Townsend Must Fight for Future on Two Fronts

Andros Townsend has a real battle on his hands. The Tottenham Hotspur winger wildly exceeded expectations on his first two outings for England and now faces a mammoth task in converting his displays into a seat number on the plane for Brazil next summer. But some would say he must overcome a far greater obstacle first. That is, holding down a place in a rapidly emerging Spurs side hot on the heels of the Premier League elite.

The 22-year-old scored on his Three Lions debut against Montenegro at Wembley last Friday and was heavily involved in everything England constructed both then and at the same venue during the World Cup-clinching victory over Poland on Tuesday. Now he must redouble his efforts in becoming a mainstay in North London at club level.

Aston Villa manager Paul Lambert, whose side host the Lilywhites this weekend, praised the youngster seemingly set to line up against him on Sunday afternoon, while playing down the notion that Townsend will come in for any extraordinary treatment from his team.

““I’ve not seen much of Townsend but, when I have, he has played well”, admitted Lambert.

“But you look at the Spurs team and they have some good players. Townsend has been playing well for Tottenham - their squad is huge and is really strong.

“It is not just one lad you will be focused on. Will we be putting any special attention on Townsend? No.”

Having excelled in the absence of Arsenal duo Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain for the national team, attentions will turn to his performances in the white of Tottenham, where there is intense competition for his spot in the form of the recovering Aaron Lennon and newly acquired touchline-hogger Nacer Chadli of Belgium, not to mention £30m Argentinian addition Erik Lamela.

The 21-year-old, who has 5 caps for his country but is yet to start in the Premier League, conceded this week:

““To keep my place in the national squad I have to make an impression for my club. Being with the national side is the dream for any footballer.”

With head coach Andre Villas-Boas sure to come under acute pressure to carefully apportion game time amongst his ambitious, star-studded squad this term, it will require a firm yet steady hand to keep faith with his English protégé, especially as Townsend suffers inevitable dips in form and confidence so early in his career. Whether his experience regarding man-management and, more specifically, excluding senior professionals from matchday squads at Chelsea two seasons ago will play a part and how this will affect the path of his in-form creator, only the manager will know.

There are arguments to suggest the inverted wide man’s left-field promotion is down to a combination of Gareth Bale’s departure from Spurs, lack of viable alternatives at present at White Hart Lane, the presence of team-mate Kyle Walker against Montenegro freeing up the right flank, youthful exuberance giving rise to a tendency to gamble, which has been much sought-after on these shores for generations and his ‘English’ style – although whether or not he can tackle will be cause for great consternation from Arsenal’s lionheart midfielder Jack Wilshere – fitting nicley into Roy Hodgson’s new-found tactical sense of adventure in the face of inferior opposition this past week.

On the other hand, it ought not to be forgotten that, like Chelsea full-back Ryan Bertrand, Townsend has done it the hard way; his journey to the top littered with temporary stop-offs at, amongst other destinations, London clubs Millwall, Leyton Orient, Watford and Queens Park Rangers. Along the way, he has honed his skills and is beginning to resemble something approaching, if not quite the finished article, a more polished product ready to be exported onto foreign soil, both in continental club competition and on the grandest stage of all.

It can be said with some confidence that as a spectacle a World Cup in Brazil represents the pinnacle of the sport in this or any other era. But, with the money and prestige at stake at domestic football’s top table, it now seems a more precarious situation than ever for a young player attempting to cement his position in a title-chasing top-tier side. Without this feat being accomplished, however, hopes harboured of flying to Rio will remain no more than a far-away dream.