Win or lose, Andr Villa-Boas has been a hit

Villas-Boas has steered Spurs to the brink of a top-four finish Oliver Kay Analysis, The Times Published 1 minute ago If there is a temptation to judge Andr Villas-Boas on what happens at Stamford Bridge this evening, it should be avoided. No doubt some perceptions of his first season in charge of Tottenham Hotspur will be shaped, for better or worse, by their result against Chelsea as the battle for Champions League qualification reaches a critical stage, but surely he has already done enough to finish the season in credit. This is not the same as endorsing the decision to sack Harry Redknapp after he led Tottenham to fourth, fifth and fourth place in the Barclays Premier League, as well as a Champions League quarter-final, a League Cup final and a couple of FA Cup semi-finals, those achievements coming over

the course of four seasons in which the club finally lived up to its selfimage. But whatever the rights and wrongs of Redknapps dismissal, which seemed to be a matter of personality rather than performance, few could argue with the way Villas-Boas has risen to the challenge. To improve on what Redknapp did over his three full seasons at White Hart Lane represented a daunting challenge more daunting than the Queens Park Rangers managers detractors seem to recognise and particularly for a 35-year-old with only three seasons in management behind him. But Villas-Boas has lived up to demanding expectations, overcoming a difficult start in which Tottenham gathered two points from their first three Premier League matches, then suffered four defeats in five league matches in the autumn, to establish his leadership of a talented group of players and to oversee the continuing improvement of Gareth Bale. There have been times when, like Redknapp, Villas-Boas has faced criticism over tactical issues, but the overall impression, given that the club missed out on leading transfer targets such as Joo Moutinho and Willian last summer, has been positive. By his own admission, he has learnt much from his difficult experience at Chelsea, where by turns he appeared too timid and too aggressive in his efforts to impose himself on a sceptical squad. The affection and respect that he commands at Tottenham tells its own story. In the old days it would not matter whether a team finished third, fourth or fifth. In the Champions League era, fourth is an achievement and fifth is nowhere. Tottenham, with three matches remaining, are fifth in the Premier League with 65 points four and five points short, respectively, of the totals that earned them top-four finishes last season and in 2010-11. In living up to Redknapps standard, more or less, Villas-Boas has already proved himself except perhaps to those who thought that standard was not enough.