Villas-Boas confident of Champions League

Andre Villas-Boas remains confident of guiding Tottenham to Champions League qualification despite yesterday's damaging 1-0 defeat to Fulham.

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The Portuguese claims that so long as Spurs pick up good results against rivals Chelsea, Manchester City and Everton in the run-in, then they will qualify for Europe's top club competition.



"The situation has shifted, it has become difficult," the Tottenham manager said.



"We have the direct games against Arsenal and Chelsea which can enable us to get back to third hopefully, or bring Man City closer to us.

"The margin over Arsenal is what we want to build and we have to get the most amount of points from the next games.

"After the international break we have to get back to business and do our job against Swansea and try to collect the points there to put us in a more comfortable position by the time we play Man City."

Tottenham offered little yesterday to suggest Villas-Boas would be right. Their passing was sloppy, their defence shaky, and Fulham goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer was only called into action late in the second half.

Fulham manager Martin Jol, who tasted victory at White Hart Lane for the first time since he was sacked from the north London club in 2007, hailed Berbatov after the game.

The Bulgarian has now racked up 10 goals this season, and he was so confident that he would secure a shock victory for the west London club that he told his manager he would do so before the match.

Jol said: "Before the game you hope for a point... but Berbatov came to me and promised me... He said: 'you have to trust me'.

"I thought he was joking. But he said it before the match against Stoke (where he scored the winner) and he is a wonderful player. It was one of the best wins ever."

Tottenham forward Gareth Bale, meanwhile, took a knock to his right ankle but should be fit for international duty with Wales this week.



Villas-Boas has ruled Aaron Lennon (groin and hamstring) and Michael Dawson (hamstring) out of England's double-header with San Marino and Montenegro, though.

Liverpool vs. Tottenham | Preview

Luis Suarez Vs. Gareth Bale

• The key protagonists in the latest encounter will almost certainly be Luis Suarez and Gareth Bale. The latter has 14 goals in his last 14 games for Tottenham, the same as Liverpool's Uruguayan over the same period.

• Luis Suarez is the third different player to have scored at least 20 Premier League goals for Liverpool, following in the footsteps of Robbie Fowler and Fernando Torres.

• Gareth Bale has scored seven times in Tottenham's last five league games.

• If the Welshman scores against Liverpool he will become the first Spurs player to net in six consecutive Premier League matches. The last Spurs player to manage that feat in the top flight was Garth Crooks between December 1984 and January 1985.

Liverpool vs. Tottenham Hotspur

Team News:

- Liverpool pair Daniel Sturridge and Martin Skrtel are available to face Tottenham after recovering from injury.



- Sturridge has overcome a thigh problem and could make his first appearance since 17 February, while Skrtel is likely to be a substitute.



- Tottenham winger Aaron Lennon is doubtful after suffering a hamstring injury against Inter Milan.



- Emmanuel Adebayor returns to the squad after missing Thursday's game because of a knee problem.



- Tom Huddlestone and Clint Dempsey are doubts with respective knee and calf injuries.

AVB targets second place

Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas has his sights set on Manchester City as he looks to guide his team to second place in the Premier League.

Spurs face North London rivals Arsenal at White Hart Lane on Sunday but Villas-Boas has one eye on the bigger picture, as his side attempts to close a five-point gap on Roberto Mancini's men.

"They have the experience of winning the league, I think in their mind they are still focusing on it," he said of City.

"They have to come here (to play us, on 21st April). We have to play them still within this margin of five points at White Hart Lane.

"We could still put a threat to them. Our focus is on bridging gaps for the people in behind us."

First Villas-Boas must try to oversee a victory over Arsenal, who themselves are only four points behind Spurs in the league going into derby day.

"More than anything else, we will try to focus on getting the result at the weekend. That will be excellent," added Villas-Boas.

"For the fans it will be tremendous. The rivalry is something very, very special and I spoke to them about it when we played them at the Emirates.

"There is a demand from everybody to achieve success in this fixture, independent of whatever position you finish in the league."

There is a particular edge to this season's games after Arsenal pipped Tottenham to third place last season, denying their arch-rivals a Champions League spot after Chelsea won the competition.

"It's never easy to finish in the position that they did, qualifying for the

Champions League in fourth spot and seeing it taken away from them because it's the rules," Villas-Boas said.

"We need momentum as we want to qualify (for the Champions League). We have our own objectives.

