WBA 1 Tottenham H 3: THE REINVENTION of Jermain Defoe has given Harry Redknapp a welcome problem and, perhaps, Fabio Capello a timely solution. After seeming a spent force last term, Defoe has been one of the Premier League's most prolific strikers this season, with a goal every 111 minutes.
That is better than the rate of Wayne Rooney, whose suspension for the group stages of Euro 2012 means the England manager is on the look-out for a reliable stand-in.
Defoe has not featured for England since the 1-1 friendly with Ghana in March. But if the 29-year-old carries on piercing defences so regularly, an international recall will be difficult to withhold. Tottenham fans are starting to believe he could arrive at Euro 2012 as a Premier League champion – though not necessarily as a regular starter for his club.
Defoe started on Saturday only because Rafael van der Vaart was injured. Last season the Dutchman’s absence would have raised fears of a Tottenham defeat, as Defoe, Peter Crouch, Robbie Keane and Roman Pavlyuchenko were all misfiring.
Emmanuel Adebayor has since arrived as reinforcement and the resurgence of Defoe means there is a plethora of options. The goal he scored at The Hawthorns reflected his return to form, a drilled shot from the edge of the box bringing his fifth goal from five starts.
Last season Defoe managed just four in the league. So aghast was he that in the summer, on the advice of the former Arsenal striker Ian Wright, he went to France for personal training with the former Arsenal fitness guru Tiberius Darau.
“The guy’s in his 70s but he worked Jermain hard, three sessions a day starting at 6am,” Redknapp said. “Jermain has come back sharper and stronger, much more able to hold players off.”
But still not able to hold down a place in the side.
“I’ve got a problem now, what do I do when Rafa’s fit again?” Redknapp added.
The manager has accepted that Pavlyuchenko is likely to depart in January in search of regular football but he is confident Defoe will not agitate for a move. The player and manager have been an on-and-off item since Redknapp signed Defoe for West Ham United in 1999. He has since signed him twice more, for Portsmouth and then Spurs.
“He should know how much faith I have in him because I’ve made him a fortune,” the manager joked. “I used to watch him score goals every Saturday as a 15-year-old in the Southern Counties League so I know how good he is and he has no problem with me.”
The reinvention of Younes Kaboul, another player that Redknapp brought from Portsmouth, has also been a factor in Spurs’ surge to third place. He has been an ever-present in the league this season and become first-choice ahead of William Gallas. That is a remarkable turnaround for a player blamed for their awful start to the campaign, when they were heavily beaten by the Manchester clubs.
“In the two Manchester games he had a disaster and most of the goals were down to him,” says Redknapp. “But since then he’s just got better and better. He’s got everything to become an absolute great centre-half.”
Kaboul and Ledley King were at fault for West Brom’s goal, allowing Yossouf Mulumbu to sneak between them to head the opener. But Tottenham’s renewed strike-power enables them to overcome such lapses. How long they can keep it up is one of the most intriguing questions of this Premier League season.
