Tottenham Hotspur striker Jermain Defoe has revealed he is revelling in life under Andre Villas-Boas and hopes his goals can fire the club to success this season.
Bit-part Adebayor
Defoe's fine form has forced fellow forward Emmanuel Adebayor into a bit-part role at White Hart Lane this year.
But with the Togo international considering travelling to next month's Africa Cup of Nations, Villas-Boas' dependency on his first-choice forward could soon become even greater.
That is good news for Defoe personally, but for the sake of the team, he hopes Adebayor opts to remain with his club.
He said: "Obviously, for us, we want him to stay here and help us to win games.
"At the end of the day, I can't stand here and say he shouldn't go because it is special when you play for your country.
"It is a decision that Ade has to make himself."
Despite being the spearhead of Tottenham's attack this season, Defoe admits that he needs to improve his defensive play after Villas-Boas held a meeting with his squad in a bid to address their susceptibility to conceding late goals.
Spurs have shipped 10 goals in the final 15 minutes of matches this season, a joint-league high along with bottom side Reading.
That inability to keep things tight late on has cost them dearly, so much so that if matches had ended after 80 minutes, Tottenham would be top of the league.
Defoe added: "There is no point standing here telling you what was said in the meeting because I would be standing for a long time.
"But it is not just the defenders - it's the whole team. It's that famous saying: defend from the front.
"It is something that has happened and is something that we don't want to continue to happen."
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