Villas-Boas: Spurs a better fit than Chelsea

Andre Villas-Boas claims that he feels more sense of belonging at Tottenham than he did at Chelsea.

The new Spurs boss feels he was not given enough time to bring success to Stamford Bridge, but is hopeful of winning trophies at his new club and has praised their style of play

The Portuguese took over at Spurs in early July and is looking to rebuild his reputation after an unsuccessful eight-month stint in charge of the Blues.

When asked by reporters if he felt that Tottenham was a better fit for him than Chelsea, Villas-Boas replied: “There is more a sense of belonging to a club. This is a club full of tradition, which I am still learning about and have to admire.”

“Chelsea has its own tradition that has changed dramatically since it was bought in 2003, and there is a sense of belonging here at Spurs which I want to use in a different way.”

“I am the one who has arrived, the new one, and I have to get into the flow of the club’s expectations for the future and take it in the right direction.

“I arrive here much more prepared and a much better manager than I was before, and it is these experiences that I will use to take the club forward.”

Villas-Boas feels that he was not afforded enough time at Stamford Bridge to bring success to the side and is now looking to close the gap between Tottenham and the top clubs in England.

“(Chelsea and Tottenham) are totally different clubs and propositions, with different ways of being. The Chelsea project was cut short by the owner,” he said.

“Yes, Chelsea went on to win trophies, but that is because Chelsea were alive in those competitions in February.

“I was cut short of the chance to win them with a squad that I put together, and was criticised for not being good enough to win those competitions.

“What we want for Tottenham is a message of what is around the club. We have a new training ground and will have a new stadium, and what I want for the team is to close the gap on winning something.”

The 34-year-old also praised the tradition of exciting attacking football at Spurs, pledging that he wants to emulate legendary manager Bill Nicholson.

“Tottenham are linked with great football in the past. It is something they have always valued highly. You can’t say they are the Barcelona of England, but there is a wonderful history of attacking football,” Villas-Boas said.

“Bill Nicholson left these messages of football being well played and doing things in style, which is what I want to achieve as well.”