Spurs striker problems a distant memory

In August I wrote an article asking if Harry Redknapp could solve our striker crisis from within, rather than investing in a new forward. At the time, we had the option of selecting either Jermain Defoe, Peter Crouch or Roman Pavlyuchenko to play alongside Rafael Van der Vaart, who enjoyed a superb debut season in a Tottenham shirt.

After embarrassing defeats against both Manchester sides, it was clear that Spurs needed to buy. Despite Defoe looking sharp, our attackers simply didn’t perform in our two opening fixtures. Crouch’s deteriorating form seemed to be continuing from last season, while Pavlyuchenko looked his usual self – full of ability but lacking decisiveness and guile.

So how have we gone about turning things around up front? For starters, Emmanuel Adebayor arrived on loan from Manchester City, paving the way for Peter Crouch to move to Stoke for more first team opportunities.

Spurs haven’t looked back since. Adebayor has notched up seven goals in eleven league games, whilst Defoe has capitalised on Van der Vaart’s fortnightly niggles to bag eight goals in all competitions. Even with his short term injuries, Van der Vaart himself has found the back of the net seven times so far this term.

Daniel Levy has been heavily praised for the Adebayor loan, managing to strike a deal in which Tottenham only have to pay £70,000 of the Togolese striker’s £170,000 weekly wages – a decision that Manchester City are sure to regret if Spurs are truly title contenders. Adebayor’s superb hold-up play often allows other attacking players to show their flair. The on-loan forward has also produced brilliantly effective partnerships with both Defoe and Van der Vaart, meaning that Redknapp now finds himself with the difficult decision of who to start alongside Adebayor.

Predictably, however, Tottenham fans have often found themselves frustrated by the former Arsenal man. The fact that he used to play for the other side of North London, scoring goals on more than one occasion against Spurs, meant that Adebayor would have to play extremely well to prove himself at White Hart Lane. Even with his already excellent goal scoring record, he does seem to miss a lot of chances that he really should be putting away. But this just shows how many chances Spurs are creating this season. Even with Adebayor’s occasional inaccuracies, we have been prolific in recent weeks, moving up to third in the Premier League.

To the relief of the Lane, Defoe looks twice as sharp as last term, where the Englishman scored only four league goals throughout a dire campaign that was heavily affected by an early-season injury. With Wayne Rooney set to miss England’s first two group games at Euro 2012, Jermain will be looking to replace the Manchester United man up front for the national side. Defoe has done himself no harm so far this season, already bagging more goals than other potential replacements such as Darren Bent and Andy Carroll.

In contrast, Roman Pavlyuchenko looks set to leave Tottenham in the next transfer window. The Russian has failed to break into the first team due to the incredible form of Spurs’ other attackers. If he were to leave, Levy and Redknapp would most likely have to look into recruiting a new signing up front, the problem being finding a forward that would be willing to be reserve to our current strike force.

Ending on a positive, the future looks bright for our strikers, and potentially our entire club. Third in the league with a game in hand on second place Manchester United, Spurs look to have grown and flourished considerably since last season. A top four finish has now become almost a given, whereas a push for the title could be Tottenham’s next realistic target.