Photo by ISIphotos.com
By FRANCO PANIZO
Brad Friedel’s spell on the sidelines may turn out to be as brief as anyone could have imagined.
Tottenham head coach Andre Villas-Boas hinted that Friedel could be back to starting in between the pipes for Spurs in this weekend’s match against Chelsea. Friedel had seen his consecutive start streak in the Premiership come to a close prior to the international break as Hugo Lloris got the nod over him in Tottenham’s 2-0 win over Aston Villa, but now Villas-Boas seems keen on playing the veteran American goalkeeper again.
“We have made Brad the No. 1 for the beginning of the season and we still see Brad as No. 1, a player who has been tremendous in goal for us,” Villas-Boas told British outlet the Guardian. “Hugo has been tremendous for us in exactly the same manner. We spoke about the Villa team selection beforehand and it was difficult for Brad. It was not based on performance that we made the switch, that’s for sure. Brad was looking good.
“We had the opportunity to give Hugo a consecutive run of four games, including the two internationals and that is what has happened. We are extremely happy about the fact we did. It gave him his first impact of Premier League football. But as a great professional, [you] have to move on from that.”
Should Friedel indeed start over Lloris this weekend against the Premiership leaders, it would mark the latest turn in a goalkeeping saga for Spurs that likely will run through the end of the season.
Here are more stories from around the globe:
TOFFEES ACQUIRE HITZLSPERGER ON SHORT-TERM DEAL
Everton may currently be sitting in fourth place in the Premiership table after a strong start to the season, but the Toffees are not resting on their laurels. In an effort to bolster the squad after Marouane Fellaini was ruled out for three weeks with an injury, Everton has signed former Germany international Thomas Hitzlsperger on a short-term deal. The 30-year-old midfielder’s contract runs until January and Toffees head coach David Moyes is hopeful Hitzlsperger will be able to suit up in Sunday’s game against Queens Park Rangers.
MAN CITY’S SILVA SIDELINED FOR TWO UPCOMING GAMES
Manchester City fans can breathe a sigh of relief after David Silva’s hamstring injury was not deemed too serious, but the Spanish midfielder is still expected to miss a pair of the club’s upcoming games. Silva will sit out Man City’s league match against West Bromwich Albion on Saturday and next Wednesday’s Champions League group clash with Ajax as he nurses the hamstring injury he sustained in Spain’s 1-1 World Cup qualifying draw against France earlier in the week. Man City head coach Roberto Mancini expects Silva to be back for next weekend’s game against Swansea City.
NYPD RETURN EMPTY-HANDED IN SEARCH FOR SUSPECTED RBNY COACH KILLER
A trio of detectives from the New York Police Department were recently sent to Mexico to try and find the man accused of killing New York Red Bulls youth coach Mike Jones, and they have returned without him. The NYPD detectives came up empty-handed in their search for Orlando Orea, who is also known under different names, in the Mexican city of Puebla. Orea is believed to have headed there shortly after he allegedly killed Jones, but the city’s geography makes it tough to track down people. Still, at least one New York law enforcement agency is confident they will find Orea.
—–
What do you think of Friedel possibly regaining Tottenham’s starting spot? Expecting Hitzlsperger to make an impact? How will Man City fare without Silva?
Share your thoughts below.