Van der Vaart: we’ll beat Villa

RAFAEL VAN DER VAART has warned his Tottenham team-mates that they risk losing ground in their push for a top-four finish unless they start to improve their record against the league’s weaker teams.

Spurs head into the festive period in fifth position on the back of an eight-match unbeaten run in all competitions, which stretches back to the start of November.

The Londoners’ outlook could have been much brighter had they not been defeated by the likes of West Ham and Wigan, both of whom sit inside the relegation zone.