I must say I was amazed by Tottenham’s 9 – 1 win over Wigan yesterday, and I think most others must be too. Wigan are not even one of the league’s worst teams and have beaten Chelsea this season so to see them go down 9 – 1 was quite a shock, particularly given that match reports will tell you that Chris Kirkland had a decent game. It was a memorable game, and not just because of Paul Scharner’s handball which occurred right in the middle of a media storm about a certain Frenchman’s handball. As Tottenham destroyed their opponents there were two players in particular who stood out: Aaron Lennon and Jermain Defoe. Lennon was magnificent, racing down the wing and sending in perfect crosses to set up four of the goals and got on the scoresheet himself – impressive for a player whose end product has been criticised – whilst Defoe helped himself to a magnificent five goals including a hat-trick in under 10 minutes; Defoe has become one of just three Premiership players to score five goals in a league game, joining legends Alan Shearer and Andy Cole in doing so, and has flown up the Premiership scoring charts to first – surely catching the attention of England manager Fabio Capello in the process. Capello would be insane not to pick Defoe and Lennon for his England squad given the form they’re showing this season.

Following the rout, Spurs boss Harry Redknapp was quick to praise Defoe; labelling him the best finisher in the country. Strong words, which will be taken for less value as it’s the player’s club manager who’s said them, but words that could ring true for a player who has always been seen as a goalscorer. I think it’s fair to say that Defoe is a confidence player – he has always managed a decent tally for whoever he’s played for, be it West Ham, Bournemouth, Spurs or Portsmouth, but his best form comes when he’s confident. Back before he joined Portsmouth he only managed 4 goals in just under 20 league appearances as he was no longer a first choice at Tottenham and his confidence and taken a drop – the move to Portsmouth brought his confidence back and he hit 6 goals in his first 6 games for Pompey to show what he was capable of. Now back at Spurs as undisputed first choice striker, his confidence couldn’t be higher and it showed in yesterday’s display as he constantly made powerful runs into the box and shrugged off defenders to bag himself goal after goal. It’s impressive that a man who missed three games due to suspension earlier this season is top of the goalscoring standings – this isn’t even Defoe’s first hat-trick of the season!

Confidence is not the whole reason Defoe’s excelling though – the striker has worked on getting his strength up, something Redknapp is proud of, and can now hold off defenders whereas earlier in his career he would be muscled off the ball too easily. Defoe is tenacious with the temper of a bulldog when riled and won’t give up on seemingly lost causes, chasing the ball vigorously until it’s too far for him to follow or out of play.

Redknapp’s comments aren’t going as far as to claim Defoe’s the best striker in the league, the Spurs manager stopped short of saying that, but his claim that Defoe is the best finisher will be met by competition from some of the Premiership’s leading names. Players like Fernando Torres and Didier Drogba will tell you that they are the best finisher in the league and it’s hard to argue given their records and the quality of some of the goals they score. Their goals to game ratios are higher but then you have to consider that they are playing at clubs which regularly qualify for the Champion’s League whilst Tottenham’s form has been sketchy to begin with for the last few years and only this season are they looking capable of the challenge for a Champion’s League spot that they mounted several years back. Lennon’s crossing and Defoe’s finishing are crucial to their chances and they will have to hope the duo remain fit – rivals for the top four spots Arsenal and Liverpool have both suffered this season as a result of injuries to their key striker; Robin van Persie and Fernando Torres respectively.

Redknapp’s comments ring of the euphoria that undoubtedly surrounds a manager following a convincing win for his team and he may be a bit premature in declaring Defoe as the best finisher in the league with so much league competition yet to go. Defoe is a player who has always been rated highly though and has usually been up there among the top scorers of the Premiership year in, year out. Now with more strength on his side and full confidence Defoe can outdo anything he’s done previously and a season ending in domestic joy for Spurs along with the top goalscorer award for Defoe would go a long way towards suggesting that the man is the best finisher in the country.

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