Roberto Soldado's weak Beginning At Tottenham: What's Stopping The Talented Spaniard?

Roberto Soldado - Hoping to helping new club Tottenham to beat Arsenal — Roberto Soldado

Roberto Soldado is a man most at peace with himself in the rectangular space that defines his ilk and the defenders tasked with nullifying their threat. This existential duel awakens something in the Spaniard; without it, one can imagine a forlorn, listless figure agonising over days gone by, an artist without his muse. Such is his obsession with scoring goals that the devout would say he was born for that very purpose alone. The archetypal penalty box striker, with ice in his veins and gunpowder in his boots, Soldado is one of footballai??i??s more elusive and highly prized commodities: the player entrusted with and capable of scoring more than twenty goals a season. In his case, heavy lies not the crown, and he sets about his work free from the pomp and fanfare that surrounds those more gilded than he.

That question marks have been raised, however well-intentioned, of his worth to Tottenham Hotspur at so early a juncture, reveals the vacuous judgements many in and around the game are all too susceptible to. Strong opinions are proffered like confetti at a particularly riotous wedding because they must be seen to be proffered and not because they contribute to the quality of the discourse. In an age where a single performance can both make a career and break one, reactionisms quoting Soldadoai??i??s transfer fee and his allegedly quiet start in English football have found an audience. No, any assessment of his beginnings at his new club requires greater subtlety and, well, more basis in fact than conjecture.

Systemic Hinderances

Tottenham - Use of inverted wingers, like Sigurdsson, are hindering Soldado's game — Use of inverted wingers, like Sigurdsson, are hindering Soldado’s game

A deconstruction of AndrAi?? Villas-Boas’Ai??preferred inverted wingers system and Soldadoai??i??s place within it is central to this discussion. Goals scored from outside the area are anathema to a player of Soldadoai??i??s persuasion: he has crystallised the complexities of his position into the simplest mantra- find some space in the box and score. His aversion towards longer range efforts appears borne from logic: the closer you are to goal, the greater chance you have of scoring. Inspection of his back catalogue informs the viewer of his preferences: Soldado scores most frequently when crosses are delivered into the box from wide positions or when he is the recipient of precise through balls from central areas.

The former has been complicated by the managerai??i??s proclivity towards inversion and the personnel he has deployed within this system. With Townsend on the right and Sigurdsson on the left of a forward triumvirate, crosses are often delivered with a playerai??i??s ai???wrongai??? foot. This has the effect of diminishing both the quality and the accuracy of balls Soldado is receiving. When Townsend or Sigurdsson manage to check back onto their favored foot, any space Soldado may have manufactured for himself would have been negated by defenders realigning themselves on account of the delay taken to switch feet. This is especially true where the Icelander is involved: his lack of pace is his greatest impediment. The efficacy of this system also rests heavily on the ability of the fullbacks to consistently provide width. If the right personnel are in place, crosses will be delivered with a playerai??i??s ai???correctai??? foot and they will stretch defences and help vacate space in the congested centre.

On the right flank of Tottenham this has not been a cause for concern. Kyle Walker and Andros Townsend are en route to forging a promising relationship founded on searing speed, muscularity and unrelenting intent. The left side, however, has been headache inducing since Danny Rose suffered an injury. His replacement for the large part has been the right footed Kyle Naughton, a player of limited attacking dimensions. Problems associated with the advocated inversion are exacerbated by his right footedness – both he and Sigurdsson are forced to shuffle the ball back to their preferred foot thereby slackening the tempo and narrowing the pitch. It is little surprise that Soldado scored his first league goal from open play last Sunday in a game in which Jan Vertonghen, a natural left footer, played at left back.

The latter approved method of service that has been rubber-stamped by the Spaniard [the precise through ball] has been clouded, literally crowded out, by the system. The inversion of Townsend and Sigurdsson coupled with Naughtonai??i??s use has congested the space outside the opponentai??i??s box to such a degree that attempts at bisecting defences have almost become an exercise in pointlessness. On occasion, there have been roads in rush hour with less traffic. The immediate re-introduction of Rose upon his convalescence ought to assuage concerns and the permanent substitution of Sigurdsson seems both pressing and inevitable. While Lamela is gently assimilated into the side, the prospect of starting Lennon on the right and Townsend on the left is a dizzying one. Aided by their ever willing fullbacks Rose and Walker, that battery of four would rival the Jamaican sprinting team and the great West Indian Test attack of Roberts, Holding, Garner and Croft for pace. Significantly, Soldado would become the beneficiary of the type of ammunition his very existence is centred on.

Another lacuna in Tottenhamai??i??s strategy is evidenced when Soldado ai???runs the channelsai???. His ability to combine with players in wide areas is as you would expect from a Spanish international but his absence in the box has been felt when the subsequent cross has been played in. Two of the midfield troika must endeavour to fill his vacated space and any additional help in this regard would be welcome. His signature move- the run towards the six yard box followed by the late peel away from goal- has also yet to be properly choreographed in sync with his teammates but, as with all things, time will be the great healer.

Soldadoai??i??s penchant for scoring, his propitious body of work, is such that Spurs must play to his strengths; there is no room for inversion or debate here. A record signing at the point of purchase, he is emblematic of the clubai??i??s purchasing power and its desire to dethrone the established oligopolies; a desire both insular and European in scope. He is something of a signifier capable of wresting the club from its near colonial hangover; a new breed of Tottenham player, of international repute, who is already at the peak of his powers and carries none of the baggage that has led others to falter. Once the requisite tactical adjustments are made and familiarity has bred not contempt but understanding, the goals will come with the same dead-eyed certainty that causes a Doberman to bite under serious provocation.

p.s As an extra treat, not only is he the finished article, but also a glorious exponent of the gameai??i??s most exhilarating play: the volleyed finish, a genre inculcated into Tottenham fans by the incomparable Jurgen Klinsmann.

Ai?? – by Sanjiv Johal

Roberto Soldado’s Weak Beginning At Tottenham: What’s Stopping The Talented Spaniard?

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