Dembele back – no more excuses

The return of Moussa Dembele after a few weeks on the treatment table will provide a well-needed boost to a Tottenham side who has slumped during his absence – but it also symbolises a warning of no more excuses.

Much to the delight of the Tottenham faithful, Dembele made a substitute appearance on Thursday in Europe and will be expected to start in today’s game against West Ham at White Hart Lane.

Dembele was a key feature in Tottenham’s run of four straight games, including the 3-2 triumph over Manchester United at Old Trafford. Since then, Tottenham have recorded a meagre 3 points out of a possible 18, losing 5 games in 6, and have struggled to find a way to adapt a strategy around Dembele’s absence.

Even more pertinent for Spurs’ fans, the recent run of matches have produced insipidly bleak performances – a far cry from the entertaining razzmatazz they have grown accustomed to expect – and they will be hopeful that the Dembele’s presence will spark a return to exiting, attacking football at White Hart Lane.

If Tottenham are serious about challenging for the top 4, now is a vital time to overcome problems and pick up form before the important Christmas period.

AVB is yet to show he’s the right man to steer Tottenham forward. The two London-derby defeats against Chelsea and Arsenal would have hurt the fans, but extenuating circumstances can be accepted with Dembele and Bale missing from the Chelsea clash and Adebayor’s early dismissal at the Emirates last weekend halting a bright start.

Harder to be excused are defeats to Wigan and Norwich – results which significantly reduce the margin for error for similar encounters this season. Spurs now have two home games in a row – against West Ham and Liverpool – and will eye both as must win games.

AVB will be keen to throw Dembele back into the mix as soon as possible. The Belgian international was shaping up to be a key element in AVB’s tactics before being sidelined with injury and Tottenham will be hoping it’s a case of carrying on as we left off – starting with West Ham today.

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