Can the rejuvenated Emmanuel Adebayor prove AVB wrong?

Tottenham Hotspur‘s interim manager Tim Sherwood seems to be quickly understanding what Andre Villas Boas might have completely failed to fathom about the Togolese striker Emmanuel Adebayor — the player can score if you trusted him to do so. Adebayor is showing spectacular form after being given the chance to play with the first team by Sherwood, and he is leading everyone to wonder why and how their highly rated former manager missed such a simple trick.

Adebayor endured a difficult offseason due to the death of his brother, and was granted compassionate leave which ultimately saw him miss the preseason preparations. The player also refused to leave the club in the summer when “AVB” planned to sell him, and was demoted to training with the development squad upon returning from Africa, which did not go down well with him. Subsequently, he was frozen out of the first-team and played only once during the debacle at the Etihad at the hands of Manchester City.

Villas-Boas relied on Adebayor last season as Tottenham beat their record Premier League points haul with 72. 

The striker played 34 games for the club and scored five goals in the last 11 games of the season.

But this term Villas-Boas often persevered with just Roberto Soldado up front, leaving Adebayor languishing in the reserves.
Villas-Boas came to Tottenham with a reputation for poor squad management - he banished Nicolas Anelka and Alex at Chelsea and upset many of the more established players at the club.

The Togo striker was frozen out at White Hart Lane by Villas-Boas, who was sacked on Monday following the 5-0 home defeat by Liverpool.

His only appearance before tonight was as a half-time substitute in the 6-0 mauling at Manchester City.

However, Tim Sherwood, who has been placed in temporary charge of the team by Chairman Daniel Levy, brought Adebayor in from the cold for the Capital One Cup quarter-final tie with the Hammers.

The 29-year-old took his tally to four goals in five games for Spurs following his reintroduction to the team by Tim Sherwood.
Emmanuel Adebayor has proved Andre Villas-Boas wrong after the striker’s goal put Tottenham on course for a 2-1 win over Manchester United at Old Trafford.

The 29-year-old’s header in the 34th minute brought his tally to four goals in five matches following his reintroduction to the team by Tim Sherwood.

Assou-Ekotto, who’s currently on loan at QPR, posted on Twitter: “I luv my man adebayor… He just show how AVB was wrong about him…Well done spurs happy for tim too great perf LOL.”

Christian Eriksen’s second-half goal extended Tottenham’s advantage over Manchester United after Adebayor’s opener, while Danny Welbeck’s strike set up a tense finish for Sherwood’s men.

Adebayor was stretchered off in the 70th minute but Sherwood was unable to elaborate on the Togo striker’s injury.

"At the moment he [Adebayor] has ice on every part of his body so we can’t tell what’s wrong with him,” Sherwood told BT Sport.

“He just runs all day long, he tries hard for the team, but it’s hard to single anyone out.

“We’ve got nine players injured so we’re having to go with it with a very small squad at the moment.”