Pressure on AVB

Arsenal hold a four-point lead heading into the latest round and it is free-scoring Manchester City which appear to be the team most likely to challenge Arsene Wenger’s side over the next few weeks.

If the pressure is building on Andre Villas-Boas, he’s not exactly showing it.

Some British bookmakers have made him odds-on favourite to be the next Premier League manager to lose his job after the drubbing at Manchester City, but the Portuguese coach was defiant this week.

“I have the confidence of the board, I have the confidence of my players,” Villas-Boas said.

He may not have that confidence for too much longer if Spurs stay languishing in mid-table, especially considering they spent more than £100 million ($160 million) over the summer on mainly attacking players.

Gareth Bale may have gone, for a world-record fee to Real Madrid, but with the wealth of attacking options at his disposal, Villas-Boas should be getting more out of his team than he is at present.

“You don’t expect results like (the 6-0 loss to City) to happen,” Villas-Boas said.

“They normally happen to big teams once every 10 or 20 years.”

ATTACKING GROOVE

Given that Man United is next up for Spurs, the last thing Villas-Boas needed was the reigning English champions to find their attacking grove.

But that’s exactly what happened on Wednesday when David Moyes’ team crushed Bayer Leverkusen 5-0 in the Champions League for United’s biggest victory away from home in Europe since 1964.

Moyes saw Wayne Rooney set up four goals, out-of-form wingers Nani and Antonio Valencia get on the scoresheet and tireless midfielder Ryan Giggs, who turns 40 on Friday, produce another vintage display. United drew 2-2 at Cardiff on Saturday to slip out of the Champions League positions but a result like that against Leverkusen can shape a season.

“It was one of my best days as Manchester United manager,” Moyes said, “but the best days are still to come.”

When Man City won the Premier League two seasons ago under Roberto Mancini, it was the power of their attacking play that underpinned the team’s title charge. Under Mancini’s successor, Manuel Pellegrini, the goals are flowing again. In their 10 home games this season in all competitions, Manchester City has scored 41 times — 22 coming in the last four matches at Etihad Stadium.

In Sergio Aguero, City have a player that Pellegrini believes is the third best player in the world behind Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. He has 12 goals in his last nine games, and 16 in all this season.

And strike partner Alvaro Negredo has also scored 11 goals in his first season at City.

“I think they are the best (partnership) in the league,” City winger Jesus Navas said.

“They are scoring very easily at the moment. The Premier League suits their style.”

After stretching their lead to four points by beating Southampton 2-0 on Saturday, Arsenal can rest easy knowing it will be top of the Premier League for at least another week — whatever happens at Cardiff on Sunday.

And Wenger’s team can expect a real test at Cardiff City Stadium, a ground where Manchester City has already lost this season and where United dropped two points tomorrow.        

The match will see Aaron Ramsey, arguably the Premier League’s player of the season so far, play against the side where he started his career and with whom he had a second spell on loan.