1 Imbalanced squad
Tottenham have no regular leader - Ledley King, their captain, can play only every two to three weeks - no left winger, and, because of injuries and ineligibility, no settled side. Roman Pavlyuchenko, who has previously tended to play as a lone striker, has not been able to forge an understanding with Darren Bent.

2 No link man
Losing Robbie Keane and Dimitar Berbatov, who combined to produce 51 and 50 goals in the past two seasons respectively, was a big blow. Keane’s departure was arguably more important because he was the link-man between the midfield and forward line. Ramos has tried David Bentley and Giovani Dos Santos in that position, but neither has been able to drop deep to cajole the team. That leaves Bent isolated. Better forwards than him would struggle when offered few opportunities to score.

There was arguably little choice to sell Jermain Defoe in January because the forward would not extend a contract that had 18 months remaining without being guaranteed a regular starting place. Tottenham expected to lose Berbatov and Bent, but Keane’s request to leave was a surprise. Bent stayed because there was no acceptable offer for him.

3 Changing formation
Ramos prefers a 4-4-2 system with attacking full-backs and wingers, but does not have the players to employ it properly at Tottenham. He has played 4-4-2, 4-2-3-1, and in Europe often 4-5-1 with two wide players expected to join the striker.

4 Transfer dealings
Ramos did not get his wish-list of players over the summer and the club ended up in an arguably weaker situation than they started. In addition to the summer arrivals, Ramos wanted a centre back, holding midfield player and experienced forward, ideally signed for pre-season.

They have also needed a left winger for several years, but a bid for Diego Capel, whom Ramos wanted, was turned down by Seville.

Seven of the new signings were earmarked for the first team but it takes time to gel, and they have done that only for brief spells in the first halves against Stoke City and Udinese.They signed Pavlyuchenko a day before the window closed, which was too late, given that it often takes longer for foreign players to adjust to English football.

Questions about the future of Damien Comolli, the sporting director with responsibility for transfers, who is expected to be dismissed before Christmas. Some players that Ramos wanted to sell remain without squad numbers: Kevin Boateng, Hossam Ghaly, Ricardo Rocha, Paul Stalteri and Adel Taarabt.

5 New players' form
The expensive summer signings, such as Luka Modric and Bentley, have not performed. They are short on confidence and belief. Vedran Corluka has played in each position in the back four, while Modric has featured in several positions in midfield. He has mostly played too deep or on the left wing, where he cannot hurt the opposition.

Bentley’s unhappiness has been evident in recent interviews, with him complaining about not playing in his preferred position, but the winger has not started his career at his new club badly.

6 Unsettled defence
The back four have not settled in front of a new goalkeeper, Heurelho Gomes, trying assert his character on the team. King’s participation in matches can only be decided on the day of a game. Alan Hutton played only his first match this season on Sunday in the 2-1 defeat by Stoke, while Corluka is cup-tied in the Uefa Cup, making is difficult for the defenders to establish an understanding. Gareth Bale missed a large chunk of last season through injury

7 Lack of clean sheets
Tottenham have kept only one clean sheet this season. The return of King has done little to shore up the defence.

8 Poor substitutions
One of Ramos's perceived strengths is the changes he makes during matches, but Jermaine Jenas, in particular, looked lost during the 2-0 defeat against Portsmouth when Bentley and Aaron Lennon swapped wings. Against Wislaw Krakow in the second leg of their Uefa Cup tie, Jamie O'Hara, the second-half substitute, twice swapped positions with Bale on the left flank to little effect, while Michael Dawson's arrival in centre of defence only added to the confusion late on.