Holtby and Defoe v Eriksen and Soldado: The Duos Defining an Evolving Tottenham

As Roberto Soldado and Christian Eriksen deliver early signs of a quite brilliant understanding on the pitch, Jermain Defoe and Lewis Holtby are showing they have already struck one of their own. Two partnerships that go some way to defining Tottenham's stylish new attack.

It may just be two months into the new season, but early indications suggest the combination of Andre Villas-Boas, Franco Baldini and Daniel Levy have addressed the concerns that mercilessly prayed on the minds of Tottenham fans throughout the summer, and compensated for the loss of Gareth Bale.

But the task of ensuring the transition goes smoothly has been laid solely at the feet of the Portuguese coach.

The loss of the brutally direct Welshman left the Spurs boss with little choice but to look for different players capable of doing different things.

In the signing of Christian Eriksen, he has done exactly that. The technically accomplished Dane has only made three Premier League appearances for Spurs following his £11m move from Ajax, but has already earned adulation for his immediate understanding with Soldado, the highest praise coming from the Spaniard himself.

Andre-Villas-Boas penchant for playing differing versions of a 4-3-3 formation, something he has looked to implement throughout his managerial career, would appear tailor made for a player of Eriksen's mould.

The manager's preference has been reflected in his transfers since becoming Tottenham boss, with Gylfi Sigurdsson, Moussa Dembele, Lewis Holtby, Nacer Chadli and Erik Lamela all capable of adapting to a fluid, interchangeable attack.

Early indications suggest the Eriksen/Soldado combination may be Villas-Boas' first choice, but the sight of Holtby and Jermain Defoe striking their own compelling understanding suggests the manager may have a welcomed headache in selecting his attacking options.

Defoe with Holtby operating in a free role has been the preferred option for Villas-Boas in European competition thus far, a justified selection choice given the enthralling performances the duo have produced.

In a Europa League second leg qualifier against Dinamo Tbilisi in late August, Defoe scored twice, the first of which was teed up by the Germany Under-21 international, before he himself netted a sublime effort from 25 yards out to round off a 3-0 win.

In the club's first group game against Norwegian underdogs Tromso, the pattern continued as the England international added his 19<sup>th and 20<sup>th European goals for the club, another of which came from a perfect through ball from Holtby.

The Capital One Cup provided another chance for the attacking midfielder to stake a claim as the club's chief creative hub, an opportunity he eagerly took as he laid on three assists for his teammates in a 4-0 thrashing of Aston Villa, again supplying Defoe who netted a third consecutive brace.

While other factors cannot be ignored - the quality of opponent on show and more pertinently the glimpses of magic provided by record signing Erik Lamela who supplied one of Defoe's goals against Tromso - Holtby's insatiable knack for creativity and Defoe's ruthless touch in front of goal has been unrelenting when given the chance.

Another is likely to come tonight when Spurs take on Anzhi Makhachkala in their second Europa League group game.

After a subdued start to his career at Tottenham, Holtby is now beginning to flourish and his endearing enthusiasm suggests he is happy to be part of his manager's rotation policy during a pivotal season for the club.

Combined with Defoe's unerring contribution, creativity and goals seem unlikely to be a problem for Villas-Boas' side on all fronts this season.