PLAYER WATCH: Soldado

[Spurs_Bear]

Yep but to turn for 1 game a season doesn't cut it no matter how you look at it.

Nor is it true or relevant to Adebayor.

 

[Shea]

I'm not so sure he was dropped as such, more so Defoe given a go against a club he normally does very well against. I actually thought along the same lines pre match, hold my hands up now but I could see the logic at the time.

Seemed to me like Defoe had played his way into the starting position of the first team on the back of his Cup goals - I may of course be wrong but I thought before the match that it was a terrible decision to start him and I thought so even more at full time

But this is what having a squad is for and we should be able to use players like Defoe from time to time - buut for me Defoe is not up to the task of being our starting striker in an important game against opposition we can't easily roll over

 

[CowInAComa]

Seemed to me like Defoe had played his way into the starting position of the first team on the back of his Cup goals - I may of course be wrong but I thought before the match that it was a terrible decision to start him and I thought so even more at full time

But this is what having a squad is for and we should be able to use players like Defoe from time to time - buut for me Defoe is not up to the task of being our starting striker in an important game against opposition we can't easily roll over

West Ham at home, when they were bottom 3? That is the definition of a team we should roll over.

I wouldnt have dropped Soldado, but I could see the logic considering the goal form of the 2. Either way it wouldnt have made a difference, AvB was outwitted tactically by Fat Sam. Thats gotta hurt.

 

[CornerPinDreamer]

are we at the point of demanding that David Bentley return yet?

 

[Hoddle&Waddle]

70k??? Where did that figure come from? It's pretty common knowledge he was on £100k plus.

70k or 100k, if you think he's good enough to play for a top 4 team, then surely there'd be a load of Clubs desperate to take him of our hands. His days as our no1 striker are done, so no point even discussing it.

 

[Spurs_Bear]

70k or 100k, if you think he's good enough to play for a top 4 team, then surely there'd be a load of Clubs desperate to take him of our hands. His days as our no1 striker are done, so no point even discussing it.

I don't disagree they are done, I just think it's to the detriment of the team.

 

[Shea]

West Ham at home, when they were bottom 3? That is the definition of a team we should roll over.

I wouldnt have dropped Soldado, but I could see the logic considering the goal form of the 2. Either way it wouldnt have made a difference, AvB was outwitted tactically by Fat Sam. Thats gotta hurt.

The definition of a team we should roll over are our opponents tomorrow evening and pretty much every opponent we have faced in the Europa thus far

Its far removed from a tough London derby and we as a team were not clicking and creating chances frequently enough to roll over any team in the PL - especially not one who is likely to sit back and prevent us creating clear cut chances

Soldado too is key to our creation of chances at the moment with his movement and hold up play (little touches to supporting runners etc and link up with the likes of Eriksen and Paulihno)


Defoe up top right now at a time where we are frequently playing deep possession football against a team intent on denying us space to create chances in their danger zone always seemed like a recipe to leave us relying on long shots and half chances and the one time he was presented with a clear chance he lacked the composure to take it and that in my eyes was a key moment in the match

I honestly believe that had Soldado been presented the same chance he would have scored and we would have gone on to win the game as their game plan would have been ruined

 

[CowInAComa]

Tough London derby and we as a team were not clicking and creating chances frequently enough to roll over any team in the PL - especially not one who is likely to sit back and prevent us creating clear cut chances

Soldado too is key to our creation of chances at the moment with his movement and hold up play (little touches to supporting runners etc and link up with the likes of Eriksen and Paulihno)


Defoe up top right now at a time where we are frequently playing deep possession football against a team intent on denying us space to create chances in their danger zone always seemed like a recipe to leave us relying on long shots and half chances and the one time he was presented with a clear chance he lacked the composure to take it and that in my eyes was a key moment in the match

I honestly believe that had Soldado been presented the same chance he would have scored and we would have gone on to win the game as their game plan would have been ruined

To put the loss to West Ham down to the selection of Defoe, is doing a massive disservice to all the others who contributed to the collective clusterfuck.

