Villas-Boas retains the support of Tottenham’s players and he did not blame them for the heavy loss at City. Midfielder Lewis Holtby, who was substituted at half-time at the Etihad Stadium, said the players “don’t listen” to the speculation over Villas-Boas’s future. “We are one group; we fight together,” he said. “What happens behind the scenes is not our job. We fight together to get results and change it round, as on the pitch we are responsible for what happens.”