Following Spurs’ defeat against Chelsea last weekend, a lot was made of their poor record playing at Wembley and what it could mean for them playing their home games there this season. But for me, the performance against Chelsea was more than enough to convince me that they are going to be fine at Wembley.

It is true that Chelsea really did do a number on Spurs in that game: they controlled the tempo, they were comfortable and Tottenham did look a little out of sorts. But you have to factor in that there was a lot of hype for that first game at Wembley. It was against the current Premier League champions - and don’t forget Chelsea had a point to prove after losing their first game at home to Burnley. And despite all that, Spurs dominated possession and were undoubtedly the better side.

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What Spurs lacked was a cutting edge. For the past few years, Spurs have played excellent attacking football, especially at White Hart Lane, and they have looked very dangerous in the final third of the pitch. But on Sunday what worried me was the team's lack of pace, both up front and, more importantly, on the flanks.

Last season, Chelsea’s Marcos Alonso was hemmed in by Kyle Walker and Victor Moses was restricted by Danny Rose. They were fearful of the Spurs full-backs getting forward and getting in behind their defence and that reduced Chelsea’s attacking threat. This year, with Rose injured and having sold Walker to Manchester City, Spurs played Kieran Trippier and Ben Davies and the fear factor was gone for Chelsea. Of all the top teams in the division, Spurs rely on their starting XI more than most. They don’t have the strength in depth of City, Manchester United or Chelsea, so when their first-choice players are unavailable they just don’t look as strong.

But watching the game as a whole, Spurs still looked like that same side that seriously challenged for the title last year. They looked confident as a team, their passing was slick and assured and Harry Kane’s movement was as good as ever. They didn’t look overawed at all and I certainly don’t think the manager will allow the players to start worrying about playing at Wembley. Mauricio Pochettino's brilliance as a manager is in the way he prepares his team - not just physically, but psychologically too.

And he needs to do that because Spurs will have to adapt how they play at Wembley. It is a big, wide pitch and that means the game is slower and as a player you always have to monitor your energy levels carefully. Spurs won’t be able to press the opposition quite as much as they have in the past, but where they will benefit is in the quality of their passing, which is quick, accurate and incisive. And knowing Pochettino, I have no doubt there will be a pitch at the Spurs' training ground that is exactly the same size as Wembley.

The one thing Spurs do need to do is add to their squad before the transfer window closes. I know Danny Rose got a lot of stick for criticising the club’s lack of activity in the transfer market, and his wording was wrong, but really, the point Rose was making was absolutely right. Spurs do need to make at least one marquee signing to lift the team and supporters and as a statement of intent. Buying Davinson Sánchez from Ajax is a great signing, but in my opinion Spurs need a right-back and they need someone who will bring pace, flair and width to the team.

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At the moment, the three players who line up behind Harry Kane are Dele Alli, Christian Eriksen and either Mousa Dembele or Erik Lamela. They are all great players who can pass brilliantly and are very creative, but what they lack is pace. Personally, an offensive option like Wilfried Zaha would be perfect: someone who can go past an opponent and score goals. That is the only thing Spurs are missing and I believe the team need the lift that would come from adding some extra firepower up front. It could make the difference between finishing second and winning the league.

Mourinho has got it right at Manchester United… but they aren’t unbeatable

What has impressed me most about United’s start to the season, is the way José Mourinho has set about assembling the players he needed to make the team he wanted. He has turned United into a big, powerful, intimidating side with a terrific attacking threat. And the signing of Nemanja Matić could be the buy of the season. Two games, eight goals, two clean sheets... what more could they ask for?

But before United fans get too carried away, let’s remember that in the first game West Ham rolled over and against Swansea it wasn’t until the 80th minute that they put the game to bed. And I can see United losing games when they are outdone by teams that can outpass and outplay them.

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The other worry for United fans is that although they have been scoring goals, they lack the width and the wing-play that the team has traditionally been known for. Mourinho likes a strong spine to a team and he also likes creative players, such as Juan Mata, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Paul Pogba, but they all like to play in central areas. Likewise Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial are forwards first and foremost, not wingers. And that is OK if you have full-backs who can overlap and push up and get crosses in, but that isn’t really the case at United. Antonio Valencia should be perfect in that role, but he has been used more defensively than offensively. And Daley Blind probably lacks the pace to be able to fill that role on the opposite flank.

