Tottenham 1-1 Norwich City: 6 Things We Learned

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Poor old Andre Villas-Boas—he must be feeling like an old gypsy curse has been lingering over him since he left Porto for Chelsea last summer.

On Saturday afternoon his team laboured to their second 1-1 draw in succession, this time surrendering a late goal to Chris Hughton's spirited Norwich City side.

There were positives to draw from the game though, most notably in the debuting Moussa Dembele's fine showing in the second half.

Nevertheless, Tottenham have several lessons to learn if they're going to challenge for a top four position this season.

Sandro Disappoints in the Midfield

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Every time it seems he's turned a corner, Sandro puts in the type of display like he did against Norwich that must frustrate Spurs fans to no end.

He looked completely off his game Saturday, losing possession far too often and only really looking backwards and sideways when fed with the ball.

The Brazilian was deservedly brought off for new signing Moussa Dembele at half-time, and if his replacement's excellent performance is anything to go by, Sandro will have a tough time trying to retain his place in the team.

If he can't control the pace of a game against Norwich, how can he be relied upon in far tougher encounters?

Jermaine Defoe Will Need to Fight for His Place in the Team

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Tottenham's Jermaine Defoe looked off the boil in Saturday's game as well.

His control in promising positions was poor, as was his finishing whenever he was given a rare opportunity by a stingy Norwich defence.

With Emmanuel Adebayor lurking in the background, Defoe may struggle to keep his spot in the Spurs lineup as Villas-Boas is a manager who rarely deploys a two-striker attack.

The English forward will therefore need to make the most of the chances given to him in the coming few weeks.

Moussa Dembele Has to Start

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It was a questionable decision to leave Moussa Dembele on the bench to start the game, and one which was quickly rectified at half-time.

There could have been no doubts about his fitness—he has after all had a couple of fantastic games already this season for Fulham.

If the Belgian midfielder had been on the pitch to start the game, perhaps it would have followed a far different path.

But as it is, Spurs fans had to make do with a terrific 45 minute cameo, and a world class goal that should've sealed all three points.

William Gallas Is a Liability in Defence

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Considering Tottenham defender William Gallas' poor start to the season, perhaps it was a mistake that AVB didn't reinforce his team in an increasingly pertinent area.

It would be harsh to criticise new signing Jan Vertonghen for the shakiness in Spurs' back-line—he must be given a few more weeks to fully adapt to the British game.

But for Gallas there can be no excuse.

The two goals Tottenham have conceded late on in their previous games have been as a result of a lack of decisiveness from key defenders, Gallas included.

Brad Friedel Is Still the Man Between the Sticks

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It seems that Ryan Giggs has shared his Elixir of Life with Spurs' goalkeeper Brad Friedel.

The 41-year-old was in fantastic form against Norwich—at one point pulling off an unbelievable save to prevent a stunned Robert Snodgrass from scoring with a header from point-blank range.

Arriving from French side Lyon, Hugo Lloris shouldn't just walk into the Tottenham team with Friedel currently in such imperious form.

It seems age only improves the surprisingly agile American.

Tottenham Still Have Time to Get into Their Groove

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With games against Reading and QPR on the horizon, Tottenham still have time to find their feet before the more difficult fixtures come calling.

Whilst neither games will be walkovers, they'll provide decent opportunities to settle Clint Dempsey and Moussa Dembele into the team.

After that, Spurs face clashes with Manchester United, Aston Villa and Chelsea—games, at least against the former and latter, that they'll need to be firing on all cylinders for.

But with the quality they were able to bring in this summer, they certainly have the tools at their disposal to turn it around.

 

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