Emmanuel Adebayor’s bit part as Tottenham’s not so fantastic captain
Fans were surprised at the decision to give the Togo striker the armband but he was not on the field to see Tottenham take a lead into the second leg of the Capital One Cup semi-final
• Match report: Tottenham 1-0 Sheffield United
There was to be no redemption for Emmanuel Adebayor, no winning goal for the stand-in captain during a narrow Capital Cup semi-final victory for Tottenham, whose most surprising moment came before kick-off.
In many ways the (C) next to Adebayor’s name on the team sheet was Mauricio Pochettino adhering to protocol. The striker is, after all, a Spurs vice-captain and, in the absence of Hugo Lloris and Younès Kaboul, the next in line for the armband. Normal protocol, perhaps, if Adebayor had played more than half an hour since November and had not been jeered off by a section of his own supporters at the weekend.
Adebayor’s brief spell as captain was remarkably uneventful in this first leg. There was little understanding with Harry Kane up front and hardly a chance to note, the most significant moment of his game coming when a stray arm smacked the face of Sheffield United’s Louis Reed early on.
There were boos when Pochettino hauled off Adebayor in the 64th minute – although admittedly the crowd’s reaction was mixed – and it was not until he was replaced by Roberto Soldado that Spurs began to find their rhythm.
Pochettino, asked what qualities make Adebayor a good captain, said: “A lot of things but I think this is not the moment to explain why. I think when I take a decision I take a decision, but it was seven months ago when I took a decision on Younès Kaboul, Hugo Lloris and Emmanuel Adebayor as our three captains. That was seven months ago.”
Adebayor, it is fair to say, has not endured the easiest time under Pochettino. His Tottenham career has been littered with as much colour off the field as on it but his appointment as captain for this League Cup tie was an opportunity to lead from the front and prove the doubters wrong.
Adebayor has scored only twice in 14 appearances this season, a poor return during a campaign that has been hampered by hamstring trouble and personal issues. It seems longer than one year ago but this time last season he was in the middle of a purple patch under Tim Sherwood, a run of goals in stark contrast to his pre-winter malaise under André Villas-Boas through 2013-14.
Adebayor was starved of opportunities under Villas-Boas but flourished with Sherwood at the helm, the high point arguably his double against Dnipro in the Europa League in a game that ended with player and manager sharing a salute on the touchline.
This season, though, has provided fewer goals. Adebayor criticised the Tottenham supporters in November and claimed the players were struggling in a negative atmosphere at White Hart Lane, saying: “I think a lot of players, when they put on the shirt and go out on to the pitch, are finding it hard in the head.”
In December the Togo forward pulled out of a European fixture against Besiktas and was granted compassionate leave by the club amid reports a family member was seriously ill. Before last weekend’s victory over Sunderland he had not made an appearance since playing against Stoke in November, the home defeat that prompted his outburst against the fans.
A section of supporters jeered his arrival on the pitch against Sunderland, but his name was cheered on Wednesday night and he seemed up for the task in hand, leading his side out with the armband and embracing Andros Townsend before kick-off.
After the Sunderland win, Adebayor said: “I don’t know if I’ll win the fans over, I just want to do my job as a professional and enjoy myself. I’m not here to win any fans back. I don’t want to understand why I was booed. I’m very happy to be me. Those who love me, I love them. Those who hate me, I love them as well.”
Yet it was almost a disastrous start for the captain, following a collision with Reed in the 16th minute. Reed, a 17-year-old midfielder who has shown excellent potential this season, was caught by a stray Adebayor arm near the touchline and fell abruptly to the turf.
The United bench were furious – the manager, Nigel Clough, and coach Chris Morgan gesturing to the fourth official – but the referee, Neil Swarbrick, pulled out the yellow card when some were calling for a red. A sending-off might have been harsh, although Adebayor certainly caught Reed flush in the face.
In truth, he was not exactly leading from the front with Spurs out of sync and unable to break down United during a first half that provided few scoring chances. There appeared no effective understanding with Kane, playing off Adebayor, as the League One side contained Spurs and looked dangerous on the counterattack.
Adebayor did have one opportunity, but could not convert , in the 34th minute, slicing wide when under pressure from Jay McEveley after being played in over the top by Christian Eriksen. It proved to be the 30-year-old’s best chance, withdrawn for Soldaldo on a night when the armband failed to inspire a forward whose inconsistent Spurs career continues.
