Glum: Andre Villas-Boas looks on his side are thumped 5-0 by Liverpool
Delight: Luis Suarez, captain for the day, celebrates after scoring the goal which set Liverpool on their way
Under-fire Tottenham manager Andre
Villas-Boas survived a crisis meeting with chairman Daniel Levy and
technical director Franco Baldini after Spurs’ 5-0 humbling at home to
Liverpool.
Despite backing
from Levy in the highly-charged meeting, they are short-term guarantees
and Villas-Boas knows he could be sacked at a moment's notice. The Spurs
chairman is already sounding out potential replacements.
Villas-Boas
plummeted in the betting markets for next Premier League manager to be
shown the door after the defeat, which came just three weeks after the
6-0 thrashing at Manchester City.
Levy is already lining up a successor
to Villas-Boas - possibly in the form of a temporary manager - and will
axe the former Chelsea boss if he can secure his man.
However, Villas-Boas pledged not to resign, despite admitting he has never faced a
worse home loss in his career than the drubbing at the hands of Brendan Rodgers' rampant Reds.
Liverpool captain Luis Suarez ran wild at White Hart Lane, scoring
twice and having a hand in the goals for Jordan Henderson, John Flanagan
and Raheem Sterling.
And the Portuguese refused to give up on a top-four Premier League finish.
Asked how much time he would be given at Spurs, Villas-Boas said:
'That's the only thing I can't control, it's not my call so I can't say
anything else.
'I have to get down to work, that's the only thing I can focus on.
'The call to make that decision is not mine, because obviously I won't resign and I'm not a quitter.
'The only thing I can do is work hard with the players to get them back on track.
'This is a top-four squad but in our Premier League form we are not there.
Red alert: Suarez was again irresistible for Liverpool and netted his side's fourth with a cute chip
Blame me: Villas-Boas says he will shoulder the responsibility for the loss
'It's not the points tally that's the problem, it's the expression of the results.
'It's
the second expressive scoreline that we've suffered in the season, and
we admit that in the Premier League things aren't going in any shape or
form the way we want.
'All
of us had high expectations for this season, we still have them. Again I
repeat that we are not far off, but the distance is increasing for
those Champions League spots.
'And because of the expressive result it makes it even more difficult for us to bounce back.'
Villas-Boas
offered no argument with defeat, but felt Paulinho's second-half red
card allowed Liverpool to pile on the goals, and the misery.
Confirming he would try to appeal that red card, Villas-Boas labelled the decision 'an extremely poor call'.
He said: 'I think it was a bit harsh because I don't think there was intention to hurt Suarez.
'His
foot was high, definitely a yellow card, but a straight red I think is a
bit too much, because Paulinho is not that type of player.
'I think it was an extremely poor call that has an influence, not on the victory of Liverpool but on the expressive result.
'I will try (to appeal the red card), hopefully there can be some sensitivity into it.'
Shot shy: Spurs failed to muster a single shot on target, much to the frustration of Roberto Soldado
Marching orders: Referee Jon Moss sends off Paulinho after he left Suarez stricken on the ground
Liverpool
manager Rodgers heaped praised on striker Luis Suarez, hinting that
captaincy can bring the best out of the prolific Uruguay forward.
Suarez's
brace took his Premier League goals tally to 17 for the season, but
Rodgers was most concerned with his leadership skills.
Rodgers said: 'This is a guy who has captained one of the most iconic clubs in
European football in Ajax, so it's nothing new to him.
'I wanted to have someone who could represent me and the club in that tunnel, before even stepping on the pitch.
'When Luis Suarez has the armband on ready to go out, everyone knows this is a team ready to fight.
'He was great in the changing room, I told him a few days back I wanted
him to lead this club and that it was an honour for him.
'I think he enjoyed it and today you've seen his performance level.'
Hailing his side's dominance in every area, Rodgers said: 'I loved their arrogance with the ball today.
'They were a real threat with the ball all day.
'In winning teams everyone supports each other, and this was a result achieved without our captain Steven Gerrard.
'When we have that focus and concentration we're a very good side.'
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