So the balance is not quite right, yet. We will find out more about United when they face a serious test, but at the moment the team spirt seems excellent. We are starting to see the best of Pogba, Romelu Lukaku has had a dream start and everyone seems happier with the way they are playing. For the past two or three seasons, United have had a lot of possession in games without getting the results and scoring the goals they needed. Now they are holding on to the ball and getting the end result. Mourinho was obviously not happy with the team he had last year; they struggled for much of it. Yet they still came away with three trophies. That shows you what a great manager he is.

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Now, with his new team, you can see how much happier he is. And where United are really frightening is in their strength and size. From set pieces, they will get goals galore. And Mourinho is very pragmatic as a manager and he will set United up to win games. Sometimes that will be at the expense of playing with flair and Sir Alex Ferguson’s all-out attacking style, but Mourinho will get the results he needs. I picked City as my title favourites, but make no mistake, United will give them a run for their money.

What might tip the scales in United’s favour, though, is the return of Zlatan Ibrahimović. He is the kind of player that can make any squad better. He leads by example, he is a model professional, he always gets goals and he is a winner. And don’t forget, this is a young Manchester United team. It can only benefit the team to have some older heads in there and at the moment that is just Michael Carrick, really. Ibrahimović would be a huge presence in the dressing room and on the training ground. Imagine what a boost that would be to United if late on in a tight game, Mourinho is able to bring Ibrahimović off the bench. The opposition would be terrified.

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Everyone has been surprised by Huddersfield’s start… except me

It’s funny, but when I predicted that Huddersfield might be the strongest of the newly promoted sides in my first column, a lot of people disagreed with me. But after two games they have two wins, kept two clean sheets, and currently sit second in the table.

Now don’t get me wrong: I’m not saying that Huddersfield won’t be closer to the relegation zone than the top of the table in May, but they have made a great start because the energy at the club has been so positive. The thing I have noticed is that, from the fans to the players to the chairman, the whole club is pulling in one direction. And the thing about Huddersfield is that there are no prima donnas at the club; no one thinks he is better than anybody else.

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But that is not to say they don’t have decent players. They have goals in their team and they have talent. The fans are right behind them and the club recognised that support by offering long-time season-ticket holders a discount after they won promotion. Some fans have paid £100 for a season ticket. No Premier League club does that.

David Wagner, the manager, seems to have a good relationship with his chairman and the players, and if they can get points in the bank early they will benefit later in the year. Because when it starts getting colder, when the pitch starts cutting up and when it is dark and dreary, not many teams will relish travelling to West Yorkshire.

Wayne Rooney has made the right decision to retire from international football

When I first heard that Rooney had retired, my first thought was: good on him. It is a sensible, mature decision that will benefit both himself and Everton.

Given what a good start he has made to the season, it was inevitable that talk would turn to him returning for England and there would have been a lot of pressure on Gareth Southgate to include him. By retiring, Rooney has removed that burden, both from the England manager and himself.

Wayne is at that stage in his career where he needs to focus on family – he has another child on the way – and his favourite football club, Everton. It won’t have been an easy choice to make because he loved playing for his country, but the reality is that with England he would probably have been on the bench rather than the first XI and he wouldn’t want that. It would have been a lot of extra travel for no real benefit. Rooney is at his best when he is playing and the more he plays the better he is.

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Personally, Rooney was one of the very best players I ever played with. In my time with England, he was such an important player because he linked the old England with the new generation of players coming through. We made our debuts together against Australia and that certainly made it special for me.

By cutting back on his England appearances, I think Rooney can play for another four years. He is still only 31, he doesn’t suffer from a lot of injuries and it just depends how long he wants to play for. You can see already that he is excited to be back at Everton and it is a move that has given him a real boost. There will also be less pressure and less scrutiny on him at Everton than there was at United - and that can only be good.

And for him to score his 200th league goal is an unbelievable achievement, especially when you consider that he hasn’t always been an out-and-out striker. Alan Shearer was a big No9 who was all about scoring goals, goals, goals. With Rooney, I remember watching him playing games at United and he would play deep, he would be played on the left and his role changed regularly. And he also had to share goal-scoring duties with other strikers, be it Carlos Tevez, Dimitar Berbatov, Louis Saha, or Cristiano Ronaldo. Yet he has still delivered 200 goals. It’s outrageous, really, and there are still a few more to come.