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Soldado ready for the run in

5 min read
by ARLombardi
Our international striker finally showed his class from open play at White Hart Lane, and with a tense run-in on the cards, it's the perfect time for him to find his goal scoring touch. Soldado's form and goalscoring will be a deciding factor on how our season ends.

I always like to think I was present at White Hart Lane for a memorable moment or two. A point in time where you can insert a marker and years later state: “I was there.” Jurgen Klinsmann’s wundergoal against Sheffield Wednesday, our return to European football under the lights against FC Zimbru, Mido’s debut, Gareth Bale’s cameo against Burnley and Fabrice Muamba uniting a stadium. Sunday felt like one of these day, but only after 28 minutes.

Just before the clock hit 5.58 it had been just another Premier League game, rearranged due to Europe then shifted even later because of the Capital One Cup final, then suddenly it wasn’t.

This may turn into the game that changed the direction of our season and the Spurs career of our second most expensive player. Like every game changing, season defining moment it came in the form of a goal, it came in Tottenham’s one moment of class they mustered all game.

A minute or two before we had been under some slight pressure, then the ball broke kindly and suddenly we were on the counter.  There was a time when breakaways were our USP, what we lived for, now they are a like a birthday treat from the girlfriend, a welcome surprise. On Sunday for 45 seconds it was our birthday and a successful Valentine’s day night-out all-in-one, we were breaking away in glorious hyper-drive speed towards the Park Lane.

We held our breath, our eyes started to cross, the ball switched players, came to Emmanuel Adebayor, then it was shifted into Roberto Soldado. His first touch caused the ball to bobble up in front of him, but his second was far more composed as he rolled it past Ben Marshall. Glorious uncontrolled eruption. It was a decent goal against a bad team, but it’s meaning it’s affect? Unfathomable.

[linequote]Just before the clock hit 5.58 it had been just another Premier League game, rearranged due to Europe then shifted even later because of the Capital One Cup final, then suddenly it wasn’t[/linequote]

As Soldado peeled away towards the crowd he was visibly hit with a tsunami of emotion, clutching his face in joy he began to comprehend the moment. The pressure has been building on Soldado and on Sunday it exploded out of him all over the White Hart Lane crowd. The reaction of the fans and his teammates is proof of just how big a burden his failure to score has been.

My celebration on the other hand was rather shorter, I lasted only a few seconds. After the initial joy I was then surprised to find myself with a beaming smile and applauding, the reaction had been too much, it chewed me up and spat me back out.

The importance of the moment had sobered me up, it was like when you are drunk then something bad happens, I was snatched out of euphoria into cold, harsh reality, only to find it not that cold or harsh. He had done it. Soldado had finally scored in open play in the league at White Hart Lane.

For weeks I have been expecting this day to come and finally it did. It may not have been the hat trick many of us predicted with a wry smile pre-game, but it was a goal, and not a off his face or a deflected goal. It was an incredibly important goal taken with the aplomb that only a £26 million international class striker can show.

On the Fighting Cock podcast last week a question was asked:

Whose form will be vital in Tottenham’s push for the top four?

Early last week opinion was split between Michael Dawson and Emmanuel Adebayor, after Sunday I would like to retract my answer. Soldado will be vital, a 30 goals a season man regaining his touch will be crucial. This goal will lead to his resurgence, it has to. Form is temporary, class is permanent.

Soldado’s ecstasy apart though. the Cardiff game was in all honesty a drab affair. A typical post Europa League night game where we seemed to lack urgency and desire. The difference between the two teams was a killer instinct. We had a striker who had one chance and buried it, they had Fraizer Campbell. Sunday was a beautiful PowerPoint presentation of what Soldado gives us, this is why his form will become crucial for our run in.
[linequote]As Soldado peeled away towards the crowd he was visibly hit with a tsunami of emotion, clutching his face in joy he began to comprehend the moment[/linequote]

Adebayor for all the goals, the excitement and his revitalised form isn’t a clinical striker. If he is playing badly, he’s playing badly, there is no middle ground, in bad form a game can easily pass him by. When he’s on song he is unplayable, but off form he’s extremely forgettable.

