A lot of fans don’t like Clint Dempsey, and will never take to him regardless of how many goals he scores for their side. That’s understandable; the American’s presence on the pitch is frequently frustrating, and his ball-playing ability is more awkward and laboured than someone like Rafael Van der Vaart. Unfortunately for Dempsey, he’s frequently being asked to perform many of duties vacated by the departed Dutchman. That’s tough.
However, Dempsey does have a value to this side – he may not be the most technically-proficient, his creative mind may not be quite as heightened, but he does score goals, and he does work extremely hard to make an impact.
Tottenham’s first goal yesterday has been dissected thoroughly already, and Gareth Bale’s measured cross and Manchester City’s many failures have already been acknowledged. Go back a couple of phases though, and you can see the role Clint Dempsey plays in this before he tapped-in to equalise.
The move which led to that goal started with Vicent Kompany’s panicked clearance upfield, which was forced by Dempsey chasing down a misplaced through-ball from Jermain Defoe. There are plenty of forwards who, on being wrong-footed by Defoe’s pass, would have pouted or put their hands on their hips and walked away – not Dempsey though. He creates the difficulty between Kompany and Joe Hart, and he prevents the England goalkeeper from comfortably collecting the ball. Hart fumbles, Kompany lashes the ball aimlessly upfield, and Tottenham created the phase of play which led to their first goal out of that moment.
It’s a minor detail, but given how much abuse Dempsey has taken, he’s owed some recognition for it.
For those who are need of a morale boost on a Monday morning, here are the highlights from White Hart Lane yesterday.
Weekend Premier League markets courtesy of William Hill – sign up for your account today and claim a free £25 bet.
Follow The Premier League Owl on Twitter and Facebook.
