Adebayor back just in time for Spurs
Tottenham Hotspur fans must’ve felt their hearts in their mouths when Jermain Defoe hobbled off the Hawthorns pitch during their 1-0 win over West Bromwich Albion on Sunday. The striker was forced onto the sidelines in the 35th minute following a 50-50 challenge with Shane Long in the early Premier League encounter.
As a result, Andre Villas-Boas was forced to pair Clint Dempsey and new arrival Lewis Holtby for much of the encounter before Gareth Bale dug out an exceptional winner midway through the second half. Nevertheless, the news that Defoe is likely to face up to three weeks out will come as a blow to north London side.
While the striker was nursing his sore ankle back at home on Sunday evening, events in South Africa were in effect working in Spurs’ favour. Burkina Faso and Togo were kicking off the final Africa Cup of Nations quarter final at the Mbombela Stadium in a game that would eventually see the latter crash out following Jonathan Pitroipa’s extra time header.
It couldn’t have been better news for the club had it tried, especially as Emmanuel Adebayor saw a header cleared off the line, before his late effort in the second half was pushed away by Daouda Diakite, both of which came in the second half.
With Defoe now expected to be out for three weeks, possibly longer depending on the result of a scan, it gives Adebayor the opportunity to claim a first team place at the expense of the Spurs teammate, something which he must grasp with both hands following numerous lackadaisical performances for the club.
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