Tottenham Hotspur 1 Manchester City 5: Spurs need a new hitman
DAN CARRIER says Tottenham need someone to get them goals after watching Spurs lose 5-1 to Manchester City at White Hart Lane
THE need for a barnstormming targetman at Spurs has been obvious for at least a season.
Lack of goals last term meant too many home draws for Champions League qualification, and despite a summer to tie up a deal, Harry Redknapp has only this week made a signing in this problem position, and one that requires a leap of faith as it is the off form, tempestuous ex-Gunner Emanuel Adebayor.
This issue was made horribly, painfully clear in this tumping by Manchester City: the difference between these two sides came in the shape of City's hat trick hitman, Edin Dzeko. He showed up the gulf that is now opening up between City and Tottenham.
With Adebayor ineligible, the lack of a true out and out goalscoring forward was yet again the problem, as it was last year, and the first half goals with by Edin Dzeko for City only served to cruelly highlight this fact. No matter what Kranjcar, Modric, Lennon and van der Vaart did, there was no one on the end of the final ball to make it matter.
Three of Dzeko's four goals were classic frontman finishes: nothing flashy, just created by good movement and anticipation in the box, though his forth, right at the death, was Hoddle-esque. On 34, Spurs lost possession on the right and with Corluka and Lennon out of position, Nasri found space and crossed for Dzeko to score from close range.
Before the half was out, van der Vaart had worked space with Modric and saw his goal bound shot charged down, and then Crouch went very close with a header from a Bale cross. But just as it seemed Spurs were building up a head of steam, the home team were caught out again by the combination of Nasri and Dzeko - this time the forward nodded home after a swift and incisive break.
Dzeko made it all look easy, and his performance only served to highlight the glaring inadequacy at Spurs: while Crouch strives and fights and chases and ferrets, his lanky style makes every movement look like he is busting a gut. Dzeko, on the other hand, looked neat, assured, confident and always had time when it was played to him. His hat trick was completed again from close range on 55: it was all the big striker deserved, whiloe his last goal at the death was a wonderful curler from long range after he was instrumental in the approach play that created the chance. City have some centre forward there.
While collectively this was not a good performance, Niko Kranjcar was one of few who played with his head up.
His fall from favour last term was due to the emergence of Gareth Bale on the left and Luka Modric's confirmation as Harry's heart beat.
It wasn't like he did anything wrong - it was simply that he was a jigsaw piece that no longer fitted.
But so far this term he's started two out of two - and Tom Huddlestone's lack of match fitness has given Kranjcar the chance to re-ignite his Spurs career after a miserable 12 months of being a spare part, a cruel fate particularly as he was so instrumental in getting his team mates into the Champions League.
In an open first 30, Kranjcar pulled strings, had a couple of good efforts, and gave the midfield some panache and dash.
Yet after a poor first half for Spurs overall, Kranjcar was sacrificed at half time for Tom Huddlestone, despite providing the side's brighter moments. You have to feel for him.
Jermain Defoe is another whose form has meant it is hard for him to warrant inclusion. He was given the nod on Monday but was pretty ineffective against Manchester United - he didn't get past his man enough, failed to hold the ball up, and regualrly went to ground instead of staying on his feet.
It has not been the happiest 12 months for the forward. Playing off van der Vaart doesn't seem to be a goer - the pair of them are too small. He got a run out when he came on for Lennon on 52 as Spurs chased goals but with the arrival of Emmanuel Adebayor to play up front along side Van Der Vaart means formation wise there doesn't seem to be the room for him in the starting XI now.
At the start of last season, Spurs comprehensively out played City but could only garner a point after Joe Hart in the away side's goal played out of his skin. One year on, and the moneybags project at the Eastlands is gathering pace: this time round the clinical quality of Edin Dzeko meant City chalked up a scoreline that made it appear like they had battered Spurs, even though for a fair portion of the game it was even in terms of chacnes created.
The fourth, from Sergio Aguero on 59, was academic, as was Younes Kabouls header in reply on 67. Spurs were already well beaten.
So a thumping from both Manchester clubs in the space of six days. Not a good way to start the season. It remains to be seen if the new striker, so sorely needed, is the answer alone to really competing for the Champions League again this term. An awful lot seems to rest now on the shoulders of our old bete noire Emanuel Adebayor.