"There is some pressure on this fixture and this result. Both teams will be up for it, it is a special game."

Tottenham target Roberto Soldado deal

Tottenham are ready to take advantage of Valencia’s deepening financial crisis by attempting to grab striker Roberto Soldado on the cheap.



Soldado, a long-term Spurs target, was subject of mass speculation about a move last summer, but Valencia have always maintained he won’t be sold unless a massive offer of at least £20million arrives.



However, according to reports in Spain, Valencia are now willing to listen to offers of around half that as their debt crisis continues to intensify.



The Los Che owe millions, with part of their debt passing on to local city authorities last year, and player sales are top of the agenda to try and raise cash.



Tottenham reportedly see this as an opportunity to land some top talent on the cheap, and will offer £8million to try and tempt Valencia into flogging Soldado for a bargain price.



Spurs are desperate to land a new striker for next season, and have scouts watching the likes of Leandro Damiao, Gary Hooper and Iago Aspas.



Elsewhere, Andre Villas-Boas looks set to hang on to defender Younes Kaboul despite interest from Anzhi, with the Russian club turning their attention to Sevilla centre back Emir Spahic instead.

Bale ignores Ronaldo comparisons

Tottenham Hotspur winger Gareth Bale has refused to speculate on whether he is of similar ability to that of La Liga stars Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

The Wales international made the headlines following a stoppage time wonder-strike against West Ham United in last night's 3-2 victory, which moved them ahead of Chelsea into third place in the Premier League table.



While some have deemed Bale to be in the same calibre as Ballon d'Or winners Ronaldo and Messi, the 23-year-old has insisted that he is purely focused on his own game.



"It's not for me to say," Bale told talkSPORT. "People can talk and say what they want. They have their own opinions. All I can do is keep trying my hardest and keep playing my best football and trying to do my best for the team.



"If newspapers want to talk and start saying things then that is entirely up to them. I can't control that, all I can do is play well on the pitch."



Bale has netted 12 goals in 13 games for the North London outfit.

AVB salutes Bale's late show

Tottenham boss Andre Villas-Boas described Gareth Bale as a 'special talent' after his superb late strike sealed a 3-2 win over West Ham.

Highlights: West Ham United vs. Tottenham Hotspur

Bale's low drive gave Tottenham the lead, but West Ham produced a determined response as Andy Carroll levelled with a penalty before Joe Cole made it 2-1 in the second half.



Spurs launched a rally and Gylfi Sigurdsson poked home a leveller before Bale's 90th minute thunderbolt into the top corner sent his side into third place in the Premier League.



Reflecting on the Welshman's display, Villas-Boas told Sky Sports: "Such a special talent and I think we've been able to see him this season in another level. He's just making the difference in every single game.



"I think the team did very, very well. Jaaskelainen to be the man of the match in a game which finishes 3-2 also explains why we had to leave it late with Gareth to win this game."



When asked whether Bale is world class, the Portuguese said: "Well I think for some time already.



"Players like this are able to assume the responsibility in these moments and I think from the clips you're seeing, receiving the ball in midfield, taking it forward, being fouled, getting up and then just lining up the shot to score the winning goal. Tremendous, for sure."



Spurs are now five points behind Manchester City in second, but Villas-Boas insists he is focusing on extending the current four-point gap over Arsenal, who they take on this weekend.



"We just have to keep getting points," Villas-Boas added. "We want to get the most we can get. Obviously the distance isn't big to second.



"We face Arsenal on Sunday and it is a big opportunity to build the distance to them and that is first on our minds.



"Our priority is to establish our position and hopefully get more comfortable distance to Chelsea and Arsenal.



"It's going to be a game full of passion. To put Arsenal seven points away is a better margin, but it is not finished. Seven points is not enough."

Defoe 'becomes father to a son'

Tottenham Hotspur striker Jermain Defoe has reportedly become a father to a baby son, Joshua-James.

The 30-year-old is thought to have welcomed the baby boy, who was born to the England international's ex-girlfriend Anne-Marie Moore, earlier this week.



"Jermain is thrilled to be a dad," The Sun quotes a source as saying. "It matures a person and he is determined to live up to his responsibilities."



Defoe, who previously dated singer Alexandra Burke, is believed to have been present at the birth.

Bale is incredible, says Andre Villas-Boas

Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas says he has been stunned by Gareth Bale's "incredible" free-kick technique after the winger's double against Lyon.

