5. Tottenham
Spurs struggled in their first matches of the season under Andre Villas Boas but they are starting to work well under his system. The sales of Rafael Van Der Vaart and Luka Modric were two massive losses but their replacements have adapted quickly to the new team. Emmanuel Adebayor is now a permanent signing which should provide a steady stream of goals. The arrival of Jan Vertonghen has bolstered their defensive strength, Gylfi Sigurdsson has shown the dynamic creativity that Spurs desperately needed and Hugo Lloris despite Brad Friedel currently being favoured will be the long term keeper that all top sides need. Sandro and Moussa Dembele have also been turning their potential into product. Any match against Lazio is tough so the 0-0 result at White Hart Lane was among the more predictable results of the evening. One of the key advantages that Tottenham have is their manager. Villas Boas may have had a poor spell at Chelsea but he did win the Europa League the season before that with Porto. He understands the benefits and experience gained from the competition, so although he will probably give minutes to young players, he is also more likely to play first team stars. Other major teams usually focus on league results rather than the competition at hand because the Champions League provides larger financial gains.