem, that neither is in place before the campaign proper begins.

“The squad is still in process because we are living in a crazy football world,” he added. “The transfer period is still going on and the competition is starting. Di Maria, we have solved that problem, but it is a big loss because I want attackers with speed and creativity. He is one of those players. We have to look for that kind of player.”

Meanwhile, Spurs’ manager Mauricio Pochettino has augmented only his defensive options over the summer, acquiring Toby Alderweireld from under Southampton’s noses, Kevin Wimmer from 1. FC Köln and Kieran Trippier from relegated Burnley. It is, however, the retention of star striker Harry Kane that is Pochettino’s greatest coup. United’s interest in the Englishman is very real.

Pochettino’s side has enjoyed a muted pre-season in the USA and Germany, losing to an MLS All-Star XI and Real Madrid, before defeating AC Milan.

“We are feeling good after victory against Milan in the Audi Cup and I’m very excited,” said Pochettino. “But Manchester United have improved a lot, signed a lot of good players, and it is a tough game for us.”

Indeed, whatever Van Gaal’s challenges, it is a fixture that United should win.

Team news and line-ups

United subs from: Johnstone, Lindegaard, Blackett, Evans, Jones, McNair, Herrera, Januzaj, Pereira, Schweinsteiger, Valencia, Hernández, Wilson

Spurs subs from: Lloris, Davies, Fazio, Trippier, Wimmer, Yedlin, Carroll, Lamela, Lennon, Mason, Pritchard, Townsend, Soldado

With de Gea not considered for selection, Sergio Romero or youngster Sam Johnstone will come in for a club debut. Johnstone has been loaned out to Doncaster Rovers and Preston North End over the past two seasons and was expected to return to the Lancashire outfit for the coming campaign.

New signing Bastian Schweinsteiger is not yet match fit, but fellow recruits Morgan Schneiderlin and Matteo Darmian will start in midfield and at right-back respectively. Schneiderlin is likely to feature alongside Michael Carrick as two holding players in a 4-2-3-1 system.

In defence Van Gaal is set to pick Luke Shaw and Darmian at full-back, with Daley Blind continuing his experimental deployment in central defence. Chris Smalling could oust Phil Jones from the starting line-up, with the latter having suffer a poor summer tour of the USA. Marcos Rojo is not yet match fit after missing the pre-season tour.

Memphis, Juan Mata and Ashley Young are set to provide attacking support to lone striker Wayne Rooney, with the youngster James Wilson the only viable striking alternate. Javier Hernández is not yet match fit after suffering a fracture to his collarbone over the summer.

Meanwhile, Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochetino Tottenham could select goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, who is fit again after suffering a fractured wrist in the summer, although the Frenchman has not factored in much of the pre-season programme. New signing Alderweireld will start in a back-four, with Wimmer and Trippier on the bench, but Ryan Mason, Roberto Soldado and Andros Townsend face fitness concerns.

Match officials
Referee: Jonathan Moss
Assistants: J Brooks, E Smart
Fourth Official: A Marriner

Head-to-head
United – 85
Draw – 49
Spurs – 48

Last meeting
United 3 – 0 Spurs

Prediction
United 3-2 Spurs

£1 bet club
Rooney, Memphis and Kane to all score @ 16/1

Biggest game of the season? Quite possibly. For so many years Tottenham Hotspur’s visit to Old Trafford had the air of a gimme; three points for Manchester United, time to move on to bigger and better things. No longer, with Louis van Gaal’s side now in a five-way “rat race” with the north London side, Arsenal, Liverpool and Southampton for Champions League football next season. After Manchester City’s defeat to Burnley on Saturday that race may well pull in six teams before March is out.

Crucially, defeat in the FA Cup to Arsenal last week has knocked confidence at Old Trafford. United’s last chance of silverware this season shattered, rivals’ boosted in the process, and at the worse possible time to boot. Following Sunday’s fixture with Spurs in Manchester, Van Gaal’s side faces Liverpool, a resurgent Aston Villa, City and Chelsea in a period that will decide the club’s fate this season. It was always thus; one reason among many that United’s run of 22 matches with just two defeats through the winter was a little misleading.

Little wonder that many supporters believe it is time for Van Gaal to live up to a lofty reputation. After coaching Ajax, Barcelona and Bayern Munich to silverware, United’s apparent demise may just be the Dutchman’s greatest challenge. And yet, after months of seemingly indecisive tactics and an ever-changing strategy, United’s manager appears no closer to the optimal formula for success with United than when he walked into the job last summer.

