HIAG, we didn't lose because Defoe scored - we lost because, for once, Ledley put in a shocker and because Norwich played with more determination than we did. I actually think our form has been on the slide since the injustice of the away result at Etihad and that, if anything, the 5:0 against Newcastle was the "blip" rather than the other way round.
We all know that Defoe plays well alongside a certain type of striker, but is basically useless in the lone role or when paired with pretty much any other type. He can't play alongside someone that's similar to him or someone that prefers to play in the hole, but he thrives alongside a big striker that occupies other defenders and lays the ball on for him. He works pretty well with Adebayor, but he's crap with van der Vaart or Saha. The same appears to be true of any combination of our forward line that doesn't involve the big, smiley Togolese striker. Saha's clearly still got something to offer. He's a good player, but was he the right player for us? I'm not convinced.
It's true what you say, PNP, and it is the most frustrating thing about Defoe. I've always said that he is the ultimate luxury player. He's great as an impact sub, but he doesn't score enough goals to justify a regular start in the side. He'd be great playing for a team like Everton or Stoke, one that sets itself up to defend and to hit on the counter.
We finished 4th with Defoe as our top scorer and main striker though, HIAG. We then brought in van der Vaart, who didn't really complement any of our forwards, once other teams worked out the pairing of him and Crouch. The balance of our squad should've been addressed in the summer and again in January. It wasn't.
I know what you are saying, PNP, and I cannot deny that your argument has great merit. However, I doubt any of us can deny that Harry has been right to try to mix up our tactics, in order to give us options, especially in Europe. The problem is, that Harry doesn't seem to be able learn from his tactical experiments, and rather tries to shoe-horn players into roles and positions that simply do not work for them or for the squad. I just think that Defoe is too one-dimensional to be anything other than a luxury player for us, which - to be fair to him - he hasn't complained about, when he's been used that way.
