Emmanuel Adebayor or Jermain Defoe as Lone Striker for Tottenham against Villa

Emmanuel Adebayor fit again

The return to fitness of Emmanuel Adebayor creates another selection problem for Andre Villas-Boas. Does he continue with Jermain Defoe against Aston Villa at White Hart Lane or does he introduce Adebayor into the team?

Jermain Defoe

Jermain Defoe 199th career goal

Defoe has had that role since the opening of the season, starting every match apart from the Capital One Cup game against Carlisle United. Initially, he was the only experienced striker at the club and then he retained his place due to Adebayor’s lack of preseason training on signing from Manchester City and latterly his hamstring injury. Defoe was always regarded as being unsuited to that lone role, needing to play alongside another striker to bring the best out of him. This season, however, he has worked extremely hard, especially at Old Trafford last weekend, and he has contributed four goals to Spurs’ season as well as scoring twice for England.

Emmanuel Adebayor

Adebayor played a major part in Tottenham’s success last season while on loan from City, both as a goal scorer and with assists. He scored 18 goals and had 12 assists in 37 appearances which clearly demonstrate his influence on the team. Tottenham spent much of the summer negotiating for his return on a permanent deal but it was only in the third week of August that it was completed. Having been frozen out in Manchester he was not fit enough to start the games against West Bromwich Albion or Norwich City but came off the bench during the second half of both matches. Having had a further fortnight’s training during the international break it was assumed that Adebayor would start the next match at Reading.

Villas-Boas thought otherwise as Defoe retained his place in the team, scoring twice as Spurs won their first match of the season. Adebayor was an unused substitute that day so it was thought that he would be given an opportunity to start the Europa League match at home to Lazio. During the week, however, he was ruled out with a hamstring injury from which he has just recovered, re-introducing the dilemma for the Head Coach.

Defoe or Adebayor?

Tottenham supporters like these dilemmas surrounding their strikers, to argue over. Who can forget the Defoe or Robbie Keane debates? Next it was Peter Crouch or Roman Pavlyuchenko? So now we have another one to add spice to the season.

This season, Andre Villas-Boas has shown loyalty to the player in possession, retaining both Brad Friedel and Defoe as they were playing well and didn’t deserve to be dropped. He has favoured Brad Friedel over his new arrival, the French international goalkeeper, Hugo Lloris, in spite of criticism from the other side of the English Channel. Friedel has responded to his manager’s faith by performing at the highest level, in spite of his 41 years. Similarly, when Adebayor arrived, Villas-Boas praised Defoe for his early season form and kept him in the team. Like Friedel, Defoe has responded positively by displaying his best form with Spurs for some time a she needs just one more goal to reach the 200 landmark goal of his club career.

Adebayor enjoyed last season at White Hart Lane when he was an automatic selection. When not playing he has a reputation for being more difficult to handle and sitting on the substitutes’ bench throughout the match against Reading, he did not seem too happy. His injury raised rumours that he wasn’t happy with not being in the team. Faced with a challenge for a place in the team, he may have to be patient but what ever the manager decides he has to ensure he keeps all the players on his side.

I would expect Defoe to again start the game against Aston Villa with Adebayor being introduced as a substitute during the second half as he seeks to improve his match fitness.

An alternative solution to the manager’s quandary could be to start them both. At home, Sandro and Mousa Dembele should be able to control midfield and the pairing of Adebayor and Defoe has been successful before – they both scored at Wolverhampton Wanderers on Adebayor’s debut last season and scored twice in next game – a 4 – 0 win over Liverpool at White Hart Lane.

Whatever solution Villas-Boas finds for this selection dilemma, the one result that is required is a win against Villa.