Tottenham at Newcastle United: 6 Things We Learned in Spurs' Season Opener

If you compared Tottenham Hotspur during their season opener this year against Newcastle United and last year against Manchester United, you'd find two teams that are about as similar as oil and water.

Last year, Tottenham, under manager Harry Redknapp, allowed 28 shots by the Red Devils, conceded three second-half goals, and for all intents and purposes, never earned the respect of Manchester United's back line through any sort of concerted attack.

Against Newcastle United? It couldn't have been a more different story.

For the third consecutive season, they started away from White Hart Lane, but unlike last year, they looked just as comfortable in Newcastle as they would have in North London.

Spurs lost 2-1, thanks to clumsy challenges from Aaron Lennon and Rafael van der Vaart that allowed Newcastle a penalty kick in the 80th minute, but up until then, Tottenham looked the better side.

There's a lot—and I mean a lot—to learn about Tottenham from their 2-1 loss to Newcastle United, but I give you the six biggest takeaways concerning Spurs' beginning to their 2012-13 season.

Andre Villas-Boas Isn't Married to the 4-3-3

Top to bottom, Tottenham are a completely different squad than they were 12 months ago.

Tactically, they're more mature. New manager Andre Villas-Boas isn't going to let a silly thing like one senior striker in his lineup get him down—he'll just play a 4-5-1 that functions like a 4-2-3-1.

Everyone (myself included) was clamoring for something other than the 4-3-3, but instead of pounding his fist, Villas-Boas has his hands open and will put together the best tactics of any given weekend.

...But He'll Make Sure Tottenham Plays High-Tempo

In the first five minutes of the match, Kyle Walker had made a run up the right flank, Aaron Lennon had taken a shot, Spurs took a corner and Jermain Defoe had nearly scored.

In the first five minutes.

Anyone who watched Tottenham stumble out of the gate in their season opener last year against Manchester United knows this is a different club—a faster, better trained, more mature club that new manager Andre Villas-Boas has transformed for the better in a very short amount of time.

Aaron Lennon Ready to Start

Aaron Lennon got a few good starts with Harry Redknapp at the helm, but they were few and far between and the young midfielder never got a chance to show he can fill in for the long haul.

If his play against Newcastle United showed us anything, new manager Andre Villas-Boas is going to be showing Lennon the pitch far more consistently than last season.

He proved a problem along the left flank for Newcastle United and kept good possession throughout. His flip to fellow winger Gareth Bale nearly opened the scoring in the 40th minute, and he never seemed to get tired.

I can't wait to see how Lennon grows over the season with more starts.

...and Defoe Is Too!

He's been clamoring for a start and been unhappy this summer for not getting enough time on the pitch.

"Okay," thinks new manager Andre Villas-Boas. "He's our only senior striker and he's not half-bad. I'll give him a full 90 minutes."

And for the first 75 minutes, Redknapp seemed justified as Defoe didn't make anything of several good chances. He hit the woodwork in the first half and wasn't making much of an impression.

But Defoe stayed hungry, scoring the winner for England against Italy earlier in the week and then scored the equalizer in the 76th minute.

It's an absolute shame that Aaron Lennon and Rafael van der Vaart had to give up a penalty so late in the match. Defoe would have been the hero for the week in North London.

...but Spurs Still Need Another Striker

I don't care if it's Emmanuel Adebayor, Fernando Llorente, Daniel Sturridge or someone most North Londoners have never heard of—Spurs need another striker, and they need him immediately.

Defoe showed he has what it takes to play a full 90 minutes and be effective all match long. But the absence of a second forward up top costs Tottenham the opportunity to go up by a goal (or two!) in the first half, and it certainly handicapped them as they played catch-up in the final 10 minutes.

Harry Kane came on as a half-hearted "Hail Mary" by Villas-Boas, but I expect negotiations to heat up this week as Chairman Daniel Levy does his darndest to get the striker his Spurs so desperately need.

St. James Park Knows How to Support a Football Club

I'm a self-professed Tottenham fan and have been for a couple of years. But, the intensity shown by Newcastle United fans at St. James Park this evening was absolutely first class.

A lackluster first half from the Toon didn't dissuade the fans from singing songs, waving flags and cheering their team on for a full 90 minutes.

The intensity encouraged Demba Ba on as he scored the match's opening goal in the 54th minute and was surely shared by manager Alan Pardew when he shoved a referee for a bad call on the touchline.