We play the blunt toothless football you describe in every game.

 

[Shea]

To put the loss to West Ham down to the selection of Defoe, is doing a massive disservice to all the others who contributed to the collective clusterfuck.

We play the blunt toothless football you describe in every game.

I'm not disputing that there were numerous factors that contributed to a bad performance and West Ham clearly done a number on us but in a game of fine margins that one on one Defoe wasted could well have been pivotal and I believe that had we taken the lead just after half time as we should have (and I believe would have if it were Soldado with that chance) the whole dynamic of the game would have changed

West Ham would have been forced to attack and seek an equaliser and we wouldn't have needed to force the action as we did and leave ourselves exposed to the counter

You can disagree by all means but I think its highly likely that had we taken the lead at that time events would have unfolded differently and we would have won the game

 

[CowInAComa]

I'm not disputing that there were numerous factors that contributed to a bad performance and West Ham clearly done a number on us but in a game of fine margins that one on one Defoe wasted could well have been pivotal and I believe that had we taken the lead just after half time as we should have (and I believe would have if it were Soldado with that chance) the whole dynamic of the game would have changed

West Ham would have been forced to attack and seek an equaliser and we wouldn't have needed to force the action as we did and leave ourselves exposed to the counter

You can disagree by all means but I think its highly likely that had we taken the lead at that time events would have unfolded differently and we would have won the game

I think that is a massive simplification of why we lost that game. We shouldnt have created just one decent chance in any game for a start. Or concede 3 to a side who barely mustered a shot in the games preceeding it.

 

[Shea]

I think that is a massive simplification of why we lost that game. We shouldnt have created just one decent chance in any game for a start. Or concede 3 to a side who barely mustered a shot in the games preceeding it.

As I said in the first post on the subject - I feel we would have created more than the one chance we mustered with Defoe up top as Soldado leading the line as his movement and link up play would have allowed our attacking players to show some creativity and crave open the tight defence intent on keeping us at bay (as we did against the likes of Norwich and Cardiff with Soldado)

I merely highlighted that Defoe chance to illustrate the difference and importance of taking chances in tight games - I don't think its over simplistic to suggest that had West Ham found themselves 1 down they will have been forced to adjust their game plan because we wouldn't have been so eager to break them down and they wouldn't have been able to simply sit back and protect what they had whilst looking to attack on the break (as there wouldn't have been anything like the same amount of space on the counter had we not been chasing a goal)

Fair enough our defending from set pieces let us down and may well still have done had we been 1-0 up - but that doesn't changed the fact that taking the lead would have forced West Ham to attack and leave space for us to exploit as a result

I can't say with any certainity that we would have won the game with Soldado but equally you can't say for sure that the game would have unfolded the same way and my personal opinion is that the game would have taken a different shape with Soldado's movement and his finishing should we have received such a chance and West Ham would have had to go to plan B (which may have not been as successful as their plan A became once they sneaked into the lead)

 

[BringBack_leGin]

70k??? Where did that figure come from? It's pretty common knowledge he was on £100k plus.

We've only ever been paying him half is wage, i.e. £70k - £80k. City are matching that.

This coming summer, his City contract will have expired, and he'll be down to just the £70k - £80k we pay him. I believe there's even been mention of a clause allowing him to seek pastures new if we don't renegotiate a higher wage, with the release being the same amount we paid City.

 

[Mouse!]

So what if Adebayor has the occasional fantastic game? Soldado is a consistent goalscorer and has been for several years. If we're gonna make it to the top, it'll definitely take consistency, not the occasional fantastic game, with lots of poor games in-between.

I hope Ade comes back into the fold and becomes a consistent performer.

 

[ItsBoris]

I don't disagree they are done, I just think it's to the detriment of the team.

He was rubbish last season SB. If a player doesn't have the right attitude then it's not to our detriment that they don't get to play.

