MX23RW : Monday, January 13 06:03:30| >> :120:24835:24835:

Andre Villas-Boas: 'Arsenal helped by belief'

Villas-Boas: 'Arsenal helped by belief'
© PA Photos
Tottenham Hotspur manager Andre Villas-Boas admits that Arsenal's belief makes them strong rivals in the fight for a top-four finish in the Premier League.

Tottenham Hotspur manager Andre Villas-Boas has called on his squad to step up and do their jobs in the fight for Champions League football.

A 2-2 draw against Everton this afternoon saw Spurs slip to fourth in the Premier League, with just two points separating them, Chelsea and Arsenal in the race for a top-four finish.

Villas-Boas has conceded that the Gunners possess a potent threat to their hopes of a return to Europe's elite club competition, primarily because they have finished the season in form on a regular basis in the past.

He told The Mirror: "The reality is that Arsenal feel their belief is because they finish seasons very strongly and that belief helps them.

"We don't look at ghosts in the past. We try to do our job properly. We want to win games. It's nothing to do with our tiredness. It (today) was an opportunity for other people to step up.

"It's not just Gareth we're missing, it's Aaron Lennon, Jermain Defoe and Sandro, who was the best recoverer of all in the Premier League when he was injured. I think we've seen players stepping up a level today: Gylfi Sigurdsson, Emmanuel Adebayor, Tom Carroll and Tom Huddlestone all doing ever so well."

Spurs are back in Europa League action on Thursday in the second leg of their quarter-final tie with FC Basel.

ID:78357: cacheID:78357:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:3026:
Written by
Liam Power
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Jermain Defoe congratulates Aaron Lennon moments after scoring Tottenham's first goal against Liverpool on November 28, 2012
Read Next:
Live Commentary: Fulham 0-3 Spurs - as it happened
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool19144147192846
2Arsenal20117239182140
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest20124429191040
4Chelsea20106439241536
5Newcastle UnitedNewcastle20105534221235
6Manchester CityMan City2010463627934
7Bournemouth209653023733
8Aston Villa209563032-232
9Fulham207943027330
10Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton2061043029128
11Brentford208393835327
12Tottenham HotspurSpurs20731042301224
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd206592328-523
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham206592439-1523
15Crystal Palace204972128-721
16Everton193881525-1017
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves2044123145-1416
18Ipswich TownIpswich2037102035-1516
19Leicester CityLeicester2035122344-2114
20Southampton2013161244-326


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!