In typical fashion Van Gaal rejects the notion that he has been indecisive over the course of the season, despite switching between multiple formations and using more players than any other club in the division. “I don’t think that is fair,” said the Dutchman this week. “There was a lot of education we had to do.”

There is precious little time for learning now though, with his side beginning a pivotal few weeks. Spurs’ visit will set the narrative – positive or otherwise –  for a “decisive” period.

“You are right. It is very decisive, the coming matches,” said Van Gaal on Friday. “Of course, after a defeat at home, it is also to see the reaction of the team. We play against a very good team in Tottenham. We are so close with a lot of clubs. We can be second or third. It is not a big difference I believe.”

The Dutchman holds few excuses for failure now, although he is without four players for Tottenham’s visit. Robin van Persie is absent with an ankle injury, while Jonny Evans and Angel Di Maria are suspended. Marcos Rojo suffered a minor thigh strain against Arsenal and may not be risked.

Although it has become a fruitless undertaking predicting Van Gaal’s starting formation – let alone selection – the Dutchman is now seemingly set on a 4-2-3-1 system, with Wayne Rooney likely to be deployed as the lone striker. Is the absence of Evans and United’s manager is likely to pair Chris Smalling and Phil Jones in central defence.

Rafael da Silva may start his first game since January after coming through an Under-21 fixture in midweek – a match in which Victor Valdes, James Wilson and Radamel Falcao also played.

Van Gaal denied that the experience was “humiliating” for the Colombian striker, who is now highly unlikely to remain at United beyond the close of the season. Falcao has scored just four times this season and was substituted after 70 minutes of the Under-21’s draw with Tottenham on Tuesday night.

“I have 25 players and all of the players can play the next game,” said van Gaal. “I have to maintain the rhythm of the game with every player. I have read about the ‘big humiliation’ for Falcao, but also Valdes was playing and Rafael as well. Michael Carrick has also played for the second team this season.

“That shows the professional attitude of the player, but also the management of the club. It is not a humiliation, it is a professional attitude. In a training session, you never reach the intensity of 90 minutes. Of course, the second team level is lower but that is also good that a player from the first team is playing much more minutes at a lower level, because then he can build up his confidence.”

Meanwhile, Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino enjoys a fully fit squad. The Argentinian will choose between Danny Rose and Ben Davies at left-back, while two from Mousa Dembele, Nabil Bentaleb and Ryan Mason will form a central midfield partnership. The latter pairing was the subject of praise from former Red Paul Scholes this week.

Pochettino has come through a difficult start to the campaign to find his side within reach of the Champions League this season despite a flat net transfer spend over the past 12 months. Indeed, Pochettino’s consistency of strategy and formation despite a relatively modest summer lies in stark contrast to Van Gaal’s unsettled outlook.

Despite being dumped out of the Europa League last month Pochettino’s men have enjoyed a run of just two league defeats in the past 10 fixtures. It leaves Spurs three points behind United with, says the Argentinian, the confidence to attack at Old Trafford.

“I am brave. I never think in another way. My football idea is always to concentrate on the opponents’ goal, so why should I change?” says the Argentinian. “My football is about trying to have the ball, playing attacking football and damaging the opponent. This is my feeling, my idea, and I need to translate those ideas to the team.”

It is, one might say, a philosophy. One built on Harry Kane’s goals and the attacking instincts of Danish midfielder Christien Erikssen.

Van Gaal, meanwhile, is yet to fully translate his ideas into a team that is too often less than the sum of its considerable parts. That is a formula that cannot last much longer.

Teams
United (4-2-3-1): De Gea; Rafael, Jones, Smalling, Shaw; Carrick, Blind; Januzaj, Fellaini, Young; Rooney
Tottenham (4-2-3-1): Lloris; Walker, Dier, Vertonghen, Rose; Mason, Bentaleb; Townsend, Eriksen, Lamela; Kane

Subs from
United: Valdes, Lindegaard, McNair, James, Blackett, Valencia, Herrera, Mata, Wilson, Falcao
Tottenham: Vorm, Yedlin, Dembélé, Kaboul, Fazio, Stambouli, Davies, Chadli, Adebayor, Soldado

