With Andre Villas-Boas dismissed by Tottenham this morning, fans and pundits alike have begun to argue whether or not the Portuguese had to go.
There are arguments for and against this notion; with some saying that Spurs’ recent humiliation at the hands of two of their fiercest rivals clearly proving that a change in direction is needed.
Yet some will argue that the 36-year-old wasn’t given enough time at White Hart Lane, what with the influx of new players at the club after the departure of Gareth Bale in the summer.
Well, in the current climate, no manager is really given ‘enough time’. Gone are the days of decades-long tenures, with Arsenal’s Wenger one of the last remaining veterans of this managerial model.
Top clubs now demand instant results, regular silverware, and beautiful football. Failing to achieve any one of the three requirements automatically puts the respective manager in the spotlight.
Villas-Boas leaves all three boxes unticked as he clears out his Spurs locker; with the club lying eight points off the leaders Arsenal, arguably out of the title race, and the team struggling for any real momentum.
The response to losing Bale in the summer was huge, with an unprecedented amount of money leaving the Spurs coffers as Villas-Boas snapped up £105m worth of talent from all over the globe.
But the likes of Erik Lamela (£30m), Roberto Soldado (£26m), and Christian Erikson (£11m) have failed to fire in the Premier League thus far; another critical nail in the Spurs boss’ coffin.
With his players under-performing, Spurs lost 3-0 at home to West Ham in October, which was arguably the first real sign of trouble for Villas-Boas.
A 6-0 drubbing at the hands of Man City may have been seen as a horrid one-off by the echelons of power at the Lane; but yesterday’s 5-0 home battering by Liverpool was effectively the third strike, and there was no coming back for Villas-Boas after the final whistle blew.
What do you think? Did he deserve it? Where next for Spurs? Let me know in the comments below…
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