Plauderecke » They are ahead of Manchester City despite scoring

Go to a game at any level, at your local park or in the Premier League, and you will still hear it. "We need a goal, shoot more!!!" Thanks to a rise in analytics, the inaccuracies of the statement have been explained many times. Such emotional messages are shouted at times of frustration but, without question, less and less people believe the more you shoot the more you score approach. For those still unsure about this notion, they should study the case of this seasons Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League. Spurs drew 0-0 on Sunday at Everton to move into fourth in the table, despite scoring just nine goals from their first ten matches. They are ahead of Manchester City despite scoring 19 goals less. Tottenham are where they want to be in the table but they are far from where they want to be as an attacking unit. Andre Villas-Boas side currently average one goal every 100 minutes in the Premier League. Of the nine goals, three have been penalties. The other six have come from open play, at an average of one every 150 minutes. Despite needing more goals, however, their fans are not shouting shoot more. Thats because, through 10 matches, Tottenham leads the league in shots per game (17.5). They are also third in the league in shots on target per game (5.9). This is not a team struggling to get into the final third and create opportunities, it is a team handing the opportunities to the wrong players. Finding Soldado Call it 4-3-3, 4-2-3-1, 4-1-4-1, or all of the above, Spurs are a side that plays with a sole striker flanked by wingers/attackers helped by a central three, usually with one pushing further forward than the other two. In nine of their ten league games so far, their main front man has been new signing Roberto Soldado. The Spaniard cost Tottenham 26 million pounds in the summer after scoring 59 goals in 97 league appearances during the last three seasons for Valencia in La Liga. He is seen as a major upgrade to what Spurs had last season. So far, Soldado has four goals (three penalties) but only one from open play. This has led some to put the blame on him as the reason for Tottenhams inefficiency in front of goal. "I need to see more from Soldado, I dont think he is helping his teammates enough," commented Robbie Earle during Sundays game on NBC. The 28-year-old obviously plays a part in Tottenhams struggles to score goals but it is much smaller than some believe. The cast of characters behind Soldado It is clear Tottenham is a team still trying to find their identity this season. It is not easy to make the amount of changes they made this summer and succeed immediately, something Villas-Boas acknowledged earlier this season after their win against Norwich. "We have good competition for places. We are stronger than the previous year, now we have more quality in depth and we need time to bond them together." This transitional time has seen a number of different players operate as the three attack-minded players behind the striker (the two wide players and the most attacking member of the midfield 3). At Everton on Sunday, AVB selected Aaron Lennon on the left, Lewis Holtby in the middle and Andros Townsend on the right. The three combined for just nine passes to their striker, with the left back and goalkeeper topping the combinations charts towards Soldado. (photo: fourfourtwo.com - Click For Larger Image) In total, Soldado combined best with his left back (who was the games best player) in an otherwise frustrating day finding outlets. (photo: fourfourtwo.com - Click For Larger Image) This has been the story so far for the sole striker in Tottenhams system. In the ten league games this season (Soldado 9 starts, Defoe 1), the starting striker has received the ball just 211 times; an average of just over 21 times per match. It is a remarkably low number for a team that shoots so often. League leaders Arsenal, ranked sixth on 14.3 shots per game and second with 6.4 shots on target per game, are finding their main striker a lot more. Olivier Giroud has started all ten of their league games so far. He has played 865 Premier League minutes (three minutes less than Tottenhams starting strikers) and has received 357 passes from his teammates (146 more). Not only has this helped Giroud score more goals but it also means he connects better with his teammates to help create a much more cohesive attack. Giroud averages close to 30 completed passes per game while Soldado is at just 21. Through 10 matches, the Frenchman is receiving 15 more passes per game than he would if he played as the sole striker of Tottenham, despite Arsenal having attacking threats in the likes of Aaron Ramsey, Santi Cazorla and Mesut Ozil who have all showed they can score consistently at this level. Tottenham, on the other hand, have surrounded Soldado with gifted players, many who have yet to prove they are goal scorers at this level, meaning they should be relying more on the Spaniard to not only finish off balls they give him but to get involved in the attack and help them more. Lennon certainly isnt a scorer and knows his role, except he now finds himself on the left where he cant deliver regular crosses in for Soldado, who scored all of his 24 La Liga goals last season in the penalty box. Townsend, now preferred on the right, has started each of their last nine games and leads the team in shots per game, twice as many as Soldado. Englands new golden boy, however, is part of the problem at Tottenham, wasting many chances and not combining with the clubs star striker. There is some irony that Townsends only goal this season came from a cross, not finished by any of the players in the box, which rolled into the corner of the net at Aston Villa. The winger is clearly a favourite of the manager but for the club to succeed going forward he must start to work better with Soldado. A grand total of 23 passes to the striker of choice in 757 Premier League minutes so far is abysmal. Townsends pace and ability to penetrate deep into opponents territory is impressive but he needs to find his striker a lot more than once every 33 minutes if he is to turn into a player Tottenham can rely upon. Mesut Ozil, he will never be, but it is worth noting the German has found Arsenals striker 44 times in 608 minutes, or once every 13 minutes. (photo: fourfourtwo.com - Click For Larger Image) Five of Tottenhams six open play goals this season have all come from their own efforts, and even the goal they scored from a direct mistake (their second at Villa scored by Soldado) you could argue came from Tottenhams high pressing that caused the home sides turnover. The