Head-to-head
United 84 – Draw 49 – Tottenham 48

Officials
Referee: Mark Clattenburg
Assistants: S Beck, H Lennard
Fourth Official: R Madley

Prediction
United 1-1 Tottenham

£1 bet club
Draw @ 13/5
Running total: (-)£0.50

Join in the matchday debate on the Rant forum

Welcome to England. Manchester United’s second game inside 48 hours is a phenomenon only of the game’s birthplace; unquestionably a novelty for United manager Louis van Gaal. Still, the Reds travel south for Sunday’s fixture against Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane in good spirits, having notched up a seventh win in eight fixtures in dispatching Newcastle United on Friday. Not that everybody was pleased. Van Gaal, in keeping with his growing reputation on these shores, remains far from happy with England’s festive football programme.

United’s easy victory over Newcastle at Old Trafford took the Reds’ points tally to 22 from the past 24 – and a position comfortably inside the Champions League qualification positions, although some 10 points shy of Chelsea at the head of the Premier League. It should make for renewed confidence in Van Gaal’s camp, with half of the league season now completed and momentum squarely with the Reds.

Yet, victory over Newcastle also served to underline United’s inconsistency – great at home, far less so away from the safety of Old Trafford. White Hart Lane will, thus, pose a real test, both of United’s title ambitions, if any remain, as well as Van Gaal’s call for greater consistency. After all, while Mauricio Pochettino’s side has lost a quartet of home Premier League games this season, the Lilywhites have also secured victory in the past four matches.

“I am hoping that we come out of this busy festive period with some consistency which will carry us into the second half of the season,” said Van Gaal on Friday. “It is team spirit that I am looking for. It’s not about one or two players doing very well in a match, it’s about the whole team performing.

“There have been one or two blips along the way, but gradually we are getting better all the time, which is pleasing. Since I started managing in the Premier League I have come to learn that there are no easy sides to play in the league.”

Van Gaal’s preparation is aided neither by the short turnaround between fixtures or continued injury problems. Marouanne Fellaini, Adnan Januzaj, Marcos Rojo and Angel di Maria all miss Sunday lunchtime fixture, although Chris Smalling could start.

In defence the Dutchman is likely to persist with a back three until Rafael da Silva and Like Shaw are ready for first team action. The Brazilian made his long-awaited comeback as a second-half substitute against Newcastle on Friday, while Shaw could make the bench at White Hart Lane.

Meanwhile, Wayne Rooney will be retained in the midfield role from where the Scouser scored twice on Friday. Rooney may be finding his feet in the position – given the coaching required by Van Gaal between recent fixtures – but he was far more effective against Newcastle than in United’s draw with Aston Villa. Rooney’s ability to burst forward, rather than seek and retain possession, was the key to the Scouser’s effectiveness against the Geordies.

In attack Radamel Falcao could drop to the bench if the Colombian is yet to fully recover from Friday’s match, with James Wilson ready to come into the side. Indeed, the United manager again bemoaned festive fixture congestion, with his side unable to complete a full training session before Sunday’s game.

“I cannot prepare my team like I have to prepare,” he said. “We have team meetings, we have a training session always 11 against 11, simulating the opponent, we cannot do that now. We have to play within 48 hours. Uefa and Fifa say it’s forbidden to play within 48 hours, but, OK, it’s England.

“Players need 48 hours’ recovery time for a number of reasons. The physicality of a competitive match puts great strain on a player’s body so they need to fill up their energy stores due to the fatigue on their muscles and this can only be done by resting. On top of that we also need to prepare the players mentally and tactically. That is not an easy task.”

Meanwhile, Pochettino’s side is on a high after winning four matches in succession, including three in the Premier League. The north London side has now taken 30 points this season to match rivals Arsenal, with each seeking Champions League qualification next season, but neither guaranteed a place.

The Argentinian’s side secured another, if fortunate, victory on Friday at Leicester City, although it almost came at the expense of goalkeeper Hugo Lloris’ fitness. The French international suffering a cut to his mouth in the win, but should be fit to face United. Ryan Mason is also in the frame to play after featuring  as a substitute on Boxing Day.

Still, history hardly favours the home side, even if the Londoners have beaten United twice in the past four fixtures between two of England’s great clubs. United hasn’t lost at White Hart Lane in 13 Premier League meetings since May 2001.

