Source: Team_Talk
Adebayor returning to form
Emmanuel Adebayor says he is getting his "form back slowly" for Tottenham following Saturday's 2-1 victory at Wigan.[LNB] Spurs boss Harry Redknapp admitted he would "love" to turn Adebayor's current loan arrangement from Manchester City into a permanent deal after the Togo international shone despite playing the second half with his vision in one eye seriously impaired.[LNB]Adebayor, who set up the opening goal for Rafael van der Vaart after just three minutes, told talkSPORT: "I'm getting my form back slowly and I think I helped my team to win.[LNB]"Unfortunately the second half was quite difficult because I was playing with only one eye. I couldn't see the ball, I couldn't see my opponents or anything but I managed to stay on the pitch for 90 minutes."[LNB]Redknapp revealed Adebayor had asked to wear an eye patch over his injury but the manager had dismissed the suggestion, fearing he would "look like Johnny Depp".[LNB]But Redknapp is full of praise for Adebayor's influence.[LNB]Redknapp said: "His movement is top-class and he is playing with loads of enthusiasm. He got in some good positions today and we made it nine points out of nine so we are on a good run."[LNB]Redknapp's only concern was the "sloppy" defending early in the second half which allowed Wigan a sniff of a point after a first period in which the visitors ought to have been out of sight.[LNB]Van der Vaart polished off the opener after Adebayor pounced on a bad back-pass from Maynor Figueroa, then 10 minutes later Gareth Bale was able to head in a Luka Modric corner unchallenged.[LNB]Adebayor blasted over the bar and Bale almost repeated the feat from another Modric corner as Wigan, who failed to bring a save out of Brad Friedel in the first half, looked shellshocked.[LNB]A brilliant shot on the turn by Mohamed Diame on 63 minutes handed Roberto Martinez's men an unexpected lifeline, and but for Steve Gohouri's silly 73rd-minute sending-off for hacking down Bale, they may have taken it.[LNB]Redknapp had to start without a striker on the bench after Jermain Defoe was sent home from the team hotel on Saturday morning with a virus, but now believes he is reaping the benefits of a stronger squad.[LNB]Redknapp added: "The team I had to put out for the first two games wasn't a team I would have dreamed of picking. But we'll only get better. We have key players coming back into the squad and I think we're going to be strong this year."[LNB]Martinez admitted his side were once again undone by two "very, very soft" goals, but deflected suggestions that the summer departures of Tom Cleverly and Charles N'Zogbia had left his squad severely compromised.[LNB]Martinez said: "We have replaced them with players who are here at the football club. I don't think we are the sort of team that can replace players in the transfer market.[LNB]"We have to work with our long-term ambition."[LNB]Martinez will certainly have taken comfort from the way his side stormed back from their abject first-half performance, with attacker Victor Moses making a big impact in the first game since the loss through injury of Hugo Rodallega.[LNB]Martinez said: "I felt that Victor Moses was outstanding. He was a real threat. He is someone who has been working really well for the last 16 months. I don't think we can afford to go out and spend money to replace good performances.[LNB]"We need to develop our performances and I think the squad is stronger than last season if anything. You saw it in our second half performance against a very good Spurs side."