other five showed examples of what Spurs need to do to improve. Gylfi Sigurdssons brace against Norwich was helped by Christian Eriksens decisive ball on the first goal and then ability to switch the play to find Paulinho on the second to cross the ball into the box. Eriksen again found Sigurdssons intelligent diagonal run against Chelsea and it is not difficult to assess that a Tottenham team in need of goals need the Danish creator back in the side. Defensive Solidity However, Villas-Boas clearly wants his team to be more difficult to break down, which is why Holtby has been preferred to Eriksen in the last three games and why new signing Erik Lamela has yet to play more than 27 minutes in a Premier League match. The former Chelsea man led his teams to just 15 clean sheets in 65 Premier League games as a manager before this season but he has already got seven from the teams opening 10 matches. Paulinho, a healthy Sandro and Moussa Dembele in the middle of the field have helped their back four look very comfortable. Michael Dawson is playing the best football of his career at centre-back, his new partner, the technically impressive, Vlad Chiriches looks perfect in this system while Jan Vertonghens move to left back has solved a long issue in that position. Spurs are ranked second in the league in shots allowed at just 9.5 per game and look very much like a top four contender at the back. Going forward, they now need to find the balance and that starts with getting Soldado involved in the game more. The Spaniard is not the problem for Tottenhams problems in front of goal. He is the solution still waiting to be discovered. Darrell Green Womens Jersey . -- The anointed starting quarterback for the Oakland Raiders is strengthening his hold on the position this training camp instead of losing it. Sonny Jurgensen Redskins Jersey . 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Hes aiming for a third consecutive win at the Yeongam circuit and, most importantly, a fourth consecutive F1 championship.TORONTO - Injuries, a crowded schedule and a fired-up opponent lying in wait. You couldnt fault Toronto FC manager Ryan Nelsen for cringing at the prospect of a hot, humid summer night in Houston. But Nelsen is looking forward to seeing his revamped lineup stand up and be counted in Saturdays MLS rematch with the Dynamo. Nelsen will be counting on 21-year-old defenders Doneil Henry and Nick Hagglund. Henry, who made his league debut in 2010, is a gifted athlete who is raw and still prone to mistakes. But his upside is immense and some see him as a future captain of Canada. Hagglund is a likable, athletic rookie who seems comfortable on any stage. Fearless is one adjective applied to him. "Its kind of exciting, to tell you the truth, to watch these guys playing and watch these guys progress," Nelsen said after training Friday. "Its fun watching these guys, especially like Nick and Doneil, progress as players and as humans." Thanks to a tour de force performance from England striker Jermain Defoe, Toronto (7-5-4) rallied from two goals down last Saturday to defeat Houston 4-2 at BMO Field. The Dynamo (5-11-3) have had all week to plan their revenge while Toronto, which has twice as many games this month as Houston, had a midweek encounter with the visiting Whitecaps. That 1-1 tie left its mark, with Nelsen revealing the bleak injury prognosis Friday before flying to Texas. Fullback Mark Bloom, who has started all 16 games this season, is out four to six weeks with a medial collateral ligament sprain. Brazilian winger Jackson will be out 10 to 14 days with a knock to the Achilles. They join captain Steven Caldwell on the sidelines. The Scottish centre back tore his quad in the win over Houston last weekend and is expected to be out for a month. Veteran Bradley Orr, a useful jack of all trades this season, replaced Caldwell against Vancouver and is expected to line up alongside Henry again Saturday. Hagglund, normally a centre back, will start for Bloom. "Im going to try and do my best Mark Bloom impression when Im on the field," said Hagglund. Dominic Oduro could join Canadian Jonathan Osorio and the central tandem of Michael Bradley and Collen Warner in midfield. Toronto will be hard-pressed if another defender goes down. Jackson would have been one of the candidates to replace Bloom if healthy. Nelsen only has fullback Ashton Morgan in reserve.ddddddddddddStarting left fullback Justin Morrow can play centre back in a pinch. Fullback Ryan Richter, currently on loan to Ottawa Fury FC, could be recalled next week for cover. Injury issues aside, Nelsen anticipates a rough reception in Houston. "I expect a very motivated, bordering on vicious to tell you the truth, Houston team," said Nelsen. "They have to win, they have to win in front of their fans. They have to win to get their season (going). "Theyve had injuries. Thats what theyve kind of hung their hat on, that it hasnt been a successful season (as a result). Now everybodys fit. Its a make-or-break game. We understand that. We cant match that, we have to better it." Veteran midfielder Dwayne De Rosario, who spent three seasons in Houston, also expects a spirited response from the Dynamo. "If theres one thing that I know, its that Dominic (manager Dominic Kinnear) is very good at is turning the team around," he said. "Definitely I think youre going to see a much more physical, much hungrier, more tenacious team come (Saturday)." Added Hagglund: "Its gut-check time." The good news for Toronto is that it stands third in the Eastern Conference with two or three games in hand on each of the four teams around it. And it has lost just one of its last nine games (a 4-1-4 run). Houston is winless in seven games, a stretch that has seen the Dynamo outscored 19-4. Houstons last league win was May 17 against Columbus. The Dynamo, however, are returning to full strength after the World Cup and injuries, Left back Corey Ashe (knee) may be the latest to come back. Midfielders Brad Davis and Boniek Garcia (both at the World Cup) and defenders David Horst (groin) and Jermaine Taylor (hip contusion) have also returned to the lineup. Houston is looking to erase memories of the wasteful Toronto loss. “Theres obviously a bad taste in our mouths from the way things went,” goalkeeper Tally Hall told reporters in Houston. NOTES: Defoe is one yellow card away from a suspension ... Midfielder Jeremy Hall has been loaned to Wilmington to get some playing time. Hell be back early next week ... Torontos busy spell continues next week with a friendly Wednesday against Defoes old team, Tottenham, and a weekend date with Sporting Kansas City. Follow @NeilMDavidson on Twitter ' ' '