Roberto Soldado vs. Radamel Falcao: Who Has Been More Disappointing This Season?
Two years ago, Radamel Falcao and Roberto Soldado were earning plaudits as two of La Liga's most prolific goalscorers.
Falcao netted 34 in all competitions for an emerging Atletico Madrid side which won that season's Copa del Rey. Soldado struck 30 times in a gallant contribution which belied Valencia's financial issues at the time. Things were good, certainly individually, and there was scope for things to get even better.
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Few would have predicted the big-money moves which followed would have led their respective careers to their current stationary states.
But the now-Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur strikers are both struggling to revive their fortunes. As their two clubs prepare to meet on Sunday, it is unfortunate that any comparison between them now relates to who has disappointed more in 2014-15.
Soldado's second campaign in England was hoped to be when he truly lived up to his billing from Spain. Life with the north London club has not evolved in a fashion satisfactory to either the former Spain international or Tottenham, though.
Playing time was hard to come by early on this season, making an immediate improvement on his mixed first season difficult.
Head coach Mauricio Pochettino's initial first-choice striker in his preferred 4-2-3-1 formation, Emmanuel Adebayor, was injured in November and has since fallen out of favour. Instead of Soldado taking on the mantle, though, it has been his 21-year-old team-mate Harry Kane who has made the most of his opportunities.
The in-form forward this week celebrated his second successive Premier League Player of the Month award.
Signed on loan from Monaco in the summer transfer window, Falcao does not have a year's Premier League experience behind him. He is, though, a player who as little as 14 months ago was a contender for world football's best finisher.
The knee injury which prematurely ended the Colombian's maiden season with the principality club and ruined his World Cup dreams did not damage that reputation. Hence Manchester United's decision to spend substantially—£6 million and a hefty wage packet according to the Guardian's Jamie Jackson—on his temporary acquisition (with an option to sign him permanently, albeit expensively, this summer).
Thus far at least, things have not gone to plan in England. In 23 appearances, Falcao has managed just four goals. Without an appearance yet this month, his selection in Tuesday's under-21 fixture between United and Spurs prompted much discussion and derision at this perceived fall from grace (below).
Falcao's season has been covered extensively on Bleacher Report in recent days. Daniel Tiluk and Sam Tighe examined the challenges and ramifications of settling into a new league while trying to fit into Louis van Gaal's changing style and set-up.
Manchester United correspondent Rob Dawson highlighted the importance of the goals the 29-year-old has scored, however, and why he could still make a difference before his loan spell is up.
After a week associated with less-than-flattering headlines (this article included), it would be an apt riposte from Falcao to score against Spurs' senior side this weekend. Whatever is ahead, the level of coverage (again, this article included) underlines the expectation placed on a star name at the biggest club in the land.
Perhaps Falcao, a proven and successful marksman with Porto and Atletico, should have delivered more by now with his enviably well-honed skill set. But from getting back to where he was pre-injury to dealing with Van Gaal's tinkering, all amid adjusting to a new life professionally and personally, he deserves to be cut some slack.
Soldado has been to an extent. A product of less pressure placed on him at Spurs than what Falcao has experienced at arguably the world's biggest club.
He has bought into Pochettino's plans to improve Spurs as much as anyone, as seen with the below rallying cry following their Capital One Cup final defeat by Chelsea.
He is desperate to deliver as he did at Valencia and repay the White Hart Lane faithful for their support.
"The moment that the referee blew for half-time everybody sung my name and I welled up a little bit, I had a tear in my eye," Soldado told Spurs' official website after his first Premier League goal of the season in the 2-1 win Everton in November.
"I hope to score more goals because I need and want to help the team. I want to make the fans happy."
Sadly, just about every time Soldado has enjoyed such a moment, he has failed to push on.
It has not always been so simple and, mostly, not for want of trying. Away at Manchester City, his participation in Spurs' buildup play was excellent. While he missed a penalty that afternoon, he was unlucky to be dropped for the next game.
Latterly, though, where Kane has seized his opportunities with confidence and no shortage of panache, Soldado has looked more like a 21-year-old kid relatively new to the first team.
The fact is, too, where Soldado scored 11 goals by this time of the season last year, this time he has only struck four. It is hard to comprehend the decrease given how effective he was at Getafe and Valencia.
Spurs are a more purposeful, creative attacking outfit than during the opening five-month period of 2013-14 in which he scored 10 of those, too. Soldado has also been sharper this time around than in the latter months in his introductory campaign when his shooting boots deserted him almost completely.
From the outside looking in, it is impossible to fully know if there are details behind the lack of form we are not aware of. Same for Falcao.
Soldado has had an extra year to acclimatise to life at Tottenham and the Premier League, though. Plus ample opportunities thereafter to use those experiences to adjust to life with his own new boss Pochettino.
Falcao's travails this season might have been more high profile, but all things considered, Soldado's have been more disappointing.
