Tottenham Hotspur has defeated Swansea City in a Premier League match played at Liberty Stadium on Saturday. Tottenham won the match by 2-1.

This was 17th league win for the Spurs in the ongoing season. This win helped them in overtaking Chelsea in the points table. Now, the Spurs are at the third position.
Both the sides made one change in their starting XI for this match. For Swansea, Chico Flores got the starting opportunity, while, for Tottenham, Brad Friedel replaced Hugo Lloris who is out due to injury.

The Spurs got a lead in the 8th minute. Jan Vertonghen got a great pass from Gareth Bale. The Belgian defender controlled it brilliantly before firing it past the Swansea goalie Michel Vorm.

Just after a few moments, the Spurs had almost found the net again. Emmanuel Adebayor had gone past Swansea defense and he just had to beat Vorm to double the lead of his team. He couldn’t do that. Vorm didn’t have to do much to make that save as the ball came straight towards him.

Tottenham eventually managed to take a lead of 2-0 in the 21st minute. It was their superstar Gareth Bale who found the net yet again for them. This was the result of a bad clearance by the Swansea City defenders. Vertonghen latched on that opportunity. He passed the ball to Bale who was just outside the box. The Welsh winger finished it in a fine way. The ball sailed into the left hand corner of the net and Tottenham got ahead by 2-0.

In the 71st minute, the score became 2-1 when Michu finally took advantage of an opportunity. So many chances were missed by him earlier in the match, but, this time, he didn’t miss out. He deflected Sung-Yong Ki’s corner into the net and brought smile on the faces of home supporters.

However, the Spurs defenders didn’t give any more chances to the opponents in the remaining time.
Tottenham will play against FC Basel in its next match. That will be a Europa League clash and will be played at White Hart Lane.

The manager of Tottenham Hotspur, Andre Villas Boas, has said that if his team manages to defeat Internazionale, then, they have a very good chance of winning the Europa League.

Boas was talking to the reporters after Tottenham’s Europa League second round match against Lyon. That match ended in a draw.

When asked about the chances of his team in the competition, the Spurs manager said, “I think we have a very good chance of winning this tournament, but, for that we need to perform well in the upcoming couple of matches against Internazionale.”

“It’s not that easy. Inter Milan is a very strong side, but, we should go into the match thinking positively. A couple of years ago, we had put up two great performances against them and if we apply ourselves, there is no reason why we can’t repeat that.”

Tottenham will face Internazionale on its home ground first on 7th of March and then, will play another match against them a week later at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza.
In the match against Lyon, Tottenham got trailed by 0-1 in the 17th minute of the match. Lyon maintained the lead for a very long time, but, they conceded a goal in the 90th minute and lost the advantage. Moussa Dembele was the one who scored the leveller for Tottenham.

When asked about that 90th minute goal, Boas said, “It was nice to see that the boys kept fighting right till the end. These last minute goals give you a lot of confidence.”

Boas also looked happy with the performance of defenders in the last few matches. The Tottenham manager said, “We haven’t performed that well as a defensive unit in this season, but, in the last few games, we have really shown improvements in defense which is great.”

The Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas has praised the performances of the England winger Aaron Lennon by saying that he has been simply unstoppable.

The England winger was at his imperious best in recent 3-0 win over Fulham. This win meant that Tottenham have now taken nine points from the last three matches following their wins over West Ham, Liverpool, and Fulham. The form of players like Gareth Bale and Aaron Lennon are extremely crucial to the way Spurs play because of their formation. At many times in the past, Lennon has been overshadowed by the superior performances of Gareth Bale.

However, he finally earned the credit that he has been worthy of deserving for his performances when the manager Andre Villas-Boas came after the Fulham match and said that Lennon has been simply outstanding. Villas-Boas has also praised the efforts of the other team members in the recent three matches, which has helped the fight for the top four spot intensify in recent weeks. Villas-Boas has admitted that Lennon has been in the shadows of Gareth Bale for a long time, but it is right that he deserves the praise. As a result of the 3-0 win over Fulham, Tottenham have moved level on points with Chelsea, although the West London outfit have a game in hand.

“It’s been a very good week for us. We managed to shorten the distance a lot to the top and moved ourselves back in to fourth position, level on points with third. It’s been a good week for the club and for the players and we congratulate them for their efforts. They’ve been absolutely amazing. So many individuals are at another level right now you almost want to touch on them all but Aaron Lennon has been incredible,” said Villas-Boas after the Fulham victory.