Not that Van Gaal cares much for history or, it seems, the English tradition of piling fixtures up at this time of year. It may take yet another win for the gruff Dutchman to warm to the idea of playing matches less than 48-hours apart, even if his players remain on a high.

“The signs have been good in recent weeks,” midfielder Michael Carrick told ManUtd.com. “We beat Newcastle and now have two big away games. They will be a good test for us to see where we are at. We’re continuing to look up. We’re not satisfied with third.

“Going to Tottenham is always a tough game and to go there two days after the Newcastle match at 12 noon makes it very tough, but we go there confident.”

Teams
Spurs (4-5-1): Lloris; Walker, Fazio, Vertonghen, Rose; Lamela, Mason, Bentaleb, Chadli, Eriksen; Kane
United (3-4-1-2): de Gea; Jones, Smalling, Evans; Valencia, Carrick, Rooney, Young; Mata; Van Persie, Wilson

Subs from
Spurs: Vorm, Stambouli, Chiriches, Paulinho, Soldado, Townsend, Davies
United: Lindegaard, Blackett, Shaw, McNair, Rafael, Anderson, Pereira, Falcao

Head-to-head
Tottenham 48 – Draw 48 – United 84

Officials
Referee: Jonathan Moss
Assistants: S Bennett, S Long
Fourth Official: L Mason

Prediction
Spurs 0-1 United

£1 bet club
Rooney to score in 0-1 win @ 35/1
Running total: £(-)7

Rant forum thread

It is just a month since United last faced Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League, but the contrast in fortunes could hardly be more stark. Following a 2-2 draw between the sides at White Hart Lane, David Moyes’ Reds lost successive matches against Everton and Newcastle United, prompting an over-zealous charge of crisis at Old Trafford. The crisis, if there ever was one, quickly dissipated as United won six matches on the spin in all competitions.

Meanwhile, the north London club sacked manager Andres Villas-Boas following a 5-0 home defeat to Liverpool. Spurs had won the three preceding games, to leave an open question of perspective, with the sides locked on 34 Premier League points a month hence.

New Spurs manager Tim Sherwood has since led the Londoners to league victories over Stoke City and Southampton as the competition for Champions League places intensifies. In a more open season than many anticipated neither United nor Spurs are guaranteed a place in Europe next season.

Tottenham remain inconsistent under Sherwood, where league victories have been permeated with defeat at West Ham United in the Capital One Cup, and a disappointing home draw with West Bromwich Albion. Yet, the new man has sought to stamp his authority on the team since signing an 18 month contract at White Hart Lane, taking the oft-repeated criticism faced by Villas-Boas – of tactical over-complexity – and introducing a simplified approach in a familiar 4-4-2 formation.

Indeed, Spurs represent United’s toughest opponent of the festive period, with Sherwood likely to deploy two forwards at Old Trafford. The former England midfielder is keen to take the game to the hosts despite preaching a measure of caution in recent days.

Still, it is United that remains the form side coming into the New Year’s Day clash at Old Trafford, with Moyes’ outfit having secured victories over Aston Villa, West Ham United, Hull City and Norwich City over the festive period. Victories that have taken a vulnerable side from mid-table to contenders for European qualification, if not quite favourites to retain the Premier League.

“I like to play with risk,” said Sherwood after Spurs’ 3-0 victory over Stoke City on Saturday.

“There is going to be tougher tests ahead and we know that. We have to try to find the right formula to perform against some of the bigger teams. We have to assess what Man United are coming with. We know they’re going to be very, very good.

“They always are and have been ever since I was in football. We know we have to give them respect but we can’t be lambs to the slaughter. We need to make sure we go out there and impose ourselves on them as much as we can.”

Spurs will do so without key midfielder Paulinho, who will miss the next month with an ankle injury sustained against Stoke, while Jermain Defoe is out with a hamstring problem. Kyle Walker returns following suspension, but Younes Kaboul, Sandro, Andros Townsend and Jan Vertonghen remain sidelined.

Moyes has injury problems of his own to overcome, with strikers Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie likely to miss the clash, although Antonio Valencia returns from a one game suspension. Rooney has a groin problem, while the Dutchman is not likely to return until United’s Premier League clash with Swansea City in January.

Yet, in the absence of senior pros it is perhaps Danny Welbeck that has shone brightest over the past month. The Longsight-born forward has scored four goals in the past five matches, including United’s winner at Norwich. However, Welbeck hit the net just once between September and mid-December highlighting both the 23-year-old’s inconsistency in front of goal and the limited number of chances proffered in the player’s favoured central striking role.

