Could Solanke’s scorpion-kick be catalyst for Spurs?
Dominic Solanke scored a spectacular scorpion kick to earn Spurs a point against Manchester City on Sunday — Getty Images
Tottenham Hotspur fans had planned a 75th minute walkout for Sunday’s home fixture against Manchester City but plans were abandoned when Dominic Solanke scored one of the goals of the season just five minutes beforehand. Could that scorpion kick be the catalyst for Spurs?
With Spurs languishing in 14th, the pressure has been on Thomas Frank at Tottenham Hotspur. Heading into their match against Manchester City with just 2 wins from their last 14 in the Premier League, the majority of fans had given up hope and planned a mass walkout to show their frustration. It’s safe to say all was not well in this part of North London.
It quickly went from bad to worse when Rayan Cherki scored for the visitors after 11 minutes. A very poor first-half from Spurs — a half where the home crowd were completely despondent leading to Gary Neville commenting on the lack of hope in the stadium: “I have to say I’m shocked at this first 45 minutes, with how low this place is. This is desperate. This is not good.” And it got worse again as Antoine Semenyo doubled City’s lead right before halftime.
It felt like the writing was on the wall for Thomas Frank and it wouldn’t have been a shock if the planned walkout began at 45 minutes rather than 75. However, with nothing to lose at this point for Frank, he must have laid into his team at halftime because they came out with a bit of fight in the second-half and Dominic Solanke scored eight minutes in to give his side and the fans a glimmer of hope.
Solanke has missed a lot of action for Spurs this season through injury. With this being his first start at home in the Premier League since May. Two goals recently in the Champions League proved that he definitely has an impact but it was going to take something special to turn Spurs’ season around…
As Conor Gallagher whipped the ball in, it looked too far behind Solanke to get as he reached a foot back. Yet somehow he managed to make contact, getting enough of a connection to send the ball looping up and over Gigi Donnarumma who could only get the faintest of touches as it found the top corner. A scorpion-kick for the ages. Goal of the season? The stadium erupted.
Thanks to Solanke’s wonder strike Spurs earned a point at home to City. A game that at one stage looked like it was going to be a thrashing, instead breathes a little bit of hope. A single point on the table, but a massive point for the club.
Solanke’s scorpion-kick could prove to be the catalyst for Spurs this season. They have sorely missed their talisman. An array of attackers have failed to fill the void — Kolo Muani, Tel, Odobert, Kudus and Xavi Simons have 6 league goals between them, while Richarlison — 7 goals — has struggled to find consistency. They have heavily relied on goals from other areas. Defenders Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven are their second highest scorers in the Premier League with four apiece. Having Solanke back and hitting the ground running on his return could prove decisive as Thomas Frank looks to turn Spurs’ season around.
Thomas Frank has been under major scrutiny with many fans calling for him to be sacked — Getty Images
Although there has been a lot of negativity since Frank’s arrival, the club could end up having quite a successful season. They finished fourth in the Champions League group stage — behind only Liverpool, Bayern Munich and North London rivals Arsenal. Due to their top eight finish they await one of Juventus (13th place), Atletico Madrid (14th), Club Brugge (19th) or Galatasaray (20th) in the Round of 16.
They remain 14th in the Premier League but are only 7 points off a European place. With the table so tight this season and not a lot of consistency from clubs, Spurs could easily find themselves in a much better position should they find some form off the back of their impressive comeback.
With 4 goals in 4 games now for Solanke, he could be the difference. A classic number nine with a modern twist, he is a completely different type of attacker to his teammates. A tall, physical player who likes to impose himself on defenders. He offers them an out, happy to hold up the ball and link play or run the channels. He presses well from the front but most importantly he is a consistent threat in the box. He might not be an elite finisher — although his scorpion-kick would suggest otherwise — but he will always get into dangerous positions and get you goals.
Spurs have a tough run of fixtures coming up. They face the most in-form team in the league next week when they visit Manchester United. Then they host Newcastle, followed by a home North London derby the week after. The fixtures ease up for them after that run, especially after the March international break.
If Dominic Solanke can stay fit and continue his good run of form Spurs could have a very positive end to the season. His scorpion-kick brought their hope back and perhaps there is still something for Thomas Frank and the Spurs fans to cheer for.