The Wigan midfielder Ben Watson said that Wigan will have a great chance of getting a result that White Hart Lane if they are to be able to stop the Tottenham wingers in the form of Gareth Bale and Aaron Lennon.

The England international Aaron Lennon has been in spectacular form this season, while he has been matched by the Welsh winger Gareth Bale on the other flank. They have been extremely crucial in helping Tottenham keep up the challenge for a top four position this season. Watson has said that any team will be halfway through the victory if they are able to stop the wingers Gareth Bale and Aaron Lennon from playing.

Wigan recently achieved a stunning 1-0 win over Tottenham, which has shocked the football world. Wigan came into the match as the unlikely favourite to get three points due to their poor form away from home. However, they created numerous chances, while also managing to prevent them from creating too many of their own. In the end, Wigan could have easily won by a significant advantage rather than the 1-0 score. Watson said that the players should have concentrated more in front of goal so that the game was much more comfortable.

“They’re two world class players and I thought we dealt with them well. That’s half the job when you play Tottenham. It was the game plan. That’s what the gaffer [Roberto Martinez] gets paid for. It probably could have more,” he added. “It wasn’t a lucky performance. We had three or four clear chances and that was in the first half. It’s been coming all season,” said Watson after the match. This victory has helped Wigan athletic get clear out of the relegation zone, as they have 11 points from 11 matches played so far.

Aaron Lennon has signed a new deal with his club Tottenham Hotspur. According to the Tottenham news site, the new contract will see Lennon continue playing for the club till 2016.

The manager of Tottenham Hotspur, Andre Villas Boas, has confirmed that Lennon’s contract has been extended. By extending the contract of Lennon, Boas has ended the speculations of Lennon’s transfer. There have been speculations that Boas is looking to sell Lennon, but, those speculations haven’t turned out to be true and Lennon would continue to feature for the spurs.

Lennon has been playing for the spurs since the last 7 years. He had joined the club in June 2005 while he was just 18 years of age. Tottenham had bought him from Leeds United after paying a transfer fee of 1 million pounds. He played his first match for the spurs against Chelsea.

In his first season for the spurs, Lennon had to spend a lot of time on the bench, but, in the 2006-07, he got some opportunities and he latched on those opportunities. His performance in the 2006-07 season promised a lot and his contract was extended for another 5 and half years in January 2007.

Lennon has played 230 matches for Tottenham so far. In the last season, Tottenham’s performance in the Premier League was quite impressive. The team finished at no. 4 in the Premier League last season and Lennon had played a big role in that. He had scored 4 goals in the last season and also assisted in quite a few goals.

After signing the new deal with Tottenham, Lennon said that he has enjoyed a lot playing for Tottenham so far. It has been 7 years now and he has gradually improved himself as a player in these 7 years. He would like to continue the form of the previous season in this season as well.

The Tottenham defender Kyle Walker has said that he is developing a good partnership with the winger Aaron Lennon. The England international has become a major development at the White Hart Lane. He arrived from Sheffield United only a few seasons ago, but has established himself as the first-team regular at the club.

He is one of the members of the squad expected to thrive under the managerial reign of the former Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas. The former Sheffield United defender Kyle Walker has said that he is developing a good rapport with his right sided partner Aaron Lennon.

Aaron Lennon has been at Tottenham for quite a while now. However, he has rediscovered his magic touch under the former Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp. He spent most of the last season injured, but is back to full fitness and is looking to impress the new manager Andre Villas-Boas. Speaking ahead of the match with West Brom during the vacant, Kyle Walker has said that he cannot wait to get onto the pitch with Aaron Lennon. He has been able to get an understanding about the strength and weakness of both players, which has helped them perform well on the pitch.

“I thought we were building up a better understanding towards the end of last season. It’s difficult, because I always want to get forward and that’s obviously Azza’s [Lennon] strength as well. We’re understanding each other a lot better, not taking it in turns to go forward, but knowing when to go and who is better to go. It’s all positive," said Kyle Walker ahead of the match with West Brom. Tottenham will be coming into the match on the back of consecutive defeats. Tottenham suffered a 2-1 defeat against Newcastle on the opening day of the season, while they also lost to Valencia in the pre-season friendly match.

New Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas has come out in criticism of Croatian playmaker Luka Modric as rumours about a transfer away from White Hart Lane intensify.

Last summer Villas-Boas himself was close to tempting Modric across London during his tenure as Chelsea manager, and though the player at the time expressed a desire to leave, a £40 million bid was rejected and the talented midfielder was eventually persuaded to stay at the club.

However it appears that the 26 year old is once again making noises about wanting to move on, with José Mourinho’s Real Madrid the widely touted destination.
It would appear that in an effort to force through a move to the Spanish champions Modric has chosen to let his feet do the talking, allegedly unwilling to train and refusing to travel with the squad to the United States for the club’s pre season tour.

His manager has responded publicly, saying “I think Modric is wrong. This will go against him.”

He has also suggested that the midfielder is doing himself no favours with his unprofessional attitude, incurring both the wrath of chairman Daniel Levy and an £80,000 fine to boot.

“He has worsened the situation with what he's doing and now the chairman is very angry.”

With the relationship between the player and his club becoming more strained daily it remains to be seen if this most recent breach of conduct will be the final straw for Daniel Levy, who showed such stubborn determination to keep his man in the face of similar circumstances last year.

Modric went on to make a huge contribution to a team that finished fourth in the league and for so much of the season looked as if it could achieve even more. Villas-Boas has accepted that Modric is a player of the highest quality, describing him as someone who can “make the difference” and has accepted that his departure would be a big blow for Spurs.

Sadly for all those at Tottenham, it looks increasingly likely that a repeat of last year’s turnaround is not going to materialise and they will finally lose one of their most prized assets.

With Spurs securing a top four finish on a thrilling final day in the Premiership, many Tottenham fans will be hoping German side Bayern Munich can overcome Chelsea in the champions League final to ensure that Harry Redknapp’s north London side will be playing in Europe’s most lucrative tournament next year.

Should they fail to retain their qualification spot, Spurs may see a number of influential players leave, with Gareth Bale and Luca Modric linked to moves away from White Hart Lane. However, one important player who has already announced that he will be sticking with Spurs is right winger Aaron Lennon. The 25 year old who signed for just £1million has fast become a key player for Spurs, scoring four goals and an impressive 7 assists even with an injury ridden season.

Tottenham’s dip in form in the run in to the season finale coincided with Lennon’s injuries, however since returning the pacey winger has been in exquisite form, putting in a man of the match performance at home to Fulham. The issue now is that despite only recently coming back from injury, has Lennon done enough to secure a place in England’s Euro 2012 squad?

Based on performance it would seem fair that Lennon take a place ahead of Theo Walcott, Stuart Downing or James Milner, but with much fewer caps and not featuring for the international side since the opening two fixtures of the 2010 World cup Hodgson may opt for a more experienced squad.

Should Lennon go to the Euro’s which he deserves to, this would be a great chance for him to prove himself at international level and to strike fear into defenders ahead of a potential champions league campaign, where should spurs retain the services of their start players, the competition could prove productive for a Tottenham team on the up.

Despite being a staunch activist against the Europa League, Harry Redknapp is expected to field a strong line-up against their Europa League opponents PAOK.

The likes of Aaron Lennon, Luka Modric, and Gareth Bale are all set to start in this match, which is also going to be crucial to determine the qualifying teams from this group. Harry Redknapp has always been against the Europa League claiming that the competition does not have enough importance worthy of fielding a strong line-up. He does have a case in point because of the fact that Europa League has too many games to play before one team can reach the final.

Further, the prize money involved in winning the Europa League is also extremely negligible compared to the price of winning the Champions League. It is estimated that the winner of the Europa League will receive around 10 percentage of the amount that a Champions League winner receives. Hence, Harry Redknapp has always fielded weakened teams for the Europa League matches, but the one against PAOK is going to be an exception because he is going to field a strong line-up. Tottenham need the points desperately against PAOK in order to stand any chance of qualification, and this would ensure that the likes of William Gallas and Aaron Lennon start the match.

PAOK are currently a point ahead of Tottenham in the table and the London side do need to finish above PAOK in order to have any chance of qualification. Even with a win over PAOK, Tottenham will not be able to top the group, which is going to be important when it comes to the draw for the next round. The best Tottenham can manage after a disappointing initial campaign will be to finish second in the group.