Andre Villas-Boas Responds to Wojciech Szczesny’s Comments

As the race for Champions Leauge football heats up on the pitch, the same can be said off the pitch. If you missed Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny’s comments this week, then you’ll understand why Andre Villas-Boas lashed back at his cross-town rival today.

The Arsenal shot-stopper boldly stated that Tottenham “do not have enough quality” to qualify for next year’s Champions League. The timing couldn’t have been any better from an Arsenal fan’s point of view, as Spurs are set to visit Chelsea at Stamford Bridge tomorrow evening. The London derby will play a massive role in which two teams end up qualifying for Europe’s top club competition.

Responding to Szczesny’s comments, Tottenham manager Villas-Boas hinted that the goalkeeper was just making a stop in London and would soon be off to another club.

“I think it would be a little more tolerable if it had come from a genuine Arsenal fan. But it is coming from an Arsenal player, an Arsenal player who is probably only passing by to another club, or he’s not going to stay there for life.

“In the end, does he means exactly those words from the heart? He doesn’t for sure. He’s entitled to say what he wants. It would be a little bit more realistic from a famous Arsenal fan to come forward with those words.

“From an Arsenal player, I don’t think it has that kind of effect on us. I wouldn’t say an Arsenal fan that has just arrived in that club in the last couple of years is entitled to have so much hatred towards Tottenham, like he seems to have.” (via the Mirror)

Villas-Boas’ comments are interesting for several reasons. Fans love to see their players wear their shirts with pride - taking in the culture of their clubs during the duration of their contracts and perhaps longer. Szczesny, 23, has been in North London since his teens and has clearly shown he’s grown to love the club for which he plays. It is evident that he his not only a player but also a fan of the club that employs him.

Read Szczesny’s Comments Here

Do you think Szczesny was wrong in saying that Spurs don’t have the quality to make the Champions League? Even if he thought this was true, do you think the Polish goalkeeper should have refrained from expressing this to the press?