Spurs out of the FA Cup, pity, a run in the FA Cup would have been nice but perhaps fighting on 2 fronts, Premiership and Europe, is enough for this year, worrying though that AVB thinks we can manage without an additional striker until the summer!
Very worrying because it presumes that Spurs currently actually have strikers, the problem is the strikers we have are strikers in name only and without reinforcements our 3rd/4th place is in danger!
I have been reading all the reports about Spurs and that Defoe is in the form of his life and maybe he is playing better but he has never been a lethal and efficient striker in the penalty box, it is all a myth, he is actually a very inefficient and wasteful striker, this season Defoe has had 94 direct shots from inside the box and only scored 10 in the league.
Further reading
Spurs have had more chances from inside the box than any other Premiership team, Spurs rate of creating chances stands up well against any side in Europe so the chances have been there but the majority have been wasted, a world-class striker would be around the 20 mark by now and add the fact that Defoe has obviously lost a yard in pace over the past few years.
It is a fact that if Spurs bought a to class striker Defoe would be a squad player, so what about Adebayor, I was very sorry we bought him in the first place but I suppose it looked like we were getting a £24m striker for £5m, sorry wrong, Adebayor has a reputation for having one good season to get a contract and then swanning around once his future is secured and although he played brilliantly last season he has been totally ineffectual and disinterested this season.
The only other experienced striker Spurs have is Dempsey but in reality Dempsey is no more than a squad player, as is the case with Sigurdsson and both could move on in the summer so in effect Spurs do not have any, in form, clinical strikers.
I think AVB is a superb manager and even without Modric and Rafael van der Vaart the team is far stronger than last year both actually and mentally but I really hope his dismissal of there being a striker problem is a smoke screen because I can’t see how we will get 4th place without it being solved.
Remember, if we miss Champions League football we will lose a potential £50m in revenue and the quality of players we need toi buy in the summer will be reduced as will our ability to keep players like Bale!
Further reading
André Villas-Boas relaxed on lack of Tottenham strikers in Leeds defeat
Andre Villas-Boas happy to take risk and not buy extra Tottenham striker
AVB denies Tottenham Hotspur with the chance of any signings
Transfer news
Premier League – Spurs ‘secure £1.5m January deal for Holtby’