Reading v Tottenham – 4pm

Time is certainly a precious commodity in football and, as a new manager at one of the Premier League’s top clubs, it always appears to be running out. For Villas-Boas the clock seems to already be ticking after two disappointing draws at home to West Brom and Norwich, coming after the opening-day defeat at Newcastle.

As a former Chelsea man, AVB was always going to have to hit the ground running to win over the White Hart Lane faithful but it has been far from a smooth start thus far. The tactics and transfers of the 34-year-old have left some Spurs’ fans scratching their heads, with the Tottenham boss seemingly determined to play predominantly through the middle despite the presence of Gareth Bale and Aaron Lennon on the wings.

The decision to let Rafael van der Vaart go has also left some fans puzzled, given his choice of tactics, and it will be interesting to see where Clint Dempsey and Moussa Dembele fit into Tottenham’s plans. Dembele came on against Norwich and changed the game, scoring on his debut. Given Dempsey’s terrific record in front of goal last season he might be work backing to do the same on his Spurs bow at 7/4.

The talent of the Tottenham squad is undeniable and that could be enough to get them through against Reading this weekend. The Royals did impress in their last outing – the 4-2 defeat to Chelsea – but that was nearly a month ago and manager Brian McDermott will have done well to keep his players in top form.

Reading certainly look as though they have enough about them to survive this season after some shrewd purchases in the summer but against the pace and skill of teams like Tottenham they could well struggle. Last year’s Championship winners have only ever beaten Spurs once, with the north Londoners having won on their previous two visits to Berkshire.

McDermott does have a near fully-fit squad to choose from, with Jason Roberts the only absentee and, with Pavel Pogregbnyak, Gareth McCleary and Jimmy Kebe at his disposal, they could cause Tottenham a few problems. Over 2.5 goals at 5/6 looks a solid bet with plenty of attacking talent on show.

The outcome of the match is likely to be decided by Tottenham’s new boys. Dempsey, Dembele and former Reading man Gylfi Sigurdsson should be the difference in buying Villas-Boas a bit of breathing space. At even money Spurs look a sound bet, with Reading 11/4 to cause an upset and the draw available at 5/2.

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