Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester City: crunch time for Andre Villas-Boas as City await Villas-Boas has certainly rehabilitated himself: he has changed perceptions, he has gained back some of the pride he felt he had lost when he was simply left embarrassed - and angry - by what happened at Chelsea. At Spurs, he is more himself, more at home and more able to show his true character and ability. The criticism from outside the club has continued, although it is more mooted. For some, every setback is Villas-Boas's fault, every triumph, it appears, in spite of him, even if there is now a recognition of how he has developed Gareth Bale and Aaron Lennon as players and improved the squad as a whole with a more cohesive game-plan. However, he knows that it is not enough. It is not enough for him, either. Villas-Boas returned to the Premier League to prove his worth and that meant winning trophies. This is why - urged by Levy, who had grown frustrated at Redknapp's indifference to the competition - he made such a determined effort to try to win the Europa League. Spurs have not played since that sodden night in Switzerland 10 days ago in which they exited the competition to Basle on penalties, while a seven-point lead over Arsenal, gained by winning the north London derby on March 3, has gone. As they face Manchester City today, there is a real danger that Tottenham might not finish in the top four, which will be a significant setback and will lead to a rerun of the argument that the club should have stuck with Redknapp. That would be short-sighted and neither does it reflect the mood within the club. There will be bitter disappointment, not least from Villas-Boas, who will regret the failure to sign midfielder Joao Moutinho last summer and striker Leandro Damiao in January and who knows that if he is to really develop Spurs into Premier League title challengers - his aim - they need Champions League football. Neither head coach nor club want to tread water. If a top-four finish is missed, Levy will have to examine his approach to the transfer market and whether he should be employing a director of football; Villas-Boas will have to ask himself whether he is pushing hard enough for his targets or whether some of those targets are unrealistic. That is not for now. Now there are six league games remaining and Villas-Boas has set a target of at least four victories - although more may be needed. Sunday's is a pivotal match, as games against City often are for Spurs, and they will hope to welcome back Bale and Jermain Defoe from injury to add much-needed pace, while Lennon is still struggling to overcome a knee problem.