Good Week/Bad Week

[Krafty]

We’re back after a small hiatus, but then again it’s not like you’re paying for this so stop complaining!! We include a bit of the international break as well as the win at Swansea

Good Week

Gareth Bale

What I’ve been most impressed with when it comes to Bale playing in the hole is his awareness. It was demonstrated on MotD how he ran the defence back, then dropped into the space to receive the ball from Vertonghen, before turning and chipping a lovely ball over the top for the onrushing Belgian. My fear has always been that Bale is only good when there is space for him to move into, typically on the counter attack, but if he can make his own space then he is a danger in any match situation.

Jan Vertonghen

Super Jan continues his scoring streak. Before the Swansea game Jan had more shots on goal than Adebayor – I expect that’s still the case after the weekend.

A driving run and classy finish for his goal, it is great to see Vertonghen striding out of defence and with his ability he can add some vital goals to our cause.

Jordan Archer

Impressive spell out on loan at Wycombe, the Scotland youth international was recalled and put on the bench after Lloris picked up a knock playing for France.

It’s great to see young players popping up on the bench every now and then, even more so keepers. It was one of my gripes that we had a load of keepers blocking the path for any and all of our young prospects, it was simply bad squad management. Now we have a fantastic number one, a great number two, and plenty of youth prospects should we need someone on the bench. No doubt it was a fantastic experience for the youngster.

Emmanuel Adebayor

Bit debatable this one, but hear me out. I think Ade started at the weekend because Defoe was away with England, and while he had one gilt edged chance that he finished woefully, it was at least pleasing to see him notice the space, make the run, and bust a gut to get ahead of Ashley Williams, who isn’t exactly a slug in a foot race. Yes the finish was dire, but now he just looks like a striker short on confidence and in need of a goal, rather than a mercenary content to pick up his wages and avoid giving the kit man too much washing. Adebayor also looks to work fairly well with Bale, in so much as he is helping drag defenders’ attention away from our star player.

Jermain Defoe

Two goals against San Marino are hardly going to set the world alight, but as they were his first goals of 2013 he has to be pleased.

Aaron Lennon

He returns, we win.

Swindon loanees

Parrett and Luongo started both games, while Bryne started one for the promotion chasing league one team. Along with Kevin Stewart at Crewe, and the other loanees that went out last week, it looks that we are at least getting the boys some first team experience.

Losers

Benoit Assou-Ekotto

Rumours have linked us with Southampton’s Luke Shaw, and while it is no disgrace to be rotated in a AVB defence (practically everyone bar Walker has had to sit out some games) it is obvious that BAE is not automatically first choice at left back. His deployment at left midfield against Fulham was bizarre and perhaps showed the manager is not fully convinced by Disco Benny.

Harry Kane

On the subs bench for a team that has won one in 10 (Leicester). With Nugent back fit it looks like Kane has dropped out of the reckoning, and it is another wasted loan spell. Depending on what business we do in the summer, it will be interesting to see if Kane goes back out on loan again next season. I fancy him to stick around for the first three months or so, then evaluate.

Jonathan Miles

Keep a clean sheet on debut for Dagenham & Redbridge, then conceded four on Monday, one of which came from his poor free kick. He’s still young though, and he’s playing, unlike...

Ryan Mason

Sent over to France, struggling to see the match day squad let alone game time, you wonder what the future holds for Mason. With over 21s needing to be registered, it looks like crunch time for Ryan and the likes of Jon Obika.

 

[Gaz_Gammon]

(practically everyone bar Walker has had to sit out some games)

He has sat out three or four games this season. Honest..................

 

[Spur-of-the-moment]

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Nice one, Krafty. I look out for this column; it's very well written and full of good insight.

I agree on Adebayor. I'd add that he went off the boil in the last game when shown the yellow card just before half time. After the red earlier in the season, he must be terrified of ham-stringing the team performance with another sending off, which would in addition attract (even) more opprobrium. On both occasions (the red at the Emirates and the yellow at Swansea) the card was the product of a poor challenge where he had obviously lost his head in frustration. But at the same time he was showing the effort to try and repair the mistake of getting caught in possession.

