Roberto Soldado has been under immense pressure over the last few weeks after failing to score in the last nine games. He was signed from Valencia for £ 26 million, but his return in terms of goalscoring has been very disappointing. It is only after the inclusion of Emmanuel Adebayor that the team has started scoring goals. Tim Sherwood has also found it difficult to drop Soldado due to the amount of work he does on the pitch. Further, his reputation as a £ 26 million striker makes it difficult to bench him as well. Soldado showed signs of returning to form after scoring in the 1-0 win over Cardiff last weekend.

This was the second consecutive win for the team and it was essential in the league outlook especially considering that they had lost to Norwich City in the previous match. Another defeat would have taken the possibility of a top four finish out of their hands. As it is, Tottenham remain only a couple of points behind Manchester City, who occupy the final top four place. After seeing his expenses striker score against Cardiff, Sherwood reacted by saying that Soldado must now go on a run of form that may see him score more than 20 goals before the end of the season.

“I was delighted for Robbie, he’s a great character around the place. The boys love him and want him to do well. If I could have picked anyone to score that goal it would have been him. I have stuck by him, I believe he will come good and I maintain that. We’re just hoping this is a platform for him to go on and score 20 goals between now and the end of the season,” said Sherwood, whose team travel to Stamford Bridge next weekend to face Chelsea.