Something needs to give at Tottenham; 9th in the Premier League and in the process of recovering from their worst defeat since the 90’s, it’s time for action.
Spurs have been blunt; their main tormentor on the weekend in Sergio Aguero now has more goals than their entire team combined. AVB is yet to find the winning formula, for one reason or another his assembled attacking talents just aren’t firing and unless something changes dramatically it could be his head on the line.
The signing of Soldado bemuses me, why spend £26m on a player only to neglect his talents? For me this is exactly what AVB is doing. A lot has been made of Soldado’s inadequacies as a lone striker, and I agree his is pretty limited in this regard. Spurs though need to take a look at Valencia and what made him so successful as the centrepiece of their attacking unit. Soldado did predominantly play on his own, but even so he had players playing in and around offering him the service that he requires. Soldado isn’t the striker to score from 30 yards and neither is he the one to make darting runs in behind opposition with regularity, but then again Spurs should have known that.
What Soldado does do well though is to alive in the box, at Valencia the whole game was built around servicing the Spaniard and it is unsurprising given the nature of his role that all 24 of his La Liga goals came from within the 18 yard box. You can berate the man for being ineffective outside the box and being limited in certain regards, but in my opinion it is up to Spurs to accommodate the Spaniard.
The popular choice seems to be a return to a 4-4-2 system, and for me this makes a lot of sense. If AVB is unwilling to play wingers in their orthodox positions with the license to beat their fullback and cross, then this for me this is the next best thing. It isn’t a desperate move; it is simply a necessity if Spurs are to get back to goal scoring form.
Adebayor suffers from the same inconsistencies as Soldado, but for me there really isn’t another option. Defoe has been in his usual potent form, but he is even more limited than Soldado, if you want to play the Englishman you have to drop Soldado and with a £26m price tag this shouldn’t be a decision taken lightly. Disinterested and lazy, Adebayor is sadly Spurs’ only hope; love him or hate him he needs to be embraced.
Soldado is feeding off scraps, getting the ball deep or even worse with his back to goal, the return of Adebayor and a 4-4-2 would likely change all this. Spurs don’t need to suddenly play long ball football, but with Adebayor up top it does offer the opportunity to go more direct. Whether Soldado gets the knock downs from the Togolese frontman or simply more space by splitting the centre halves, this tactical change could well unleash the Spaniard’s potential.
The concern with 4-4-2 is always with how it impacts the rest of the side. Spurs have been comfortable in possession and whilst it has often been meaningless, this isn’t something you want to just throw away to an opposition midfield 3. The move from 3 to 2 in midfield doesn’t concern me, with Sandro marshalling at the moment and Capoue returning imminently the midfield solidity shouldn’t really be compromised. Perhaps playing a holding midfielder with a more creative influence at his side would be the best bet, the Sandro/ Dembele partnership was in my view the most convincing for Spurs last term.
A move to 4-4-2 will always carry with it risks, but with Spurs staring down the barrel do they really have much of a choice? With AVB’s tenure and Spurs short-term ambitions in tatters it is time to be brave and not to be stubborn. There are deeper issues at Spurs that a formation change won’t solve but in any case it is a move that is much better than failing to act at all.
United next at home for Spurs, does AVB dare throw caution to the wind? His previous confidence in his own methods would suggest no, but for his and Spurs’ sakes I hope the answer is a definitive yes.
Time for some common sense changes at Spurs?
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