Tottenham are not a one-man team, insists Villas-Boas

Feb 21, 2013 6:45:00 PM

Following a spate of match-winning performances from winger Gareth Bale, the Portuguese has dismissed the idea that Spurs are overly reliant on the 23-year-old

Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas has hailed the recent performances of Gareth Bale, but has denied suggestions that Spurs are a one-man team.

Bale has been in the best form of his career so far this season, scoring 17 goals to help his side get ahead of north London neighbours Arsenal in the chase for fourth spot.

But, while Villas-Boas believes the 23-year-old is ready to be mentioned in the same breath as the game's elite players, he does not think Spurs have become a one-man team.

"This is always the problem with big teams," he told The Daily Telegraph. "Do Barcelona rely on Lionel Messi? Do Real Madrid rely on Cristiano Ronaldo? I don't think so.

"But the great players have to make the difference. They are the stars and Gareth has been magnificent this season.

"We are fortunate to have players who can be decisive on those moments."

Villas-Boas also played down the furore over Lyon president Jean Michel Aulas describing Tottenham as "Les Rosbifs" (a derogatory French term for the English) ahead of Thursday's Europa League clash between the sides.

He said: "He is a very, very charismatic leader of Lyon. It's not because of his words we're going to lose the concentration on our objective.

"We're going to face a tough, tough team and what I can decipher from those words is Lyon will be extremely up the challenge and it will be extremely difficult for us."