1. Be Very Careful When Deciding Whether Or Not To Play Emmanuel Adebayor
The unpredictable Togo international has had a poor season by any standard. Three goals in 20 matches is a poor return for a midfielder, never mind a striker, and it leaves AVB in a catch 22 situation. His target man cannot be trusted to produce performances of the level required for a team of Tottenhams aspirations, but with only Jermain Defoe as an alternative and only just back from injury Adebayor has to play some part, if only to relieve his striking colleague. Weve mentioned the Inter defence a lot already but they struggled to contain Defoe who was rushed back from injury. The little man was stronger than the towering centre backs Andrea Ranocchia and Christian Chivu, and his speed and movement caused the defenders all sorts of troubles. Given Adebayor is a taller striker as well as quite mobile, the ex-Arsenal, Manchester City and Real Madrid player should wreak havoc with the Inter backline. Problem is you could have said that about Adebayor and numerous defenders this season, and it has not happened. Adebayor missed out on pre-season due to the protracted nature of his transfer to Spurs, then picked up an injury, then in January he fly to South Africa for the African Cup of Nations. That said, he has had a run of nine starts in a row before he joined up with the Togo national squad, and then returned to play four straight games at the end of February. Match fitness and match sharpness should not be an issue. Maybe playing without any pressure will relax Adebayor; perhaps it will allow him to fall into his lazy ways that Spurs fans have seen so often this season. What is certain is that AVB has yet to find a way to motivate his forward, and playing him in what could be a dead rubber might not be the ideal solution. Not playing him might spur Adebayor on more. Either way, its a very tough decision for the manager. Do you think Spurs will see out victory in Italy? Share your thoughts below.