Roberto Soldado

[Kingdawson]

Re: Official - Soldado

Every time this thread is bumped i get my hopes up and think he's sold or close to being sold

 

[ALtottenham_hotspur]

Re: Official - Soldado

I hear a lot here say he is not suited to this league.

Why do people say this exactly? Whilst he's not a Lukaku-type bruiser who we can 'knock it up to' to relieve pressure, he's also not a shrinking violet and can more than hold his own physically. He's got good touch, technique and vision as well.

If people said he's not good enough because of his finishing (and forgetting about previous season of course) I could sort of understand that. But why do people say he is 'not suited to this league'? I just don't get that at all

He's got a dirty side of him and I think he was lucky on a couple of occasions last season, he could easily been sent off. So I agree he's no shrinking violet.

He does however seem to forget that he's playing in England were you do get clattered into and instead of just stopping with arms held out wide asking for a free kick or going to ground he has to just play on.

Confidence is massive in football, you only need to look at Bale he had the tools but didn't believe in himself, now he does and we have all seen what he can do. Soldado I'm starting to question even if he has the tools, try and think back to the amount of chances he did have, his finishing was awful!!! I admit his confidence is low but purely on percentages he should have scored more than he did.

I have said it already in this thread he reminds me of Fernando Morientes when he was at Liverpool, tired hard but was useless.

 

[braineclipse]

Re: Official - Soldado

With Valencia having a new billionaire owner could we see a bid from them to bring Soldado back?

I'm not sure he will be a Emirates Marketing Project or PSG type owner, but it has been said that he will clear their debts and make a good chunk of money available to spend in the transfer market.

 

[Bullet]

Re: Official - Soldado

You know when a top player gets the ball and you think "Here we go!"

Like Tevez, Aguero and even down to the likes of Michu, Bony, Benteke, you think here we go, he's gonna have a crack, he'll shrug off a guy, beat a guy, have a crack.

With Soldado I don't get that feeling, I just think he'll try a flick or turn back but he won't aggressively beat a man or create a chance, and he isn't much of a poacher either. He is just a very neat footballer.

Note that last year we were linked with Luke De Jong and Ricky Van Wolfswinkel who have been awful in the Premiership, so we need to be shrewd about our targets.

 

[glorygloryeze]

Re: Official - Soldado

So if it comes down to Pochettino or FDB getting the job, who do people think would be more likely to get the best out of Bobby Soldier?

 

[Cochise]

Re: Official - Soldado

People think that Poch would likely setup with Lamela and Eriksen behind a central striker, something which I think would suit Soldado. There is also talk of how they pressurise the oppostion from the front, something which I think Soldado out of all our strikers would be best suited to as he seems the most mobile. On the downside Southampton do use Lambert's aerial presence to good effect when needed, something which we could not replicate with Soldado.

I honestly don't know enough about FDB and his setup to comment regarding Soldado, but I think I may be right in saying he uses a more physical player in the #9 role

 

[africanspurs]

Re: Official - Soldado

People think that Poch would likely setup with Lamela and Eriksen behind a central striker, something which I think would suit Soldado. There is also talk of how they pressurise the oppostion from the front, something which I think Soldado out of all our strikers would be best suited to as he seems the most mobile. On the downside Southampton do use Lambert's aerial presence to good effect when needed, something which we could not replicate with Soldado.

I honestly don't know enough about FDB and his setup to comment regarding Soldado, but I think I may be right in saying he uses a more physical player in the #9 role

I dont agree with that at all

 

[NWND]

Re: Official - Soldado

You know when a top player gets the ball and you think "Here we go!"

Like Tevez, Aguero and even down to the likes of Michu, Bony, Benteke, you think here we go, he's gonna have a crack, he'll shrug off a guy, beat a guy, have a crack.

With Soldado I don't get that feeling, I just think he'll try a flick or turn back but he won't aggressively beat a man or create a chance, and he isn't much of a poacher either. He is just a very neat footballer.

Note that last year we were linked with Luke De Jong and Ricky Van Wolfswinkel who have been awful in the Premiership, so we need to be shrewd about our targets.

