What Roberto Soldado Must Do to Succeed in Premier League
Tottenham Hotspur centre-forward Roberto Soldado has so far failed to justify his £26 million transfer fee, per BBC Sport, but what does he need to do to succeed in the Premier League?
This slideshow will propose three points Soldado needs to address which may help him avoid turning into the Spanish Sergei Rebrov.
Rebrov, Spurs' former record transfer fee holder at £11 million, per BBC Sport, was a flop since he only scored 10 goals in 60 Premier League games.
Don't Look for Easy Outs
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Roberto Soldado made a candid comment about his struggles at Tottenham Hotspur.
"If all this had happened to me when I was 22, I would have probably returned home after a month," Soldado said, per radio Onda Cero (h/t Harry West at Goal.com), "I am the only one responsible for my poor form, but I will get better."
Taking accountability is a positive step for Soldado, who must avoid the blame-defecting attitude Sergei Rebrov took on.
Rebrov had irreconcilable feelings towards then Spurs manager Glenn Hoddle.
"I am 100 percent sure that if he [Hoddle] had never come to Spurs I would have become a big star here," Rebrov said, per News of the World (h/t Mark Buckingham at Sky Sports). "Glenn Hoddle broke my heart and my career."
Looking back, Rebrov never got over what he believed was unfair management, which hindered his cause in bouncing back from adversity.
Rather than point fingers, Soldado needs to keep working hard.
Shoot on Sight
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Roberto Soldado needs to be the No. 1 option at Tottenham Hotspur.
It is strange to spend £26 million on Soldado, a goal-poacher, yet he does not even average the most shots per game for Spurs in both the Premier League and UEFA Europa League.
| Premier League | Goals | Shots Per Game |
| 1. Andros Townsend | 1 | 3.0 |
| 2. Paulinho | 4 | 2.5 |
| 3. Soldado | 6 | 2.3 |
| 4. Emmanuel Adebayor | 8 | 1.9 |
| 5. Gylfi Sigurdsson | 3 | 1.7 |
| Europa League | ||
| 1. Jermain Defoe | 5 | 3.8 |
| 2. Townsend | 0 | 3.0 |
| 3. Sigurdsson | 0 | 2.2 |
| 4. Adebayor | 2 | 2.0 |
| 5. Soldado | 3 | 1.8 |
Soldado's misses in front of goal like against Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk are inexcusable, but this happens when centre-forwards are not the go-to-guys on their team, a la Fernando Torres' fall from grace at Chelsea.
If Spurs are not willing to build the team around Soldado, they should not have spent £26 million on a player who is only as productive as the service he receives.
Go the Extra Mile
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Roberto Soldado needs to go the extra mile to prove his worth at Tottenham Hotspur.
He is taking additional English lessons, per Matt Law at the Telegraph, to improve his communication with team-mates and staff.
That's a good start.
Soldado should be arriving at training early and leaving late with added focus on his shooting.
It is inexplicable how a supposed world-class finisher has scored six goals from 52 shots in Premier League action this season.
Should Soldado continue to dedicate himself, he can turn it around.
Keep in mind, he has had to cope with the psychological ramifications of losing a child and then trying to console his wife over her miscarriage, per Jason Burt at the Telegraph, so Soldado should be afforded some leeway.
Next season, it will be no holds barred in terms of criticism should Soldado replicate his inefficiency in front of goal for Spurs.
Statistics via WhoScored
