If ever there was a striker that deserves a spot in the Tottenham team, it’s Jermain Defoe. In my eyes he’s a Spurs legend. To this date he has scored 140 goals making him the fourth highest goal scorer for Spurs in our illustrious history. That in itself makes a mockery of why he’s never […]
Are We Overlooking The Little Man?
If ever there was a striker that deserves a spot in the Tottenham team, it’s Jermain Defoe. In my eyes he’s a Spurs legend. To this date he has scored 140 goals making him the fourth highest goal scorer for Spurs in our illustrious history. That in itself makes a mockery of why he’s never really been a given a crack at leading Tottenham’s line over a reasonable amount of time.
There must be some reason why the little sniper has never had a fair crack of the whip? For a team that has been crying out for a striker for half a decade surely, we couldn’t have been just simply overlooking Defoe?
Let’s have a butchers at some of striking options we’ve had since Spurs began to improve since the beginning of Jol’s leadership:
Dimitar Berbatov & Robbie Keane:
One of the deadliest partnerships I have ever seen, Jermain had no chance of playing first team football on a regular basis.
Darren Bent & Frazier Campbell:
WTAF?! Got nothing more to say than that apart from the fact he had been sold to Portsmouth.
Defoe and Roman Pavlyuchenko:
He’s back in lilywhite and in good form, whilst forming a good partnership with the Russian striker.
Peter Crouch and Defoe:
Champions League qualifying season, same pair doing the same thing they did at Portsmouth with aplom. On occasions.
Crouch and Rafa Van der Vaart:
About 4 goals in a season for Crouch, VDV just world class (doesn’t work with Defoe)
Emmanuel Adebayor and VDV/Defoe:
Adebayor bossing it, VDV offers more, Defoe still scoring goals.
Defoe/Adebayor:
Defoe on fire until Christmas,, Adebayor woeful (95% of the season)
Roberto Soldado:
Robbie off to a rough start, hasn’t hit the ground running yet, Defoe has scored in every game he’s started.
When reading through that surely most people see Defoe gradually improves, but is never a consistent striker. The argument this season is why given the fact that he’s scored more goals than Soldado, isn’t he starting?
Regardless of everything that has been said, Defoe’s goal scoring record speaks for itself. But the question isn’t about his goal scoring ability, it’s about whether he can bring something new to the team in the Premier League, not just in the early stages of cup competitions.
So back to the question, should Defoe be starting?
My long answer is no, and my short answer is no. Soldado brings people into the game from positions deep in the opponents half, he’s mastered the knowledge of when to pass and when to shoot, and there’s a reason he’s the highest scoring Spaniard for the last two years.
Gylfi Sigurdsson’s first goal against Norwich, and his goal against Chelsea, wouldn’t have happened had Defoe been on the pitch. This is a player with an obvious knack for scoring goals, but hasn’t changed or improved his all round game as he matured. He is the exact same footballer now, at the age of 30, as he was when he was kid playing football, he’s never changed and now reaching the end of his career, he won’t any time soon.
My opinion may not count for much, but to sum things up, Defoe should play all European and domestic cup games this season, but leave the Premier League to someone better suited for the task. Someone like Soldado.
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6 Comments
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07/10/2013 @ 11:07 am
I said before the game on sunday, that I could not believe Defoe was starting.; his hold up play and movement does not lend itself to our style. He his a good player no doubt but seeing him winge and gesture at nearly every player is annoying. This is not going to help new players trying to bed in. I see him do it to young players as well. Whereas If you watch Soldado he is always moving and keen to help the team.
07/10/2013 @ 11:15 am
sorry but whoever wrote this article doesn’t really understand much about football. dark horse has summed it up perfectly. defoe plays his own game and the rest of the side are looking for their centre forward to provide a focal point. most worrying aspect of yesterdays game is that AVB doesn’t yet realise this. very disappointing
07/10/2013 @ 11:18 am
I think you are right about Defoe, however there are also goals he will score that Soldado would not have. Take the first against Villa, the run was pefect to get onto Holtby’s chip but the run was only possible because Defoe came so deep so the defence could not pick it up, something I have yet to see Soldado do…. Soldado should be first choice but AVB had to show that performing in the (so called) secondry competitions will get you a chance in the league otherwise the “fringe” players would not try in these games.
07/10/2013 @ 11:31 am
I too very surprised that AVB changed his mind on who to start with. I sensed it would be a very tough game for us…. we’ve had it good against WHU for a while and we were overdue a slip up against them. Soldado should have played for all the above reasons but what worried me was that AVB didn’t ask Big Sam any questions early enough. It wasn’t good enough to get to half time 0-0, and I think a double substitution giving us more width should have been made.
I also do not want to see key players like Dembele and Walker playing 90 minutes on a dung heap in front of 12 people and some goats 3000 miles away three days before a vital match.
07/10/2013 @ 11:33 am
Why is Defoe still being debated? He cannot play the lone striker.
07/10/2013 @ 1:13 pm
FORGET DEFOE,S TOTAL GOAL TALLY, IT’S OVERRATED. JUST CHECK OUT HIS PREMIERSHIP GOALS AGAINST MAN UTD, ARSENAL, CHELSEA,LIVERPOOL AND MORE LATTERLY MAN CITY. AT THE LAST COUNT SINCE 2003/4 SEASON HE HAS AMASSED THE GRAND TOTAL OF 16. I THINK THAT SAYS IT ALL.