Nail on head. Even with Adebayor or Defoe there is a certain expectation that something could happen when they're on the ball. They just have a purpose behind them. I think even Harry Kane showed more purpose and threat than Soldado. Soldado doesn't even look threatening. I think the description of "neat" fits the bill perfectly. People say "ok, so he hasn't been scoring, but he has been contributing". Contributing in what way? He isn't a deep lying forward who can be dangerous when he's not scoring goals like Robbie Keane or Teddy Sheringham, who would drop deep and make the play.

He just seems neat and tidy, a bit of a 'meh' player to me. He's not a hungry poacher, which i thought he would be. I thought he'd be a bit of a Javier Hernandez, i.e. not contributing much in build up play, neat and tidy, but comes alive in the box, moving all the time, he's always there to scuff rebounds into the goal off his shin.

But he doesn't do that. What does he actually do? I'm not sure. Terrible, terrible signing.

 

[SpursLodge]

Re: Official - Soldado

Nail on head. Even with Adebayor or Defoe there is a certain expectation that something could happen when they're on the ball. They just have a purpose behind them. I think even Harry Kane showed more purpose and threat than Soldado. Soldado doesn't even look threatening. I think the description of "neat" fits the bill perfectly. People say "ok, so he hasn't been scoring, but he has been contributing". Contributing in what way? He isn't a deep lying forward who can be dangerous when he's not scoring goals like Robbie Keane or Teddy Sheringham, who would drop deep and make the play.

He just seems neat and tidy, a bit of a 'meh' player to me. He's not a hungry poacher, which i thought he would be. I thought he'd be a bit of a Javier Hernandez, i.e. not contributing much in build up play, neat and tidy, but comes alive in the box, moving all the time, he's always there to scuff rebounds into the goal off his shin.

But he doesn't do that. What does he actually do? I'm not sure. Terrible, terrible signing.

There was an expectation when Defoe got the ball outside the box but not with Ade, whenever he gets it around the box I just hope he holds it up long enough to bring someone else in. I never think he's going to beat a man and score, he always looks gangly, awkward and slow when trying to take a player on.

I don't think that with Soldado either but I can see how he wants to play, I think he's looking to pop the ball off to someone else around him then break into the box for the return ball, he looks like a clever player with a good touch and an instinctive finish. He's just not settled yet because AVBs style didn't suit him at all and by the time the team was playing a bit more attacking and getting players up around the striker he was benched and Ade or Kane was in instead.

Given a good run in the side and with Eriksen and others getting up around him I think he'll turn out to be a decent player for us.

 

[braineclipse]

Re: Official - Soldado

People think that Poch would likely setup with Lamela and Eriksen behind a central striker, something which I think would suit Soldado. There is also talk of how they pressurise the oppostion from the front, something which I think Soldado out of all our strikers would be best suited to as he seems the most mobile. On the downside Southampton do use Lambert's aerial presence to good effect when needed, something which we could not replicate with Soldado.

I honestly don't know enough about FDB and his setup to comment regarding Soldado, but I think I may be right in saying he uses a more physical player in the #9 role

Agreed. Not sure if it's entirely out of choice, but Poch does seem like he wants to have that target man option on the pitch at least. Makes me think that Adebayor is more likely to stay than Soldado if Poch is our choice.

 

[Finney Is Back]

Re: Official - Soldado

There was an expectation when Defoe got the ball outside the box but not with Ade, whenever he gets it around the box I just hope he holds it up long enough to bring someone else in. I never think he's going to beat a man and score, he always looks gangly, awkward and slow when trying to take a player on.

I don't think that with Soldado either but I can see how he wants to play, I think he's looking to pop the ball off to someone else around him then break into the box for the return ball, he looks like a clever player with a good touch and an instinctive finish. He's just not settled yet because AVBs style didn't suit him at all and by the time the team was playing a bit more attacking and getting players up around the striker he was benched and Ade or Kane was in instead.

Given a good run in the side and with Eriksen and others getting up around him I think he'll turn out to be a decent player for us.

Harry Kane seemed to show more goalscoring instinct in those few games he played towards the end of the campaign than Soldado did all season. I would rather we went with Kane up front than Soldado. I think the only reason that people want to give Soldado another chance is because we spent wasted so much money on him. If he had been a cheap signing then I think more people would be happy to throw him on the scrapheap. If any team offers close to two thirds of what we paid for him then I think we should bite their arm off.

