Adebayor: Time To Step Up Or Step Out

When Emmanuel Adebayor arrived at Tottenham on a loan deal from Manchester City, he performed sensationally, being the only player in the league to achieve double figures in both assists and goals. However, after the move was made permanent, his form due to injuries, suspensions, and international tournaments declined rapidly.

He did however, return towards the end of the season, with great performances against Chelsea and Everton. Will this season mark Adebayor’s return to goals, or will his performances in his sophomore season carry through?

Following the tragic passing of his brother, Adebayor has returned to first team training after time out to improve his physical and mental condition. He is currently with the team in Moldova, ready to make his season debut in the Europa League. Adebayor certainly believes that he can return to his best:

“At Tottenham, there was already Jermain Defoe for years. Today, there is Roberto Soldado, who is a very good player and who I also respect very much. I hope he will score many goals for the team.

“There are stats that speak for a man in football. Today I will not tell you that I’m stronger than Soldado or Jermain Defoe or Erik Lamela. Do a Google search; you will see the goals I’ve scored in my career.”

Adebayor may pose a selection problem to Andre Villas Boas; he is undoubtedly suited to playing as a lone forward, and could push Soldado for a first team place. So, what does Adebayor offer compared to his competition, both as a lone forward, and in a partnership?

Both Defoe and Adebayor played as a lone forward against Chelsea last season, and it’s clear that Adebayor offers a lot more than Defoe. This can be easily assumed by Adebayor’s physique and style of game, but he also possesses a smart footballing brain, causing problems for Chelsea’s backline through his movement.

Defoe did not offer much in his game as a lone forward against Chelsea and his recent performance against West Ham also weighs against him. Adebayor meanwhile, against Chelsea last year provided a great back-heel assist to Gylfi Sigurdsson and a scored stunning long range effort from a counter attack, after he picked up the ball inside of the Tottenham half.

We can see from the passes played graphic, that Adebayor clearly stretched the defence; allowing more room for our midfielders to run into, as spaces began to open. Less than half his action occurred in the central third, where as Defoe spent 69% of his time in the centre of the pitch; which would made him easily marked by defensive midfielders, and unable to create space for the midfielders.

Adebayor’s movement out of the central third against Chelsea, is what helped Tottenham find a late goal. As he moved left to provide an option to Benoit Assou Ekotto he took his marker with him, this allowed an attacking midfielder, Gylfi Sigurdsson, to enter the vacant space and find an equaliser. Poor marking from David Luiz also helped contribute to the goal, as the Brazilian failed to keep on top of the Spurs goal scorer.

Adebayor’s best Tottenham performance undoubtedly game in a fine victory against Newcastle. In this game he started with fellow forward Louis Saha; he did score in this game, however his assist play was more impressive.

This early goal came from Adebayor going deep to receive the ball, after impressive footwork to get around his man and a neat one-two he manages to draw several defenders towards him, this allowed Assou-Ekotto to score in acres of space. His second assist was to Saha, after managing to squeeze a cross past the Newcastle captain, Fabricio Coloccini. He also managed two more assists, another to Saha, and one to Niko Kranjcar.

In conclusion I believe that Adebayor is an amazingly talented player who can add a different dimension to our attacking line. He does have his doubters, as many suggest he is only motivated by money, but he is arguably on a higher mission than financial wealth; the restoring of his reputation and proving his strengths by outperforming his competition.

Because of AVB’s tendency to play only one forward, and our depth at midfield, it is certain that Tottenham will rarely play two up front, if at all. The competition is tough though, as Soldado performed well against Aston Villa, and Adebayor will have opportunities in cup competitions to prove his worth to Spurs.

[author name=”Jai B” avatar=”https://si0.twimg.com/profile_images/1659352356/IMAG0018.jpg” twitter=”Jai_B” tag=”JaiB[/linequote]