Tony Cascarino has said that Unai Emery is his pick for the manager of the season so far, insisting that the Spaniard has outshone Ange Postecoglou.
Postecoglou became the first manager in Premier League history to begin his career with a hat-trick of Manager of the Month awards, taking home the prize for August, September and October (BBC Sport).
The superstitious among us will argue that the curse associated with the award has eventually hit Spurs, who have now picked up a number of injuries and suspensions, which has resulted in them falling to two back-to-back losses to Chelsea and Wolves.
That means that Aston Villa are now breathing down Tottenham’s neck the clash between the sides in North London on Sunday is a proverbial six-pointer.
Who will finish higher out of Spurs and Aston Villa?
Cascarino believes that the Villas will pip Spurs to a top-four finish this season and hailed Emery for the work he has done since his move to the West Midlands.
The pundit told talkSPORT: “Look, Postecoglou has done incredibly well but I’m going to go more for Unai Emery because I think I will be proven right and Villa will finish above Spurs by the end of the season and make the Champions League spot.
“Villa are a really good team. I love the way they’re set up. Will they go into the transfer market in January to improve on what they’ve got? I like a lot of their players. I like the way their full-backs, from Lucas Digne to Matty Cash, are used.
“They’ve got a really strong midfield – Douglas Luiz and John McGinn. Ramsey could be back soon, the young lad. And the forward line picks itself, pace and power. I think they’ll finish above Spurs and that will be an extraordinary achievement if they make Champions League football, which I think they will.”
Spurs Web Opinion
It is certainly fair to argue that Emery has been the one who has overachieved the most so far this season.
However, in Postecoglou’s defence, it is worth pointing out that the Australian just took over this summer while the Villa boss has had longer to reshape his squad.
Additionally, Villa finished above Spurs last season and many expected them to repeat that feat, given that the Lilywhites had lost Harry Kane.
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