Adebayor has become a bit of a punch bag for fans and, recently, some journalists who believe he is slacking after securing a contract. Some read his body language as disinterest or complacency. But there is ample evidence that he is -- like Defoe -- a confidence player who has hit an extended bad patch. If he was genuinely slacking, I think we'd see evidence in the reaction of his fellow players. I believe they are on his side.
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[Gaz_Gammon]

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Adebayor has become a bit of a punch bag for fans and, recently, some journalists who believe he is slacking after securing a contract. Some read his body language as disinterest or complacency. But there is ample evidence that he is -- like Defoe -- a confidence player who has hit an extended bad patch. If he was genuinely slacking, I think we'd see evidence in the reaction of his fellow players. I believe they are on his side.
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I think that you are spot on with your assessment on Ade. He hasn't had such a poor season since coming to the PL and we have possibly (not checked the stats) the two poorest strikers regarding goal returns in the PL. He hasn't become bad overnight and his season start since his signing is well known but i myself would take him over Defoe in AVB's set up every time. I do however agree that AVB should put someone from the Youth's on the bench now that Defoe is out for a month. Even if it's only a bit part the experience will help develop whoever gets the nod.

 

[minesadouble]

I agree on Ade too. Like Berbatov, his body language is misunderstood. But that aside, I think our playing style this season is less suited to Ade than Harry's gungho 4-4-1-1 of last year. I have no official stats but last season Ade was the main beneficiary of Bale's left wing play and Modric's passes and, in particular, Van Der Vaart dropping off and creating space and chances. This season our high line compresses space for our strikers as well as the opposition team. Also, Bale is mostly not on the left and Dembele simply isn't Modric when it comes to slide rule passes. Furthermore, Adebayor has been late, injured, suspended and subsequently lacking in confidence. Now he has fans and media on his back too. Even when he scores in Milan the pundits are grudging.

But I have a gut feeling things will change. For one thing Bale is learning to play the Van der Vaart role (as his pass for Jan last Saturday demonstrated) and 1-2 goals for Ade would make all the difference in a future one on one like vs Swansea. Next Season, if we have a creative advanced midfielder to play (especially against stubborn mid table teams), Ade could benefit greatly. He didn't become a bad player overnight.

 

[JoeT]

Yeah, agree about Ade as well; how I wish that goal had gone in last Saturday! Look how Siggy has come on after (finally) scoring.....Hang in there for a bit longer folks.

Can we get Kane back from loan? I mean, if he's sitting around twiddling his thumbs at Leicester......

 

[jolsnogross]

It's hard to believe Ade and Defoe made it on the winners' side of the equation. They've been terrible and Ade's effort for a nailed on chance was derisory. It may be that patting him on the back and bigging him up is a way to shake him from his stupor, but he's a grown man paid a fortune to lash the ball home in those situations and he's simply not at the races. You wouldn't mind if he was smashing it for the keeper to save it (Defoe's approach), but he isn't even managing that. And that wouldn't even be good enough at this level.

I hope he comes good and gets on a scoring run, but he's got to look at himself this season and wonder if he's worth a place at Spurs.

 

[fedupyid]

You guys are kidding yourselves Ade will not play well again till the end of next season this guy is a Mercenary who Man City paid to get rid of. Levy needs to scrap all three of them Defoe only scores goals when his confidence is high and can go a year without scoring in open play. Ade does not care as long as the pay cheque is coming in and Dempsey is just not really suited to Tottenham and is not a striker. The fact is we started the season with one recognised striker who's form is streaky and we signed a mercenary and someone who I am not sure where he is meant to be played because he just does not seem to fit into the spurs team. The under investment recently and bad investment previously has left us short handed upfront.

The simple fact is if it was not for Bale's goals this season we would be crying blue murder at the strikers. The simple fact is we need our chairman to act responsibly this summer and try to sort out our strikeforce problem at the start of the summer and not on the last day and go "oh we tried to sign (Insert players name) but we ran out of time." Levy has had two and half years to try and sort out our striker problem and AVB will have had a season.

 

[minesadouble]

Hi 'fed up', you are obviously pretty fed up with our striker situation !

 

[RonnyJaay]

Ade just has to concentrate on bringing players into play and doing the leg work i also think had Bale been playing from the left Ade would probably have more goals last season was no coincidence i dont think

 

[paulw001]

Ade just has to concentrate on bringing players into play and doing the leg work i also think had Bale been playing from the left Ade would probably have more goals last season was no coincidence i dont think

So if I follow that through, you would suggest that Bale would probably have about half the goals he has now (about say 10 of the 18 or so) and most likely (I'll dream here), Ade and/or Defoe would have picked up 8 more between them?