 

[braineclipse]

Re: Official - Soldado

Harry Kane seemed to show more goalscoring instinct in those few games he played towards the end of the campaign than Soldado did all season. I would rather we went with Kane up front than Soldado. I think the only reason that people want to give Soldado another chance is because we spent wasted so much money on him. If he had been a cheap signing then I think more people would be happy to throw him on the scrapheap. If any team offers close to two thirds of what we paid for him then I think we should bite their arm off.

This the same Harry Kane that was written off by a large number of people half a season ago?

I think you underestimate how much form and fitting into a system matters. Soldado has shown that he's a good player in Spain and could still make it at Spurs. Had we picked him up cheaply or on a free because of a contract issue after him performing like that year in year out in Spain I would think the same.

 

[Mumorn]

Re: Official - Soldado

This the same Harry Kane that was written off by a large number of people half a season ago?

I think you underestimate how much form and fitting into a system matters. Soldado has shown that he's a good player in Spain and could still make it at Spurs. Had we picked him up cheaply or on a free because of a contract issue after him performing like that year in year out in Spain I would think the same.

Agreed. I am hoping new manager comes in, realises how good he was in Spain and how good his movement and finishing was and works with him to get the best out of him implementing a system that does just that as well as using Eriksen and Lamela to assist him.

 

[Millsy_Yiddo]

Re: Official - Soldado

People think that Poch would likely setup with Lamela and Eriksen behind a central striker, something which I think would suit Soldado. There is also talk of how they pressurise the oppostion from the front, something which I think Soldado out of all our strikers would be best suited to as he seems the most mobile. On the downside Southampton do use Lambert's aerial presence to good effect when needed, something which we could not replicate with Soldado.

I honestly don't know enough about FDB and his setup to comment regarding Soldado, but I think I may be right in saying he uses a more physical player in the #9 role

I have to disagree that the pressing from the front game suits a striker like Soldado. It restricts the space in behind the front four which someone like Soldado likes to exploit. The reason why Southampton play with Lambert up there is as a fulcrum for Lallana et al to work off. He often recieves the ball with his back to goal and knocks of little balls to Lallana etc running beyond him. This system would work well with Lamela and Eriksen in behind, but with someone more similar to Lambert up top rather than Soldado.

 

[SpursLodge]

Re: Official - Soldado

Harry Kane seemed to show more goalscoring instinct in those few games he played towards the end of the campaign than Soldado did all season. I would rather we went with Kane up front than Soldado. I think the only reason that people want to give Soldado another chance is because we spent wasted so much money on him. If he had been a cheap signing then I think more people would be happy to throw him on the scrapheap. If any team offers close to two thirds of what we paid for him then I think we should bite their arm off.

I agree that Kane has shown some good moments and I'm more than happy to have him in the squad but he's not currently good enough to lead the line for us. If Soldado can produce what he did in Spain then he's more than capable. Let's face it, no club in their right mind is going to give us a big chunk of our money back on him so we might as well give him a full pre-season with the new manager and system, play to his strengths and see what comes of it. Don't give up yet!

 

[Finney Is Back]

Re: Official - Soldado

I agree that Kane has shown some good moments and I'm more than happy to have him in the squad but he's not currently good enough to lead the line for us. If Soldado can produce what he did in Spain then he's more than capable. Let's face it, no club in their right mind is going to give us a big chunk of our money back on him so we might as well give him a full pre-season with the new manager and system, play to his strengths and see what comes of it. Don't give up yet!

I don't want Kane leading the line for us.... I want Adebayor (or an even better striker leading the line for us). I would just rather have Kane as the option on the bench than Soldado. If we keep Soldado for another season and he fails again then we will have a 30 year old striker who nobody will want to give us any money for. If think it's better than we cut our losses and get rid of him now while we can (hopefully) still get £16 million or so back for him that we can put towards a player more suited to our league.

 

[Finney Is Back]

Re: Official - Soldado

This the same Harry Kane that was written off by a large number of people half a season ago?

I think you underestimate how much form and fitting into a system matters. Soldado has shown that he's a good player in Spain and could still make it at Spurs. Had we picked him up cheaply or on a free because of a contract issue after him performing like that year in year out in Spain I would think the same.

Morientes also showed that he was a good player in Spain.... Not all players (no matter how good in one league) can adapt.

