When Rafael van der Vaart left for Hamburg just over a year ago, Tottenham faced the potential loss of around 15 goals a season but as Gareth Bale started to rain in the balance from outside of the penalty box, VDV’s goal scoring contributions were hardly missed.
Now, with Bale gone, someone has to take some responsibility when it comes to supporting the lone striker and as Gylfi Sigurdsson proved on Saturday, the Icelander can be the man to do just that. While not exactly occupying the same slot as Rafa, Gylfi returned a similar goals to games ratio during his spells with Reading, Swansea and Hoffenheim and is starting to prove that he can offer the same efforts for a top four club.
Just last week, the 24 year old spoke of the competition at White Hart Lane and despite those seven new arrivals, Sig confirmed that he was happy to stay and fight for his place.
“Many good players have arrived and things are looking good. We have a strong group of lads so hopefully we can go far in every competition,” he said.
“I know that most of the teams in the top five of the Premier League buy a lot of players, and I knew there would be plenty of competition.”
Last week the stories began to emerge that the player would be leaving the Lane in January. Predictable considering that flood of new arrivals but in scoring the goals from midfield that Bale and VDV provided in the past, Gylfi Sigurdsson may just prove to be un-droppable.
Errrr… you not heard of a young lad called Christian Eriksen?
Think Eriksen is earmarked to fill the Modric role, just more advanced.
He has to fight for a place amongst Chadli, Townsend, Lennon, Lamela, Erickson and Holtby of which 3 can play in the 4-2-3-1 formation with Soldado up front.
Completely agree that Sigurdsson, at his best, is more than capable of earning a regular spot in the first team, and becoming a MAJOR plus for the club.
We started to see his best form towards the end of last season before he was UNFAIRLY dropped for the limited Dempsey.
We have still yet to see Gyfil at 100% (confidence) in a Spurs shirt, but that brace he got on the weekend will have done him the world of good!
Can’t wait to see him start banging in the FKs, too.
Futures looking bright!!!
P.s I also think the Icelander has been EXTREMELY unlucky with so many great attempts bouncing off the wood work. Capable of scoring between 10- 15 goals in all comps for the club this season.
I detect a little too much man-love for our Siggy.
Eriksen was brought in to fill the playmaker role, and that is what he’s doing.
AVB has already made it clear that he wants competition in every spot, so we will likely keep Siggy & Holtby to provide cover.
If Eriksen is available though he will always be first choice in the big games.
The SAME could be said about about Eriksen, my friend. He’s played one game against a Norwich side who played into his hands by adopting a 442, affording him plenty of space and suddenly he’s the saviour to the no10 position.
Lets see how the Dane gets on, up until after xmas, before we start heralding the kid as an automatic starter.
All he’s done, so far, is have a good debut!
Ramos is right. Eriksen has sometimes be absent for long period of times in games with strong defense. And that’s in league not half as strong as bpl.
But i’m rooting for the dane. Hope to see this formation against Cardiff.
COYS!
We don’t have room for 2 CAM’s.
Sigurdson can only play LW because Eriksen is more prolific there.
Plus VDV played behind the striker, which is where Eriksen plays, so Sigurdson can’t be another VDV.
Plus Eriksen more of a hybrid of VDV and Modric, whereas Sigurdson is more like Dempsey, a false striker.
I like the team AVB put up against Norwich, and once Lamela clicks he may switch with Townsend depending on the opposition we face.
Lamela more of a provider, whereas Townsend offers us that spark to attack teams front on when we’re lacking fire power.
Nonsense – Spurs should definitely play with two creative attacking midfielders.
Dembele and Paulinho hardly ever provide goal scoring opportunities. Spurs need a creative player instead. Soldado has been given very little opportunities in the current system.
Nonsense is right! We just played with two attacking mids on the weekend!
Although Gyfil played on the left, he spent most of his time cutting in field.
JUST because you play/start out wide DOESN’T mean you are a ‘winger’. Look at Coutinho for Liverpool or Ozil, NEITHER of those two are ‘wingers’ and yet they operate from wide areas.
You guys misunderstand me.
I meant Sigurdson is not a VDV type player but more of a Dempsey type player (which creates a lot and scores too).
I know he’s a CAM, but I said he should stick to the wings because Eriksen is better there.
I didn’t mean he’s a winger because he’s playing on the wing.
Fair enough!
Was having this chat with my pals on our way out on Saturday.
I think Gylfi is in our best 11 – before you slate me, I’ll give my reasons.
