Spurs tomorrow and they should feel optimistic

I was going to write something about Ole Gunnar Solskjær getting sacked at Manchester United but then I remember, someone hired him and knew what we knew so there must be a master plan. And I thought better of it.

I thought better of it because Manchester United are the past and we are the future and in our future is Spurs. And playing Spurs is a match I think we can win. I'm not saying we are going to, I'm saying based on the past couple of performances, we have enough in the squad to do it. See how I'm still not really confident when I should or could be? That is going to take time.

Spurs supporters on the other hand can feel a little more optimistic. They've got themselves a decent manager and he will get them winning more games than they lose, just like he did at Wolves. Spurs will do well in the future and that future is going to start soon.

But he needs to be given the time and we know the cost of changing managers often and appointing the wrong ones. Spurs need to know they have a good one and Levy needs to keep faith. I suspect he will but I'm not sure about the supporters.

That said, wouldn't it be great to spank them tomorrow. And it's going to be interesting to see how they line up. We're away and there is going to be a great deal of pressure on Spurs to come at us. It means we know what to expect and knowing that is valuable.

So, this written, I'll be back tomorrow. I need to get my head down for a bit. It's been a hectic week. Up the Villa!

Match facts from the BBC

Head-to-head

  • Tottenham have won 10 of the past 12 Premier League meetings.
  • However, Villa won this fixture 2-1 last season and could earn successive league victories against Spurs for the first time since 2008.
  • It could also be the first time since 1995 that the Villans register consecutive away wins at Tottenham.

Tottenham Hotspur

  • Tottenham are in danger of losing four Premier League games in a row for the first time since November 2004.
  • They could concede three or more goals in four consecutive top-flight fixtures for the first time since 1958.
  • Harry Kane could go six Premier League appearances without a goal for the first time since the opening six games of the 2015-16 season.
  • Son Heung-min has six goals and four assists in his past 11 league games at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
  • The Korean has scored three of Spurs' four Premier League goals so far this season.

Aston Villa

  • Aston Villa could win three consecutive Premier League matches without conceding for the first time since December 2009.
  • Villa's 18 top-flight clean sheets since the beginning of last season is only bettered by Manchester City's 24 and Chelsea's 22.
  • They have scored five of their nine league goals this season from set-pieces - only Liverpool, with six, have scored more.
  • Danny Ings has six goals in his last six appearances against Tottenham, scoring on all three of his visits to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.