Both strikers’ selfishness contributed to Tottenham’s failure to win at Newcastle on Sunday. Could former Arsenal and Manchester City man Adebayor be heading for another unhappy ending?
Adebayor has had a great start to life at Tottenham, but the warning signs are there that it may not end well.
It is not likely to be his fault either, the problem is the insecurity of his teammate Jermaine Defoe.
Defoe made no secret that he was unhappy being left on the bench for most of last season, as manager Harry Redknapp preferred to partner Peter Crouch with Rafael van der Vaart.
This season in the last two games against Arsenal and Newcastle, he has found the same problem, benched as Adebayor partners the Dutch playmaker.
The result is that when Defoe gets on the pitch, all he does is shoot, from wherever he is, and fails to pass to his teammates, as he is so desperate to make an impression.
This cost Tottenham three points at Newcastle, when with minutes to go Defoe shot from a tight angle straight at goalkeeper Tim Krul, when he could have squared for Adebayor to tap into an empty net.
Commentators described Defoe’s actions as payback for not being put in by Adebayor minutes earlier.
If that’s the case, which it certainly appeared, then it hardly says much about the pair’s partnership, and shows Defoe to be a petulant, selfish, striker who is desperate for his own personal glory ahead of the teams.
Adebayor shook his head when he was substituted late on, but the chances are he was more frustrated at Defoe’s actions than being hooked.
Defoe is entitled to shoot from outside the box, that’s how he has scored a number of his goals this year, but he has to learn to get his head up and pass when the time is right.
If he is not a team player he shouldn’t be picked. Redknapp must read him the riot act rather than congratulating him for his goal.
He was selfish against Arsenal and Liverpool too, but it hardly matters when the side is winning.
But when the side stops winning points, the inquests begin, and Spurs would have won at St James’ Park had the strikers been on the same page.
Mark these words, by the end of the season these two will have an ugly falling out, and only one will be at the club next season.
Image: © Zweifüssler
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