After relying on individual performances to carry them in recent seasons, Tottenham now have a team where everyone shares the load.

Dimitar Berbatov, Luka Modric, Gareth Bale and Harry Kane have been inspirational for the club at different times but their superb form has been double-edged. The opposition have approached matches knowing that if they stop Spurs’ star man, they will go a long way towards stopping the team.

This is no longer the case. Kane is starting to find form but this was only the third game in which he has scored for his club this term. Christian Eriksen, comfortably Spurs’ most creative player in each of the last two seasons, missed four games through injury between August 15 and September 20.

Last season, Chelsea won the Capital One Cup by ensuring Kane and Eriksen were kept quiet but eight months after that Wembley final, they would have to settle on a more subtle plan.

If you shut out Kane and Eriksen, what do you do about Dele Alli? If you shackle him, how will you handle Mousa Dembele, who is playing as well as he did in his first season at Tottenham? Erik Lamela divides opinion but he kept Villa’s defence honest throughout.

Player Ratings: Tottenham vs Aston Villa 13 show all Player Ratings: Tottenham vs Aston Villa 1/13 HUGO LLORIS: 6 Had very little to do aside from one cracking save from Sinclair early on. Also guilty of one nervous moment but was a safe pair of hands for the most part. Getty 2/13 KYLE WALKER: 6 Far from convincing when Sinclair ran at him with pace, but pushed forward well and also and was involved in some encouraging defensive work. Getty 3/13 TOBY ALDERWEIRELD: 7 Dealt with Agbonlahor's pace and passed with precision. The central defender has settled into life at Spurs and has proven to be their best summer purchase. 4/13 JAN VERTONGHEN: 6 Largely untroubled, but a composed presence when called upon. Gestede's physical proved to be a problem as Vertonghen struggled to contain the striker's aerial presence. Getty 5/13 DANNY ROSE: 7 Claimed an assist early on, which appeared to give him a confidence boost. Gave his opposite number Hutton plenty of problems and bombed forward at every opportunity. Withdrawn through injury. Getty 6/13 DELE ALLI: 7 Although it initially threatened to be a quiet night for the teenager, he made his presence felt with a composed finish just before the interval. Unfazed and oozing confidence. Reaplced by Josh Onomah, who made his Premier League debut, late on. Getty 7/13 ERIC DIER: 6 A reliable, if not remarkable, contribution. Had little defensive work to do as Spurs controlled possession but also proved, once again, he is capable in attack. Getty 8/13 MOUSA DEMBELE: 8 The Belgian took his goal well early on as he bulldozered past Ciaran Clark and finished confidently. A peg that can fit several holes; the midfielder is enjoying a rich vein of form. Getty 9/13 CHRISTIAN ERIKSEN: 6 His set piece delivery was not as impressive as we know it can be, but his ability to spot runs and makes space is invaluable to the Spurs front line. Getty 10/13 ERIK LAMELA: 6 Worked tirelessly for the team but had little end product to write home about. Flied into tackles like they were his last. Getty 11/13 HARRY KANE: 7 The striker did not have the luxury of many sights of goal but ran his socks off for the team's cause. Deserved his goal. Getty 12/13 RYAN MASON: 4 Given just over 20 minutes to build some much needed match fitness. The midfielder dwelt on the ball and conceded possession in his own half, which led to Villa's goal. Getty 13/13 BEN DAVIES: 5 Brought on to replace the injured Rose to shore things up and coped well during a frantic finish. Getty 1/13 HUGO LLORIS: 6 Had very little to do aside from one cracking save from Sinclair early on. Also guilty of one nervous moment but was a safe pair of hands for the most part. Getty 2/13 KYLE WALKER: 6 Far from convincing when Sinclair ran at him with pace, but pushed forward well and also and was involved in some encouraging defensive work. Getty 3/13 TOBY ALDERWEIRELD: 7 Dealt with Agbonlahor's pace and passed with precision. The central defender has settled into life at Spurs and has proven to be their best summer purchase. 4/13 JAN VERTONGHEN: 6 Largely untroubled, but a composed presence when called upon. Gestede's physical proved to be a problem as Vertonghen struggled to contain the striker's aerial presence. Getty 5/13 DANNY ROSE: 7 Claimed an assist early on, which appeared to give him a confidence boost. Gave his opposite number Hutton plenty of problems and bombed forward at every opportunity. Withdrawn through injury. Getty 6/13 DELE ALLI: 7 Although it initially threatened to be a quiet night for the teenager, he made his presence felt with a composed finish just before the interval. Unfazed and oozing confidence. Reaplced by Josh Onomah, who made his Premier League debut, late on. Getty 7/13 ERIC DIER: 6 A reliable, if not remarkable, contribution. Had little defensive work to do as Spurs controlled possession but also proved, once again, he is capable in attack. Getty 8/13 MOUSA DEMBELE: 8 The Belgian took his goal well early on as he bulldozered past Ciaran Clark and finished confidently. A peg that can fit several holes; the midfielder is enjoying a rich vein of form. Getty 9/13 CHRISTIAN ERIKSEN: 6 His set piece delivery was not as impressive as we know it can be, but his ability to spot runs and makes space is invaluable to the Spurs front line. Getty 10/13 ERIK LAMELA: 6 Worked tirelessly for the team but had little end product to write home about. Flied into tackles like they were his last. Getty 11/13 HARRY KANE: 7 The striker did not have the luxury of many sights of goal but ran his socks off for the team's cause. Deserved his goal. Getty 12/13 RYAN MASON: 4 Given just over 20 minutes to build some much needed match fitness. The midfielder dwelt on the ball and conceded possession in his own half, which led to Villa's goal. Getty 13/13 BEN DAVIES: 5 Brought on to replace the injured Rose to shore things up and coped well during a frantic finish. Getty

