Andre Villas-Boas must pull up his socks at Tottenham

TRYING TIMES: AVB must change his managerial tactics at Tottenham

Nobody will blame AVB if he complains of insomnia. Any manager would get sleepless nights if his team worth over a £100 million fails to justify the ridiculously hefty price tag.

Tottenham have found themselves in the midst of some disappointing results, the 6-0 defeat to a rampant Manchester City being the most recent one.

Manchester City are also a £100 million plus team but there is much more balance in Manuel Pellengrini’s side then there is at Andre Villas-Boas’s team.

Last nights victory over Tromso in the Europa League eased the pressure on AVB but the truth is that Manchester United are not going to show the London club the same mercy as Tromso did.

Tottenham have won all their matches in the Europa League but the Premier League teams are much stronger and will put up more of a fight than the Europa League teams. The 2-0 victory over Tromso exposed some of the weak spots in Tottenham’s armor.

Spanish forward Roberto Soldado has gotten off to a flying start with Spurs but he clearly needs another striker to support him. The Spaniard was isolated for most of the match and could not manage to find the back of the net. The aging Jermain Defoe and the misfiring Emmanuel Adebayor are not the players they used to be and cannot perform on the world stage anymore. Defoe still has the ability to salvage a win but Adebayor is just warming the bench and is certain to depart the club in the coming months.

Villas Boas is certainly missing the talent of Gareth Bale but has uncovered another gem in the form of Andros Townsend. The 22-year-old has been a real revelation for club and country and was Tottenham’s best player against Tromso. AVB is certain to include him in the match against Manchester United and will be a valuable attacking asset against the Red Devils. Eric Lamea is also beginning to shine for Tottenham but is not up to the mark just yet.

The defense and goalkeeping department has been a bit jittery this season and will have to up their game if the want to close the gap on arch-rivals Arsenal, who are currently the leaders of the Premier League.

Andre Villas Boas has achieved a lot and it is shocking to see a team led by him succumb to humiliating defeats. The 36-year-old excelled at Porto and even managed to win the Europa League with the club, which impressed Chelsea owner Roman Abrahamovic so much that he appointed him as coach for the 2011-2012 season.

Unfortunately the Portuguese tactician did not click with the Blues and was dismissed after a disappointing run at the London club.

Tottenham have had their highs with Villas-Boas and should not write him off just yet. The fans and the club board have stood firmly behind their young manager through thick and thin, which is a positive sign.

AVB will certainly look to sign a top class striker in the upcoming transfer windows and should take an example from Arsene Wenger and invest more wisely in the team. The Christmas month will be a real test for the Spurs manager and AVB will have to push his tactical skills to the limit if he wants to come out the victor.