Watch Gareth Bale two incredible free-kick

Bale, 23, followed up his goal in Saturday's win against Newcastle with two more set-piece strikes in the 2-1 Europa League home-leg victory.

"Incredible," Villas-Boas said. "Not only his all-round game but the ability he has to strike these free-kicks.

"The ball gains power when he strikes it and it changes direction easily."

Bale excelled in the Europa League round of 32 first-leg meeting with Lyon as he first found the back of the net with a swerving 35-yard effort before powering home the winner from a dead ball deep into injury-time.



Bale's brilliance

Bale's brace of free-kicks took him to 17 goals in all competitions this season, with four of his last six strikes coming from distance



He has now scored his club's last six goals in all competitions, with four of them coming from distance. The Welsh winger attributes this run of form to the hours spent on the training pitch honing his technique.

"I've been practising free-kicks on the training ground and I scored one like that last week," the Welsh winger said.

Spurs travel to France for the return match on Thursday and Bale hopes his brace will prove crucial.

"Lyon are a good team and we weren't 100% to be honest - we looked a bit tired," he said.

"But the most important thing is we got the win, it's going to be hard going over there, but we're taking this competition seriously."

Tottenham striker Defoe arrested

Tottenham Hotspur striker Jermain Defoe was arrested by police investigating alleged threats to kill two women following the disappearance of jewels and clothing worth £200,000 from his home.



Defoe's belongings went missing when two of his cousins invited the women to a party at his mansion in Hertfordshire in the player's absence and when the 30-year-old England player returned home to find his possessions missing, he allegedly told his cousins to get them back.



Later on, the women claimed they were threatened, although not by Defoe or his two cousins. An 18-year-old is facing trial later this year after being accused of threats to kill.



Defoe was released without charge after being questioned by detectives. Tottenham Hotspur did not comment on the incident.



Defoe has previously won a compensation payout after being wrongly held in a police cell for five hours.



The footballer was pulled over while driving his £75,000 Land Rover at 2.40am in Loughton, Essex, on July 27, 2009, because officers believed he was serving a drive ban.



He was taken to Harlow police station where he was held for several hours despite telling officers the disqualification had been lifted pending appeal.



But the player was only released after 9.00am when court officials in Chelmsford confirmed he wasn't banned from driving.



Police agreed to a four-figure payout and apologised to Defoe last year after a three-year legal fight.



Essex Deputy Chief Constable Derek Benson confirmed an inputting error meant Defoe’s records were wrong.



His solicitor Nick Freeman said: "This was always about principle and never about money. The damages will be donated to charity.



"This was a needless error which should not have occurred, but once it did the police should have accepted our assurances in the early hours of the morning that they had got it wrong."



Days after the wrongful arrest, Defoe also accused Essex Police of harassment when he was stopped in a black Ferrari in Chigwell as part of an operation to tackle the theft of luxury motors.

Villas-Boas backs Popov card

Tottenham boss Andre Villas-Boas feels referee Mark Clattenburg made the right decision in dismissing Goran Popov in the 1-0 win over West Brom.

The Albion defender enraged his boss Steve Clarke when he was sent off for spitting on Tottenham right back Kyle Walker.

And Villas-Boas echoed Clarke's sentiments and praised Walker for not reacting to the incident.

He said: "It's difficult for the ref, but Popov did what he did and Walker did nothing to react.

"It's difficult to assess but I think Mark Clattenburg made the right decision. It's horrible and nasty."

Tottenham have collected four points from two away games at Norwich and West Bromwich in the space of four days, and Villas-Boas is delighted with the return.

"It has been a very important week for us," The Spurs manager added. "To get four points away from home, with not much time between the games, is excellent.



"We have put ourselves in a very good position to threaten for third place."

Tottenham clinch Holtby deal

Tottenham have agreed a deal to sign Lewis Holtby this summer, subject to the Schalke and Germany star passing a medical.



Boss Andre Villas-Boas has beaten Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger to the prized signature of Holtby, 22, who is out of contract with Schalke in the summer.



Holtby, whose father is English, has played three times for the Germany, and he was the Germany U21 captain.



A creative midfielder, he began his career with Alemannia Aachen in the German second division before joining Schalke in the summer of 2009.



He has made 75 appearances for the Gelsenkirchen-based club in all competitions, scoring 11 times.



Spurs tweeted: "We're delighted to announce that we have reached agreement with Lewis Holtby to join the club in July from Schalke."