Emmaneul Adebayor: What Tottenham missed all these years

After 60 minutes into the game between Tottenham and Swansea at White Hart Lane,  the scores were tied 1-1. Up steps Van Der Vaart to take a corner for Spurs. The delivery was impeccable, and next thing you know, it was in the back of the net.

Tottenham were leading 2-1, and a quick burst of counter-attacking finds Aaron Lennon in possession. He skips past the defender with amazing agility and whips in a delicious cross, and it is promptly dispatched into the goal.

The man in the spotlight, who has scored a brace with two brilliant headers, is none other than Emmanuel Adebayor. He has scored 13 goals for Spurs in the Premier League, and has contributed numerous assists. Redknapp must be congratulating himself on possessing such a world-class player among his ranks, but must be deeply worried when May arrives. The entire Spurs community (the fans, Board) are breathing down his neck to make Adebayor’s loan deal permanent.

And why shouldn’t it be? He has found a new lease of life here, and is immensely enjoying his football. Gone are the days when you would see a sulky Adebayor throwing tantrums and falling out with coaches. The Adebayor of Tottenham Hotspur is an ever-smiling figure who consistently delivers for the team and helps them rake in notable wins.

Consider the match against Newcastle. Match previews suggested that it was going to be  an evenly-contested affair, with both teams being in form and possessing some talented players. But after 90 minutes, the scoreboard read Tottenham 5-0 Newcastle.  What happened? Did Newcastle just shut off? Did they lose heart? In reality, the Toons put up a brave fight, but were outclassed by the magical foursome of VDV, Modric, Bale and of course Adebayor. The most astonishing piece of news about this match is that he contributed four assists, three more than what Stewart Downing has managed in the entire season.  Spurs raced into a 4-0 lead at half-time, and all four goals were created by him. Innovative through-balls, sublime crosses. You name it, he did it. He linked up the play beautifully, often spreading the ball out wide for Bale to whip in inviting crosses. He ran rings round the defence, picking out team-mates with astonishing accuracy.

Adebayor has added an extra dimension to his play while at Tottenham. In addition to being the target-man (owing to his height and heading ability), he also facilitates the transition of the play from midfield to the strikers. Modric dribbles into the opposition half, passes it to Adebayor, who either lays the ball out to the wingers and runs into the box to meet the resulting cross, or just sublimely dinks the ball over the defence, where Saha, Lennon and VDV are there to pick up the ball and have a go at goal. 11 assists are a lot for a striker in his first season at a new club, and with wizards like Modric and VDV, it is an achievement.

In my opinion, he deserves every penny of the 200,000 Pounds he earns per week, and it would be really foolish of Harry to let him go. In every club that he has played in, he has met success and good fortune. Adebayor is one of the greats of modern football, and whatever may be his off the field attitude and problems with the system, all that is covered up when you see him execute the role of  a striker and creator to absolute perfection.

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