Don't get me wrong - with a good pre-season, a bit of confidence and playing for a Spurs team set up in a far more exciting and attacking way than AVB had us playing - Soldado could come good... It's just a big gamble now considering his age and price tag. I was convinced that Soldado would be a star for us (so much so that I had an each way bet on him being the PL top scorer last season) but having watched him last season I didn't see anything to convince me that he is the answer up front for us.

 

[Cochise]

Re: Official - Soldado

I have to disagree that the pressing from the front game suits a striker like Soldado. It restricts the space in behind the front four which someone like Soldado likes to exploit. The reason why Southampton play with Lambert up there is as a fulcrum for Lallana et al to work off. He often recieves the ball with his back to goal and knocks of little balls to Lallana etc running beyond him. This system would work well with Lamela and Eriksen in behind, but with someone more similar to Lambert up top rather than Soldado.

The pressing point I make with regards to how well he could operate defensively. I don't think Ade has the commitment for pressing from the front for 90 minutes, nor do I think Kane has the mobility. Then again Lambert isn't exactly the most mobile of strikers and he does the job well. A point worth making re: the loss of space from pressing high: Soldado scored against Villa earlier in the season due to good pressure from him, Holtby and Paulinho on the edge of the Villa box. If we are thinking about creating chances from breakdowns deep in the opposition's half, then a marksman who can finish these chances is quite desirable.

 

[Millsy_Yiddo]

Re: Official - Soldado

The pressing point I make with regards to how well he could operate defensively. I don't think Ade has the commitment for pressing from the front for 90 minutes, nor do I think Kane has the mobility. Then again Lambert isn't exactly the most mobile of strikers and he does the job well. A point worth making re: the loss of space from pressing high: Soldado scored against Villa earlier in the season due to good pressure from him, Holtby and Paulinho on the edge of the Villa box. If we are thinking about creating chances from breakdowns deep in the opposition's half, then a marksman who can finish these chances is quite desirable.

I've no doubt that Soldado has the ability to press well, he's probably the best choice in that regard. I'm just not sure that playing in a way which forces the opposition to lie deep with the back four in front of him is the way to get the best out of him.

Just watched the Villa goal again, it starts with a ball into the corner, Soldado puts pressure on the full back. I'd expect him to do this no-matter what system we were playing, it's a fundamental part of a centre forwards Job. Paulinho follows up in support expecting a knock down from Soldado which is again something I would expect our nearest attacking midfielder to do in this situation. Paulinho's run is tracked by the villa player but he gets to the ball first then Soldado puts pressure on the full back again to win the ball back. These are all standard things I'd expect professional players to be doing in this situation no-matter what system we are playing. So I don't think the goal was a direct result of the 'pressing' tactic.

 

[braineclipse]

Re: Official - Soldado

I've no doubt that Soldado has the ability to press well, he's probably the best choice in that regard. I'm just not sure that playing in a way which forces the opposition to lie deep with the back four in front of him is the way to get the best out of him.

Just watched the Villa goal again, it starts with a ball into the corner, Soldado puts pressure on the full back. I'd expect him to do this no-matter what system we were playing, it's a fundamental part of a centre forwards Job. Paulinho follows up in support expecting a knock down from Soldado which is again something I would expect our nearest attacking midfielder to do in this situation. Paulinho's run is tracked by the villa player but he gets to the ball first then Soldado puts pressure on the full back again to win the ball back. These are all standard things I'd expect professional players to be doing in this situation no-matter what system we are playing. So I don't think the goal was a direct result of the 'pressing' tactic.

I don't think high pressing forces the opposition to lie deep with the back 4.

How deep opponents defend will be much more influenced by what they chose to do when we have control of the ball (in our own half). When teams decide to sit back and defend deep they will sit back and defend deep, if we sit back too without pressing them high up the pitch that usually won't change their approach. If opponents want to play a high line and pressurize high up the pitch themselves we can't really stop that by putting pressure on them when they have the ball.

One of the typical aims when pressing high is to force the opponents to play a long balls (preferably under pressure) that the defenders will then win most of the time. The problem for us with Soldado isn't when that happens to to our opponents, it's when it happens to us and he's the one that long ball is aimed for.

I agree that the Villa goal isn't a good example, it's a ball from us into that corner, right? There's never really a Villa player in control of the ball.