Why Roberto Soldado Can Still Be a Success at Tottenham Hotspur

Shortly after Harry Kane's equaliser against Hull City last weekend, Roberto Soldado had a chance to put Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 up. Vlad Chiriches picked him out with a low cross, but the Spaniard scuffed his chance wide across goal.

Soldado's frustrated, disappointed expression has become a familiar one to Tottenham supporters following such misses. The striker has netted just twice in 13 appearances this season, three times in 2014 altogether. His finishing has deserted him at a time he would have been expecting to firmly establish himself following his summer 2013 move from Valencia.

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Yet, despite these struggles, Soldado could still prove to be a success for the north London club. Even if the window to become one is closing.

Noticeable at the KC Stadium on Sunday was the continued support from the travelling Spurs fans after the aforementioned miss. While some will have lost faith in the £26 million man, a good percentage continues to back him.

There is an appreciation of Soldado's general effort, and that circumstances have not always been on his side. They know the former La Liga goal machine has what it takes to be a Spurs hero if things would only fall his way.

Another foreign forward import in Helder Postiga was similarly backed just over a decade ago. Roman Pavlyuchenko did not go through the same scoring funk as the Portuguese and Spanish forwards, but he did share in similar support from the White Hart Lane faithful who vocally cheered him on even when manager Harry Redknapp did not quite have the same faith.

In addition to the fans retaining belief in Soldado, his continued selection suggests head coach Mauricio Pochettino is far from done with him either.

With only three proper senior strikers to call on Pochettino's options are admittedly somewhat limited. That there is even scope for Soldado to still impress gives him something to work with, though.

One thing which might be about to go in the player's favour is a little consistency in how he is deployed.

For the first time this season, Soldado could be set to string a run of games together—an advantage he has been denied in 2014-15 through injury and then Pochettino's earlier preference to start Emmanuel Adebayor. The chance to develop some rhythm and routine in his game through competitive football could offer the solution to his wayward finishing.

Soldado started against Hull last weekend, and Partizan Belgrade on Thursday. His performances will not have guaranteed him a start against Everton on Sunday, but there was enough seen to argue why he could keep his place in the hope of finally providing a more tangible return.

In the second half versus the Tigers we saw the benefits of playing two front men. The joint presence of Harry Kane and Soldado occupied the home-side's defence as Spurs upped the pressure, and helped lead to chances like the one described at the top of the article. They have had a similar effect when played together in some cup games earlier this campaign.

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With Kane's continued good form, finding a way to work with the younger striker will be key to Soldado gaining more playing time. Kane's generosity in linking up with and providing for others could see him become the kind of foil Soldado has largely not had to work with at Spurs (though he and Adebayor had their moments as a partnership at the midway point of last season, it was largely the Spaniard doing the providing).

In the Europa League on Thursday, Soldado started up front alone. The first half was a reminder of his early days at Tottenham, when Andre Villas-Boas' side struggled to create noteworthy chances for him. The second half was more in keeping with the 2014 theme of being unable to find the net even as opportunities came his way.

Despite not adding to his individual goal tally, it was a display that served to remind what Soldado individually is capable of in a confident Spurs attack (even if it did not quite fully flourish against the Serbian side). Akin to arguably his best performance of the season away at Manchester City, his participation in his team's improved build-up play post-interval involved purposeful movement and sharp redistribution. It was best seen in the Tottenham goal which also highlighted why he is a penalty-box poacher worth persevering with.

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Soldado dropped back towards the centre circle and laid off Chiriches' pass to Benjamin Stambouli just to his left. As the Frenchman brought the ball forward Soldado ran between the Partizan centre-backs before bending his run just as he entered the area. Stambouli played it through and the forward took a touch before chipping the goalkeeper from the tight angle.

Unfortunately for Soldado it hit the post and the midfielder was the one to find the net after getting to the rebound. It was a real moment of quality, though. An inch or two right and it would have been a galvanizing goal for the 29-year-old too.

That Soldado swiftly went to congratulate Stambouli despite his continued personal disappointment spoke to his dedication to the Tottenham cause. The team will need to see more from Soldado in the coming months for him to justify his place, but it is not yet time to give up on a player who has shown he could still be a difference-maker for Spurs.

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