amazing that he had all those chances then - how did that happen - did adebayor give him a piggy back into the box?
Most were pot-shots, but being in the box for rebounds is something I do think Defoe is very good at. He also was very good at looking for the 3-4 yards in front of the keeper every time we had a finish on target.
However, Defoe shoots a lot. Even when he should not have. That is what you call decisionmaking, and unfortunately that is where he lacks a bit, yet.
not really as Adebayor was decidedly flat for as lot of the game
He was very flat by his own standards, but he was also crucial for our play in breaking down the opposition, because he is so very good at finding space even in tight spaces and holding up the ball. And he is proactive, creating plays and chances, not waiting for them to fall to him.
We need that. People talk about our problems breaking down defending teams. Adebayor is a key to that, so much more after we sold VdV and Modric.
the game that was conducted with a 9 man defensive box for the whole game, so the players had to operate in minimal space
Correct. Which a modern striker has to deal with, no discussion.
where were runners supposed to go - and which of the 9 did they press?
They are supposed to shift and turn every other monent to constantly find a yard or two for the wall pass, then shift and move again. As opposed to standing between Chico and Williams, in the shadow of Britton, waving your arms when passes elude one. Sorry if harsh, but this point needs to be made.
I guess you would like to see schoolboy football where everyone presses the man with the ball?
No. That's just a straw man.
hey, if it maskes you feel happy to jump on the Defoe bandwagon with all the other sheep - fill your boots.
... and that's another straw man.
I DO NOT think he's the perfect striker (I think he should have converted at least one of his opportunities) but neither do I think he's the one dimensional player, or as poor as people like you would suggest
Neither do I. He is not a poor player. He is just not performing well right now and not responding well to the demands of the system, the formation changes and the way defences play him.
The problem is, that despite having true strikers quality of getting a goal out of nowhere, he is burdened by not contributing much to the team apart from said goals. He is difficult to put in a team, because it has to built around him, and even if you do the goal count is erratic and defences can still shut him down.
and don't give me the crap about strikers need to be so much more in the modern game, its tedious.
If every other footballer needs to adapt, why not strikers generally - and why not Defoe specifically ?
You accuse me of jumping on a bandwagon. I could easily accuse you of being on a different one, but that doesn't get us very far, does it ?
Regards