He laid on the final goal for Kane and this season, the Argentine has scored four times and has three assists in all competitions. Heung-Min Son is approaching full fitness after more than a month out with a foot injury and will be confident of regaining his early form, which yielded three goals in his first five games for Spurs. The club do not yet have a player as good as Berbatov, Bale or Modric at their peak. And before fans cry “Kane!” let us not forget this is only his second full season in top-flight football. He may reach the elite level but he still has work to do to achieve it.

Yet because there is no superstar, and because Kane has started the season slowly, the team cannot simply rely on one or two players to bail them out.

The distribution of goals tells an interesting story. Kane leads the way with five, Lamela has four, and Eriksen and Son three each. Eric Dier, Mousa Dembele and Alli have managed two apiece, while Toby Alderweireld, Nacer Chadli and Ryan Mason have also contributed. Ten different goalscorers is impressive at this stage of the season.

Head coach Mauricio Pochettino dislikes praising individual players, preferring instead to promote the virtues of the team. When invited to do so after the win over Villa, he drew a parallel with the recent Rugby World Cup.

“Against Aston Villa we tried to play as a team,” said Pochettino. “We loved to see how the different nations played as a team during the rugby matches. You need your team-mate in every moment. The mentality, philosophy and spirit are qualities that we need to bring into football. It’s important in a collective sport always to show a good spirit and I’m in love with the rugby after this World Cup. Why not translate that to football?”

This season, Pochettino has often selected teams with an average age of about 24 and their callow nature showed during the closing stages against Villa.

Despite being the better team, and moving into a two-goal half-time lead through Dembele and Alli, Spurs found themselves hanging on when substitute Jordan Ayew revived Villa with a 79th-minute strike. They were on edge until Kane sealed victory by finishing a flawless counter-attack in stoppage time but Pochettino knows his youngsters must develop greater nous.

He admitted: “We need to manage the games better. Maybe it’s because we are young but I don’t think it is about that.

“Our mentality is always to go forward and sometimes you need to learn that it’s better to keep your position, to be safe when the game is under control. Now we need to be ready for Thursday’s game against Anderlecht.”

Pochettino named an unchanged side and it will be interesting to see how he uses his squad for the next two matches. They need to beat Anderlecht or risk their Europa League campaign ending at the group stages. Yet with the derby against Arsenal three days later, can Pochettino afford to turn up with players who have little gas in the tank?

He looked agitated in the first half, even though his team were in control, and added: “You always chase perfection but it’s difficult to find it.”

If Spurs are to come through a tough week unharmed, they might just need to.