“I think he’s stepped up again and has a big season ahead,” said United manager Moyes on Monday.

“Danny’s an important player and one of the boys to come through the Academy system. He’s a versatile player as well as a very good player. We can use Danny in several positions. He can play in the middle or on the left.

“With the second half of the season to go he should certainly be looking to score 20 goals – and we need him to do that. When you don’t have Wayne and you don’t have Robin you need people to step up to the mark and in quite a few games recently he’s done that for us.

“Danny’s hoping to go to the World Cup with England and play a part and I think Roy Hodgson sees him as an important part of his team. We see him as an important part here too and if he keeps producing goals it will be great.”

Elsewhere, Moyes must assess the fitness of a squad facing its third match in six days. Michael Carrick will start in central midfield having completed the match against Norwich, while Tom Cleverley, Ryan Giggs and Darren Fletcher all remain in contention. In Rooney’s absence Shinji Kagawa could start, in what has been a largely frustrating season for the Japanese playmaker.

Victory could take United into the top four for the first time this season – reward for a fine set of recent results. In fact, six wins on the bounce represents United’s best winning streak since a period in August and September 2012 that ended with a 3-2 loss at home to Tottenham.

Should the pattern be repeated and Spurs win at Old Trafford the old charge of ‘crisis’ is unlikely to be heard, but the risk to United’s ambitions this season will certainly be felt.

Manchester United v Tottenham Hotspur, Premier League, Old Trafford, 5.30pm, 1 January 2014

Teams
United (4-2-3-1): De Gea; Rafael, Smalling, Evans, Evra; Carrick, Cleverley; Valencia, Kagawa, Januzaj; Welbeck, Rooney. Subs from: Lindegaard, Fabio, Ferdinand, Vidić, Buttner, Zaha, Anderson, Giggs, Fletcher, Young, Hernández

Spurs (4-4-2): Lloris; Walker, Dawson, Chiriches, Rose; Lennon, Dembélé, Capoue, Eriksen; Soldado, Adebayor. Subs from: Friedel, Chadli, Naughton, Fryers, Bentaleb, Fredericks, Veljkovic, Holtby, Lamela

Head-to-head
United 76 Draw 41 United 36

Officials (all Serbian)
Referee: Howard Webb
Assistants: M Mullarkey, D Can
Fourth Official: N Swarbrick

Prediction
2-1

Matchday Forum discussion

Strange game, football. Manchester United’s visit to White Hart Lane is always eagerly anticipated. Yet, with the home side coming off a chastening defeat to Manchester City last weekend, and United securing an unlikely 5-0 victory in the Champions League on Wednesday, there is a little added intrigue in the air ahead of Sunday’s clash.

There can be little doubt that Tottenham Hotspur boss Andre Villas-Boas is under increasing pressure having spent some £100 million on new players last summer. The north Londoners restored some pride in beating Tromso on Thursday, although Spurs’ 2-0 victory in Norway will do little to dampen the groundswell of criticism now surrounding Villas-Boas in his second season at White Hart Lane.

It is no time to look at history for home fans. Spurs haven’t beaten the Reds in north London for more than a decade, leaving home supporters to be forgiven for fearing the worst come Sunday lunchtime.

Meanwhile, United’s domestic form has been anything but consistent, on show once again in a dispiriting draw at Cardiff City last weekend. United’s midfield has rarely been more static and the frustrating inability to hold on to a lead the result of a total lack of defensive composure. On to Leverkusen on Wednesday and the vibrancy with which United attacked brought easily the finest performance of David Moyes’ Old Trafford reign.

Such is football.  The beautiful game is always a strange bedfellow to a predictable narrative.

“We have to get a better level of consistency,” admitted the Scot, whose first 20 games have brought 12 victories, five draws and three defeats.

“I look around the Premier League and that’s been quite noticeable throughout really. Arsenal are the one side who have shown a real consistency as we’re about to go into December. They’re the one side who has shown that. We have dropped some points we shouldn’t have done and we have to try to eradicate that.

“There’s a bit of us still being a work in progress really, us trying to work together to get everything we want to be correct, and we’ve still got a bit to go on that. The best is to come and I still think we can continue to improve and progress.