I am a huge fan of this new version of Adebayor, but there is no denying when a game isn’t going his way he disappears, or he tries too hard. The Togolese man loses his focus, attempts ambitious dribbles and generally his first touch departs as his confidence ebbs away. Soldado’s nature meanwhile is one of a player who doesn’t allow being on the periphery affect him.

[linequote]The difference between the two teams was a killer instinct. We had a striker who had one chance and buried it, they had Fraizer Campbell[/linequote]

The Spaniard is a natural poacher, who is content to wait for his chance and remain out of the build up. In the last few weeks we have seen him become more and more involved in the play, a role unnatural for him as he seeks to make amends for his misfiring.

It has led to him being too far away from goal, away from his natural hunting ground. He was a shark hunting in unnatural waters, he was visibly uncomfortable. Now with his goal scoring touch back, I expect to see him revert to type. The fox in a box, the man who believes it’s his divine right to score and with a touch or two he can decide any game.

As the season wears on and with two games against Benfica on the horizon, we will find ourselves in more games such as Cardiff at home. Games that will be decided in moments, games where a point or three are separated by an inch or two. Soldado has made a career operating in this area, the corridor of uncertainty, the area between glory and failure, whatever your cliché of choice. The truth is the duck has been roasted, shredded and slathered in Hoi Sin sauce, the monkey has been evicted and the goals will start to flow.

It’s time for Soldado.

All views and opinions expressed in this article are the views and opinions of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of The Fighting Cock. We offer a platform for fans to commit their views to text and voice their thoughts. Football is a passionate game and as long as the views stay within the parameters of what is acceptable, we encourage people to write, get involved and share their thoughts on the mighty Tottenham Hotspur.

ARLombardi

I read, I write, I speak, I edit for The Fighting Cock

7 Comments

  1. Halabil
    04/03/2014 @ 2:54 pm

    From your blog’s keyboard to God’s blog-reading eyes! May it be so!

    • arlombardi
      04/03/2014 @ 3:19 pm

      He is on the forum, this wont be problem

  2. gibbs131
    04/03/2014 @ 3:46 pm

    I don’t think we can afford to have a non event like Soldado vs the big guns. He is a ghost off the ball and often walks around with his back to goal. At least Ade puts in a shift. We need power and determination in the upcoming games.

    We can’t afford Lennon, Rose, Naughton, Soldado and Townsend mincing around making us paper thin down our flanks. It’s time to ragdoll the opposition.

    ——————Ade—————-
    –Eriksen–Paulhinio–Dembele
    —–Capoue—–The Beast——
    Vert—-Kaboul—Daws—Walker
    —————-Loris—————–

    As shocking as Paulhinio has been recently, I think he and Dembo in the final third as AM’s will do more damage than our terrible wingers/wingbacks. If we go 4-4-2 against Liverpool, Chelsea etc with these tiny wingers and Soldado drifting out for entire halves Tim will get sacked. As great as Soldados touch/goal was, that is not typical of what he has brought to the table for half a season. And Cardiff at home are not typical opposition. If Cardiff can give us a game and make us sweat until the final whistle with Lennon, Townsend, Soldado etc etc…Imagine what teams going for the title will do?

    • Pj
      04/03/2014 @ 4:43 pm

      Capue Walker Erikson Kaboul are injured!

      • gibbs131
        04/03/2014 @ 5:34 pm

        They are all due back 8th apart from Capoue. Bentaleb can do a job provided he is not stretched covering for the Roses, Walkers and Townsends who go awol galloping forward only to give the ball away and self combust.

        If Eriksen is out…The yes I would play Soldado as the front man and Ade just behind him.

  3. pleb
    05/03/2014 @ 10:57 am

    Soldado will now take his place as our true Center Forward and show all those doubters how he built his goal scoring reputation in Europe. He will be our key when we play Benfica.

    • gibbs131
      05/03/2014 @ 3:33 pm

      How can he have that record, with players like Lennon and Townsend setting him up? We need to look at how he was fed in order for him to be the old Soldado. Our build up is not suited for him.

      This goal was a rare counter attack down the middle. We usually boss possession and are not stretching our legs in a counter attack. Esp right down the middle, it’s always wing play that fizzles out due to lack of vision and creativity.

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