The problem lies in Rafael Van der Vaart – Tottenham’s striking problems: English Premier League
At just 8 million pounds, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Real-c30728 Madrid due to a lack of first team action at Santiago Bernabéu
and Tottenham gave him a way out by striking a transfer day deadline deal with Jose Mourinho and co. From his first game in http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/England-c749 for Tottenham, it was evident that Van der Vaart would have a significant impact on the club. His intelligent movement in the
space between the midfield and the attack caused trouble for the opposition but the playmakers arrival had an adverse impact on the strikers at White Hart Lane.
Peter Crouch, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Roman-Pavlyuchenko-c31639 who were at the heart of Tottenham Hotspurs’ 2009-2010 Premier League campaign were particularly subdued in the 2010-2011 season. It was apparent from the start that Tottenham’s
manager Harry Redknapp preferred to start http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Peter-Crouch-c29741 as the solitary striker in Van der Vaart’s presence. The Dutchman was used in the midfield area by Redknapp but as an offensive midfielder in a 4-4-1-1 formation. At first it looked as if the slump in
form exhibited by Crouch and Defoe was only temporary but soon it became clear that it was anything but.
This was mainly due to two things. Defoe’s place in the starting eleven for Tottenham in the 2010-2011 season was taken up by Van der Vaart as an extra midfielder. Given that Redknapp’s team usually play with two out and out wingers,
he often opted to use Peter Crouch as the tall centre forward. However Crouch changed his game in the 2010-2011 season as he almost turned into a traditional English centre forward who knocked down long balls for Van der Vaart to score from. This Van der Vaart
– Peter Crouch connection broke up the Crouch – Defoe partnership which was so successful in Tottenham’s charge towards a Premier League place in the 2009-2010 season.
Both the strikers were in tandem with each other as when the ball was out-wide Crouch used to move towards the far post to climb above the oppositions full back whereas Defoe would make a run towards the near post in case of a
low cross inside the penalty area. This was not the case during the last season as Crouch almost exclusively became obsessed with teeing up his new Dutch team-mate. In the English Premier League, Peter scored four and assisted six goals. Out of those six assists,
five were for Van der Vaart’s goals. The Dutchman netted 13 goals and assisted eight goals in the 2010-2011 Premier League season.
In total Tottenham scored 55 goals in http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Total-c40747 in 38 Premier League matches, a tally which is less than the 67 goals they scored in their 2009-2010 Premier League campaign, a season in which Redknapp’s men secured a fourth place finish
ahead of Manchester City and just behind http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Arsenal-c38429. Now as the summer transfer window heats up, it is evident that Tottenham are chasing a striker. They need to part ways with Jermain Defoe but they do need to retain Crouch as he can be a good weapon whilst
starting for the London club as well as an impact making substitute from the bench. Van der Vaart’s arrival at Tottenham has changed things around but maybe for the better, sometimes change is important but it is ruthless for footballers like Defoe.
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