For me, I want the deepest midfield pair to be Paulinho & Sandro
I want Eriksen, Lemela and Soldado all high up the pitch.
I think we need a link between those players that offers a bit of both roles. If Dembele could score more, he’d be my preferred choice, but he doesn’t score enough.
Gylfi has a cracking work rate, he gets up and down all day, he can beat a man (sometimes!), he can pick a pass, and he’s proved he can score.
For me, he’s in our 11 – and I’m not basing that solely on the Norwich game
Sigurdsson is a mediocre, inconsistent player who has two – three good games per season against poor opposition.
Sigurdsson is similar to Jermaine Jenas in that he goes missing for ten games and then has a good game by scoring. The fans then forget how bad he has been the previous games, which buys him more time.
He needs to be sold in January.
You are talking out of your ass mate 😉
Sigurdsson, Livermore, Naughton, Adebayor, Rose, Walker, Dembele, Chadli – all not good enough for Spurs and should be shipped out.
Van der Vaart has been replaced by Eriksen.
Spurs need a replacement for Modric. Paulinho and Dembele are not playmakers. Spurs need a creative playmaker like Tom Carroll to play behind Eriksen.
Sigurdsson does very little in most games that he plays. Sell him back to Swansea.
I’ll tell what Spurs DON’T ‘need’ Ross, and that’s you as manager!
Although I agree that Sigurdson is not in the same level of class with most our players, but he offers work ethic and goals, which is important.
But I disagree with putting Carroll behind Eriksen.
We simply can’t have two play makers, and we’d be overrun by powerful teams. We’ll have no protection whatsoever.
ATM Dembele and Paulinho pairing has been excellent, they do all the dirty work whilst distributing the ball nicely to sustain our rhythm of play.
Currently, AVB’s group he used on sat’ is the best so far.
Perhaps Chadli and Lamela switch with Sigurdson and Townsend, but depends on matches where either you want to create goals or direct ones (from Townsend).
For me, Gyfil is MORE of a ‘confidence’ player than most other players. Meaning that I believe that wrongly or rightly he feels as if he has MORE to prove (at a big club) than a lot of the other lads. Some players are able generate confidence from within (from a higher level of self-belief, if you like). Others find confidence in previous displays.
I think that Sigurdsson is also a player who PRIDES himself on goals/assists (unlike a player like dembele, for example) which can lead to him getting ‘down on himself’ if he doesn’t contribute either. Whereas, Dembele, for me, is the type to feel that he can play well WITHOUT either.
Some players rely on confidence from ‘key contributions’ in previous matches MORE than others. For me Gyfil is one of these. Hence the reason why he so ready to take shots on from distance, rather than pass after he got his 2 goals.
As good as Eriksen assist was for the 1st goal, it would have meant NOTHING with Sigurdssons SUPERB run, first touch and finish.
The Icelander is a class act, who with the managers, and supporters, faith, will only get better!
you’ve a point. I hope you’re right because he’s not the player we bought from Swansea, but like you said, he needs game time and goals/assists to improve his confidence.
He’s starting to return to his former prolific self, and hope he does.
Because some players are great for only a certain club’s playing style, and don’t play as well for other clubs.
Like Torres, Bent etc.
ERIKSEN WILL GROW INTO THE BEST N0 10 IN THE WORLD. BORN TO PLAY FOR SPURS AND BORN TO BRING BACK THE GLORY DAYS TO WHITE HART LANE
The guy has played ONE game against a Norwich side who made it particularly easy for him with the way they set-up. Lets wait until after xmas before we start the far fetched stuff, shall we?
Impressive debut? yes. But that is ALL it was. Bigger tests to come.
AND @ COLIN 2.22.We are all entitled to our opinions, but to say Dembele and Siggs, rose and Chadli are not good enough?? come on
Having just one creative player (Eriksen) is not enough.
Spurs need a creative playmaker to link with Eriksen in midfield. A player like Isco or Ozil is what Spurs need.
Forget Sigurdsson as he is no Modric and never will be.
If holtby can get regular playing time for a longer spell then he will be more than capable of filling this role, I also feel people are being harsh on paulinho…once sandro is fit I think they will have a better understanding than that with dembele meaning sandro will sit and give paulinho the freedom to go and create chances…
Agree that Holtby is Class. He just needs a regular run of games, in his rightful position (n10), that comes with the managers faith, to show it! Just as good as Eriksen if not better, in my opinion.