“There have been moments that have shown we are beginning to come right back into form. Midweek certainly showed what we are capable of when we are playing well .”

Victory in Germany brought to 11 United’s unbeaten run, although a pattern of winning and then drawing has seemingly set in. It leaves Moyes with the manager’s dilemma: stick with the side that hammered Bayer, or rotate in the knowledge that Everton arrive at Old Trafford on Wednesday.

Moyes will again be without midfielder Michael Carrick, although star striker Robin van Persie will return to the squad. The Dutchman has missed games with toe and groin problems in recent weeks, leaving Moyes to make a late call on whether van Persie starts against his old rivals.

Meanwhile, captain Nemanja Vidić is likely to feature after being given the all-clear to play again following concussion. Phil Jones is set to retain a role in midfield where Moyes has a choice to make between retaining the quartet that functioned so well in Germany or rotating to keep his troops fresh ahead of Wednesday’s match.

Ryan Giggs is likely to be involved two days after turning 40, although the Welshman may return to the bench with Marouanne Fellaini available in the centre of United’s midfield.

Yet, Moyes most pressing choice is whether to retain Wayne Rooney and Shinji Kagawa as an attacking pair even if van Persie is fit to return. Should the Dutchman earn a recall Kagawa will drop back into a wide role once again – a frustrating move for the Japanese no doubt.

There is, after all, no chance the Scouser will drop out, despite playing in 17 of United’s fixtures this season. Indeed, Moyes seemingly has little predilection for resting the former Everton player just yet.

“There will be times when we do have to look after him. At the moment he doesn’t need it. But I will be looking for any signs of a dip,” said Moyes.

“He is a boy who continually gets better in the games he plays. I just want to make sure I keep him playing as well as he is doing. I look at a lot of other clubs and they have played their players continuously. It’s just at United here we’ve got a squad, we can rotate them, we have got other options.”

Whatever the selection there is little doubt that United must now find greater consistency. Arsenal’s victory over Cardiff on Saturday stretched the Gunners’ Premier League lead over the Reds to a full 10 points.

Still, with 25 games remaining in the campaign nothing is yet decided, although further points dropped on Sunday will undoubtedly increase the pressure on Moyes despite that fantastic European result.

“People always write Manchester United off. Remember last year people were saying the same then, but in the end we won the league,” said vice-captain Patrice Evra.

“Every game, every year is a challenge playing for Man United. We didn’t make the most of the Arsenal win and that was why we were so disappointed about the Cardiff draw.

“We have not lost for a long time and we want to keep winning and keep winning. If we had won at Cardiff it would have been a bit easier going to Tottenham, but now we cannot afford to lose at White Hart Lane. The draw against Southampton and Cardiff plus the defeat at home to West Brom – if we had won those matches we would be top of the league, and that is why we are so frustrated.”

Meanwhile, Villas-Boas will recall a host of regulars after making nine changes for the midweek Europa League victory. However, Christian Eriksen, Danny Rose and Harry Kane remain on the sidelines, while Emmanuel Adebayor faces a late fitness test.

Whatever the selection the Portuguese simply cannot afford another reverse, lest the former Porto and Chelsea coach should once again find himself without a Premier League employer.

“I am very happy for the players to have bounced back from the defeat against Man City,” the Spurs manager said. “The opponent we have on Sunday is the biggest that we can have, but to prepare for that game it was important to get back to winning ways.”

It is a run that should come to an end on Sunday, with United full of confidence on the journey south. Then again, stranger things do happen in football. Not least in the past week.

Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester United, Premier League, Old Trafford, 12pm, 30 November 2013

Teams
Spurs (4-2-3-1): Lloris; Walker, Kaboul, Dawson, Vertonghen; Paulinho, Dembélé; Townsend, Sigurdsson, Lamela; Soldado. Subs from: Friedel, Chiriches, Holtby, Lennon, Defoe, Adebayor

United (4-4-1-1): De Gea; Smalling, Evans, Vidić, Evra; Jones, Fellaini; Valencia, Kagawa, Januzaj; Rooney. Subs from: Lindegaard, Fabio, Buttner, Rafael, Ferdinand, Anderson, Cleverley, Nani, Young, Giggs, Hernández, van Persie

Head-to-head
Spurs 47 Draw 47 United 84

Officials
Referee: Mike Dean
Assistants: J Collin, P Bankes
Fourth Official: J Moss

Prediction
0-1

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