Now I am not going to get ahead of myself and go on record to state yes we are back to our best as this is not the case. Although we are looking like we are on the road to a full recovery.
Lets look at how our players are coming on;
Lloris has in my opinion looked good. People are quick to blame him for mistakes, however against Villa his throw to Bale was not great, but Bale was trying to run with the ball before he had it (so 50-50 blame to each).
Friedel has been a rock as always and may feel a little unlucky to end his consecutive games record, but I doubt it can be beaten and at some point Brad was always going to have to let the starting slot go. Wouldn't it be better for his legacy to step back when he is on top of his game?
Walker has been very tame compared to last season. I have seen him get caught out of position a lot and started to look a little unconfident; I am sure that the kid will settle back down and show why he was voted young player of the year.
Gallas our old head has been good but certainly not great. He has shown his age at times, but we can't deny that at present with Kaboul out he is the better option.
Caulker has shown why he was given a starting place at Swansea and has carried on his form in our squad. He has shown his inexperience at times, but with an experienced partner, he is going to flourish.
Vertonghen has been one of the buys of the season and we are lucky to have beaten our rivals to this player. This is the type of player that we have been missing and with another left back in the squad we would have a formidable defense.
Sandro started a bit shaky, but has really helped the squad to forget the absence of Parker. His passing seems to have improved and his positional play has without a doubt improved. Some more composure and he will look like a true Brazilian. Not quite the complete package, but getting better.
Dembele is another big buy for the team this season. Hard in the tackle and strong on the ball. Not quite the replacement for Modric, but has filled the void better than I had expected. One of the first names on the sheet at the moment, but I have noticed at times he does go a little quiet.
Lennon was looking a bit of a waste at times, but has settled down and really pushed on. The lad must have trained hard and has noticably improved his passing game. My concern was the amount of goals, with the confidence of Gareth Gates at his first audience when through on goal. After the game against Villa I think this may help him to push on. The goals is what lets his rating down, but it is all confidence.
Bale has been very hot and cold, with my opinion of him dropping. There has been numerous times that this wonderkid has left me absolutely fraustrated. Not enough composure and some stupid decisions for diving. The lad needs to get his head down and get on with his playing. There is no lack of confidence, but I fear its too much confidence that is spoiling his game. I would love to see AVB give him a kick up the backside (which I would hope show him the error of his ways). What I mean by this is the selfish play and head down approach at times.
Dempsey was a shock buy to say the least for me and in all honesty it was seen by me as a disappointing cheap alternative. I have been made to feel stupid in these opinions as I feel he adds that bit of grit that is needed to support our short lone striker. He does provide some link up play, however we can tell that VDV is sorely missed. Given the time Dempsey has the capabilities of filling the void, but needs the time to settle.
Sigurdsson has not turned out to be the player that I had thought. Not really what I had expected of him. This is a player that had a great half to his appearence with the Swans, but he is yet to show his previous form that turned our heads to snap him up. Maybe its the change of tactics and team that has stopped him, but I expect more.
Defoe is a revelation this season. It is about time that he became the consistent striker that we have craved, but I keep wondering if he will let himself down again. His shooting has not been too great of recent, lets face it his shot that cannoned in off Caulker was going to be way off (against an underperforming team like Villa he should be doing better).
All in all I am certainly happy with the teams overall performance. Some of the players must pull their weight more on the pitch and others should look around them for other options, but the most important thing..... is we look like a team. The beginning of the season should be put behind us and we have the capabilities to carry on and push into the team that we were looking like last season.
Still lets face it we still have BAE, Adebayor and Parker to come back, which will create a bit more competition and give the team the depth needed.
As always let me know your thoughts and feelings. I know I have not been on the site, Facebook and Twitter as much as usual, but I will do my best to come back strong.
Come on you Spurs!!!