 

[Snarfalicious]

Even when Soldado isn't scoring, he's done so much for our attack. Constantly dragging defenders away, the beautiful first touches for those two beautifully worked Siggy goals involving Eriksen, the ability to actually play a pass to a teammate when the opening isn't there for him.

When Soldado and the players around him develop the necessary chemistry it's going to be a sight. I think of that dummy that Soldado played on Sunday where if Paulinho kept running into the box it would have been played straight into his stride. Instead, Paulinho held up and the dummy ended up in an easy gather for Guzan. But, those types of things come with time. I am really excited about what Paulinho and Soldado are already showing, though. They seem to be a couple of players that just get it. And, once we get Lamela and Eriksen clicking, our attack could be truly dangerous.

Soldado is a cut above what we currently have. He offers a better first touch and finishing ability that Adebayor and he offers a better presence in and around the box with his movement and ability to bring others into attack than Defoe. I don't get why it's so hard to see that for some.

 

[jamesc0le]

Soldado is a cut above what we currently have. He offers a better first touch and finishing ability that Adebayor and he offers a better presence in and around the box with his movement and ability to bring others into attack than Defoe. I don't get why it's so hard to see that for some.

it's amazing that we are not linked with Remy anymore. in terms of options and combinations in the cf/striker/wide-forward areas we haven't really got many, and there's a player who can play as the wide forward and also cf when needed. wtf happened there.

 

[jezz]

it's amazing that we are not linked with Remy anymore. in terms of options and combinations in the cf/striker/wide-forward areas we haven't really got many, and there's a player who can play as the wide forward and also cf when needed. wtf happened there.

Remy is on trial for rape I think.
Big gamble he might be doing jail time.

 

[JUSTINSIGNAL]

it's amazing that we are not linked with Remy anymore. in terms of options and combinations in the cf/striker/wide-forward areas we haven't really got many, and there's a player who can play as the wide forward and also cf when needed. wtf happened there.

We have Lamela, Lennon, Chadli, Siggi, Townsend + Adebayor, Defoe, Soldado

All these play wide forward or striker do you really think we have enough room in the squad for Remy? Think about it.

 

[dynamoSpurs]

Compared to watching Assnil play over the weekend and on Tuesday, it's clear to see, we lack, collectively, the intelligence and telepathy needed to really cut through teams.

The interchange play at times between Wilshit, Orzel, Ramsgay and Roshitty to link up to Girpoo, supported by "Gibbs it away" and Fagna is often sublime. They clearly work hard in training and have an understanding with one another that is much more engrained than with us.

I know we have a few new players and what not, but I still cannot see us linking up like they do. I can't see where the spark will come from. Tika Taka one touch football. We haven't played that way since Modders and VDV .

 

[JUSTINSIGNAL]

Compared to watching Assnil play over the weekend and on Tuesday, it's clear to see, we lack, collectively, the intelligence and telepathy needed to really cut through teams.

The interchange play at times between Wilshit, Orzel, Ramsgay and Roshitty to link up to Girpoo, supported by "Gibbs it away" and Fagna is often sublime. They clearly work hard in training and have an understanding with one another that is much more engrained than with us.

I know we have a few new players and what not, but I still cannot see us linking up like they do. I can't see where the spark will come from. Tika Taka one touch football. We haven't played that way since Modders and VDV .

Arsenal have had pretty much the same team for several seasons now. Familiarity will always produce a decent level of football if coached right.

Also - this is not necessarily directed at you - really pissed off with people getting all bleary eyed about this amazing sexy football we were apparently playing under Redknapp. I don't know what planet I was on but I watched games and games under Redknapp where our game plan was just to hoof it up to Crouchy, or let the other team just shoot at will at our goal and other times we just pass, pass, pass the ball with no strategy and even shots on goal.

Our football might not be great now but lets not warp history. There were plenty of times it wasn't that good under Redknapp either. If anything it was just more sporadic. When it was good it was really good but when we were shit there would be 5-0 hammerings to our rivals. I find us over methodical at the moment but at least it's yielding results. Once that stops happening then I will join the naysayers.