Ever since Tottenham shelled out a cool £27 million to Valencia on Spanish striker Roberto Soldado, the fans have been eagerly waiting for him to transfer his La Liga form to the Premier League, but disappointingly, to this point he is yet to truly show his quality.
Soldado has been cutting a rather frustrated, isolated figure in the lone striker role being employed by Andre Villas-Boas, one who is crying out for the service and attention that he requires and possibly even deserves. However, even on the occasions where he has been presented with the sniff of a chance, he has still not been able to convert with just one goal from open play to go along with his 3 penalties through the first 13 matches of the season.
He has looked like he is frozen in some games and Spurs desperately need to find a way to draw the best out of him and the rest of the attacking talent in the squad as soon as possible. In the Manchester United game, Soldado did get a bit of service, including a delightful ball from Paulinho that dissected two Manchester United defenders to put him through and in a great opportunity, but it was one that he unfortunately could not take, snatching at his shot and blazing it high over the bar.
I believe that as time goes by and the squad get to know each others style of play a little better, Soldado will eventually get the kind of service that he needs. It is going to be a hard couple of months for the Spaniard, but with no real competition in the squad until January at the earliest, or any real possibility of him not starting the majority of the time, he should settle in soon.
Many people have begun to question the large price-tag that Spurs paid for him, yet when you see the amount of goals that he has scored for Getafe and Valencia, coupled with the way in which he so brilliantly takes them, maybe in time this price-tag will be seen as being fair after all. It is all about finding a rhythm and a way of playing in order to get the best out of both Soldado and the team in general. Roberto is not the kind of player who will run past three players and bang it in from 30 yards. He is a finisher. He is your fox in the box, who is determined to convert any chance that flies his way into a goal. For Spurs to reach the lofty heights that they now demand, they need to start creating more chances for the player nicknamed ‘Bad Milk’ during his time in Spain thanks to his on-pitch persona.
Some fans are beginning to turn their backs on Soldado after his less than spectacular start to life in England, as the expectations that are carried by such a price are so high. However, I firmly believe that once he starts scoring, he won’t stop. those fans that have turned their backs on him will be getting whiplash at the rate they will turn back around. He is a super Spaniard and should be afforded the patience and time that is obviously needed for him to adapt to the demands of the league.
I know it’s hard for Spurs fans to look upon anything that Arsenal have done favourably, but there is a lesson to be learned from Olivier Giroud’s experience with their North London rivals. Last December he looked like he would be a failure of a signing. However what we have learned is that he clearly just needed some time to adjust to a new league, a new team and a new style and is now amongst the top goalscorers in the Premier League. That said, there are plenty of other examples of players struggling in their first few months in the Premier League only to slowly round into form.
Let’s hope that Spurs will show the patience to allow Soldado the opportunity to do so too.
Roberto Soldado has proven that he can score goals. Soldado will score goals.
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