We just didn't create enough chances, admits Jol

Martin Jol praised Younes Kaboul after his debut at Sunderland but that failed to hide his despair at Tottenham's poor performance in the 1-0 defeat.

The young French central defender looked solid alongside Anthony Gardner at the Stadium of Light but it was at the other end of the pitch where Spurs lacked imagination and guile.

"We didn't play well and didn't create as many chances as I would have liked," downcast Jol told the official Spurs website. "Even a 0-0 draw would have been disappointing.

"When you don't play well a 0-0 draw is still a 0-0 draw and we have to learn how to protect that. We didn't and I could come up with excuses but I won't.

"We had players out but we were still strong enough. It was the first match and we were determined to do well but it didn't happen."

Jol revealed that Michael Dawson sprained his ankle in training on Friday, forcing him out of the squad and a late reshuffle with Gardner partnering Kaboul at the back.

"I thought Anthony did a good job as did Kaboul, who had a very good debut for us, but that's not enough," Jol added.

"We needed more urgency because if you score in the first half you create pressure but we didn't do that and made it difficult for ourselves.

"If we don't score, it's always a possibility that the other team will and that's what happened."