Spurs have won just one of their past six home league games and were beaten 6-0 at Manchester City last month. And the Tottenham boss has said he will not quit after his side’s 5-0 thrashing by Liverpool,
Villas-Boas, who spent about ÂŁ105m on new players in the summer following Gareth Bale’s transfer to Real Madrid, has guided his team to the League Cup quarter-finals and last 32 of the Europa League.
But he “accepted responsibility” for Sunday’s defeat, in which Spurs failed to register a shot on target against an impressive Liverpool team who are now second in the Premier League.
Tottenham, who had Paulinho sent off in the second half for a high tackle on Luis Suarez, remain seventh, five points behind fourth-placed Manchester City.
Villas-Boas added: “This is a top-four squad but in our Premier League form we are not there. It’s not the points tally that’s the problem, it’s the expression of the results.
“It’s the second expressive scoreline that we’ve suffered in the season.
“We admit that in the Premier League things aren’t going in any shape or form the way we want.
“All of us had high expectations for this season, we still have them. Again, I repeat that we are not far off, but the distance is increasing for those Champions League spots.
“And because of the expressive result it makes it even more difficult for us to bounce back.”
After City thumped his side on 24 November, the Spurs boss said: “We need to be ashamed of ourselves.”
But the 36-year-old Portuguese, who took charge at White Hart Lane in July 2012, was more conciliatory following Sunday’s 5-0 loss, calling Paulinho’s sending-off the “killer blow”.
“Things didn’t go our way,” Villas-Boas told BBC Sport. “Liverpool deserve credit for the way they came out strongly. We had difficulty with their pressing in the first half and went two goals down, deservingly because they were on top.
“The way we came back into the game in the second half was our brightest moment, until the sending-off. I think it was harsh.
“I don’t think Paulinho has any intention to hurt Suarez. That was the killer blow for the game.
“It’s my responsibility because I put them in the shape and the formation and we hope we are able to put our challenge in the Premier League back on track. The reality is we are not that far off.”
Written by Steve Milne – Have your say below 🙂
