da jogodeouro： Ask most people who Tottenham’s best striker is and they would probably say Defoe. But as Tottenham’s goals have started to wane, people want a new striker at White Hart Lane. For the first time in a long time people are starting to ask if Jermain Defoe is good enough, especially for a club aiming to finish in the top 4?
da apostebet： Defoe began his professional career at West ham under the guidance of Harry Redknapp 11 years ago. In his first year he went on a loan spell at Bournemouth where he scored 19 in 31, including a run of ten games where he scored in every one. This was enough to convince Redknapp of ‘the boy’s ability’ and the love affair starts there, Redknapp has managed him at 3 clubs. It is clear that Harry still has a soft spot for Defoe, even still calling him his ‘boy’ despite Defoe now being 28 years old. It is great to show faith in a player, and I think Redknapp gets the best out of Defoe, but I think Defoe’s best is no longer satisfactory for Tottenham.
Although Defoe had a good season last year, scoring 24 league goals, I have always questioned him as a top 4 striker. After his 5 against Wigan Redknapp said: “as a finisher, Defoe is the best out there.” But Tottenham are now in a position where they need more than just a poacher of goals. Does anyone else ever get the feeling Defoe is a bully who preys on weak defenders and rarely scores against the better sides?
In the last three years he has only scored 4 goals in 27 appearances against the 6 teams to finish in the top 7 of the league (Liverpool, Villa, City, Arsenal, United, Chelsea).
Meanwhile he has scored heavily against the worse 6 teams, scoring 16 in 17 against those at the bottom (Hull, Portsmouth, Burnley, Hull, Wigan, West Ham).
He has also done really well in internationals, scoring 7 in 9. However, these goals came against Kazakhstan, Andorra (2), Slovenia and Bulgaria (3). Not exactly top class opposition.
People only remember his runs of form, the hat-tricks and the 5 v Wigan and seem to label him as a reliable goal scorer and either don’t realise, or forgot his lack of effectiveness against the better teams.
Stats may not tell the whole picture but I feel Defoe is a bully against poor opposition and will never lead a club to consistently finish in the top 4. I know it is important to get these goals against the lesser sides, but if you cannot score against the sides who you are competing with for a place in the top 4, are you above your level?
He may have been unlucky this year with injuries and a ridiculous red card, but the stats from the last three years remain the same and that is what concerns me.
All in all I think Defoe does deserve a place in the Spurs side, but on the bench. He would be a fantastic impact option for a top 4 club as he would always be good against slow defenders and always score against the lesser teams. Sadly, that is not enough to lead the Tottenham side into the Champions League for a second year running. I doubt Defoe would be happy to fill this role. But with Harry’s apparent infatuation with Defoe, it might be a while before he has to worry about it.
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