The return to form of a player who has struggled at another club is always pleasing to see. There are often a variety of reasons why a move to another club, or even country does not work out for a particular player. Roberto Soldado’s move to Tottenham in the summer of 2013 unfortunately turned out to be exactly that. This summer Villarreal ended his nightmarish stay in London and brought him back to Spain.
His move to London appeared the next logical step in his career path and his game seemed suited to the Premier League. Indeed, the initial part of his time at Spurs went well and in Europe particularly he looked the ideal foil for Andre Villas-Boas’ side.
However, the doubts had begun to creep in due to a lack of domestic goals from open play and soon he was snatching at chances that the year before he was scoring for fun. The confidence that had seen his stock rise to such a level at Valencia had almost completely drained away.
Why did his transfer not pan out well for him?
There are a variety of reasons that transfers of certain players to certain clubs do not work out. For some the change of team can result in different tactics that they fail to adjust to. Some simply do not get on with team mates and so become somewhat ostracized.
It seems from the little that Soldado has spoken of it that Villas-Boas’ departure at Spurs was the start of the end. When the coach who requires your services departs it always creates confusion within the squad and confidence can suffer as a direct result.
When watching Soldado play for Tottenham you could still see a technically sound player with the right attributes to succeed at that level. At the highest level though, self-belief is of paramount importance though and it was clear to see that in front of goal he had so much self-doubt.
When that sets in unless you manage to turn the sequence round quickly the game can become incredibly cruel.
Transfer to Villarreal helps his confidence grow
Fortunately for both Villarreal and primarily Soldado the return to Spain has seen him grow in confidence. His spell in England has improved his physical prowess and he has been an integral part in the submarines rise up the table.
With the ability to link up with some of the faster players around him, he has regained his composure in front of goal and added in other areas to become a more rounded player. At 30 years of age and having played for Real Madrid too his experience is invaluable with the younger players.
It is never nice to see players struggling when you have seen their capabilities and know they are capable of more. Unfortunately some things just do not work out, for whatever reason but Roberto Soldado has shown that will encouragement and some restored confidence it is possible to correct the slide.
Written by Andy Hunter
Follow Andy on Twitter @hunter67980
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