Rampant Rooney v sorry Soldado: United striker shows Spurs man how it’s done

As Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United played out a thrilling 2-2 draw at White Hart Lane that saw both teams leave chances on the field to win the match, the performances of each club’s talisman striker could not have been more different. Roberto Soldado again failed to impress at the top of Spurs’ attack while Wayne Rooney netted two goals, and caused the Londoners’ back-four problems right throughout the match.

The England international finished with another Man of the Match performance and continued his rich run of form while Soldado was again left sputtering on his own. Let’s break down the performances of the two strikers and see just how great the differences was.

Wayne Rooney: All-conquering, all-action

Rooney’s Man of the Match award could not have been more fitting, for he was—clearly—the best player at White Hart Lane. He actively pressured the Tottenham back four with his pressing and tackling, and whenever United did win possession, he made sure that he was in position to hurt the Londoners’ defence. The Englishman was by no means flawless in attack, but he was active, and it was this activity that hurt the home team on the day.

As his individual action Areas map shows, Rooney was involved right across the field. He was heavily involved every time United looked to build an attack, but he also realised when he needed to push forward and fill the void left by Robin van Persie’s absence—something that was pertinent in him being in the right place to prod home United’s opening goal.

Credit must also be given to his defensive work, something which is quickly becoming a hallmark of his game. Rooney made two tackles, two interceptions and four clearances, with his eight defensive actions one of the highest totals recorded from any player on the field.

Any doubts about Rooney’s importance to United were finally put to bed in this one.

Roberto Soldado: Missing again… but why?

Not for the first time this season, Soldado was quiet at the top of the attack. Unlike Rooney, he wasn’t active in defence (failing to make a single tackle, interception or clearance) and didn’t provide the same attacking potency as the Englishman did for United.

Soldado only completed 12 passes on the day and had one shot on goal—a perfect chance that he seemingly wasted after being played through superbly by Paulinho. Which, if we’re going to be brutally honest, was perhaps the best goalscoring chance Tottenham had all afternoon.

This draw made it four league games in a row without a win for Tottenham and, unsurprisingly, four leagues games in a row without a goal from Soldado. The question is as to why the Valencia hitman, who was simply so prolific for them last season, has failed to produce this year for the Londoners, and while the answer is somewhat complicated, much of it has to do with the service that he gets at Tottenham and the role that he’s trying to play.

Soldado—above everything—is a poacher. He loves to sit on the last man, pick up the ball in the box and produce a one-time finish. He isn’t big on tracking back with the ball to spark an attack; he doesn’t hold the greatest passing skills and isn’t going to pick up a lot of assists as a result. The summer signing was somewhat better coming back to the ball in the first half here, but after missing that glorious chance, he never quite showed the same involvement again.

If Tottenham are going to mount any challenge at the top-four this year, they need their talisman to start firing like he was last season—and soon. That means they either need to play the ball in to him in a way that suits his style and skills, or they need to play another striker alongside him more often to try and take away some of the pressure opposing defenders are putting on him.

Either way, the Londoners need to do something. Because, as was shown once more in their draw with Manchester United, the current system simply isn’t working.