Jure Makovec/AFP/Getty ImagesGylfi Sigurdsson scored the equalizer to spare Spurs an embarrassing loss.

You know things aren't going to plan for your team when you support an English Premier League side, they're playing against a club from Slovenia and you're thinking that you'd quite happily take a draw.

That's was my mindset after Spurs went 1-0 down away at Maribor in the Europa League. We weren't creating chances, so you could only hope that we'd sneak a goal and come away with a point. That's exactly what we did, with Gylfi Sigurdsson scrambling in an equaliser on the line to spare our blushes.

- Villas-Boas not panicking yet

The first half was so bereft of incident that I spent most of my time more interested in what the advertising hoardings proclaiming ‘Horse Power for Adebayor' meant, rather than losing myself in the match.

A half-time Google search informed me that the hoardings referred to an energy drink that Adebayor promotes. Unfortunately, we were deprived of Adebayor's own brand of power in Tottenham's attack, as a back injury kept him at home.

There has naturally been some speculation that the reason for Adebayor's absence might be more psychological than physical. There have been a lot of media rumours suggesting that he is unhappy at the club and could leave the club in January.

We should remember that the UK media has been desperate to substantiate some kind of player revolt at White Hart Lane ever since Andre Villas-Boas replaced Harry Redknapp. The chances of the player leaving Spurs are also slim considering that Manchester City struggled for a long time to get rid of him and the fact that he will spend much of the January transfer window at the Africa Cup of Nations.

However, this is Adebayor we're talking about, a player who does have a past history of downing tools once he's tired of his surroundings.

Having been a regular starter last season, it's quite possible that his nose has been put out of joint by the fact that Jermain Defoe has been preferred to him in attack, even considering that he has been unavailable for a large percentage of games due to injury.

Despite the goals that Defoe has scored this season, I still think that Adebayor could add something to this team. I was looking forward to seeing him turn out against Maribor and hopefully improve his fitness and his chances of starting in the Premier League.

I'm sure his chance will come, but with his aforementioned trip with Togo on the horizon, this looks like being a disjointed season for Adebayor. His proposed absence in January also increases the chances of Spurs signing another striker in the next window and with it, competition for the central striker role.

Another player missing was Michael Dawson, who was suffering a migraine. I saw a few people on Twitter describing his illness in inverted commas as if he might be shirking the match. This is ridiculous considering Dawson's character, desperation to get back in the team and his past history with the condition.

Like Adebayor and Dawson, Hugo Lloris has also struggled to get in the team, but he was back between the posts against Maribor. The question now is whether he'll get a start against Southampton. I can't see how rotating between the keepers can be a positive move. It only puts pressure on Lloris, who already has to contend with adapting to a new team and league.

I would like to see more rotation amongst certain outfield players though. Kyle Walker needs a rest, although perhaps it was psychologically the right move to keep him in the team after his mistake against Chelsea. Sandro is another player who could have been spared ahead of Sunday, especially with Jake Livermore available.

I'm still glad that AVB is continuing to put out a strong side in the Europa League. We might not have a win yet, but we're still in the hunt in a competition. Let's hope for a bit more horse power in the return match.

• Recommend0
• Tweet0
• Email