Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Brad Friedel has heaped praise on Spurs’ strikers claiming that they thrive when playing alongside each other.

Jermain Defoe and Emmanuel Adebayor both started in the Europa League victory on Thursday and both scored to help Spurs qualify for the knock-out round at the expense of Panathinaikos.

The pair also started alongside each other in the North London derby at the Emirates last month and combined to give Tottenham the lead before Adebayor foolishly got himself sent off and ruled out for three games with Spurs going on to lose to Arsenal.

Friedel, who also got a rare start on Thursday, has seen many positives from the pair in recent weeks and believes that together they can play on each other’s strengths to bag bundles of goals this season. In particular Friedel believes that Defoe thrives when he plays alongside a player like Adebayor.

When asked if Spurs’ current strikeforce was amongst the best in the league Friedel told The Sun: “Absolutely.”

”When we have played with two up front, Jermain has really thrived on it, as he can save his energy for when he is inside the box.

“Jermain always plays on the shoulder of the defender so if a team want to push high up the pitch, he will always keep them honest.

“The goal he scored against Panathinaikos was just on-side but he is always right on the edge so defenders have to keep an eye on him.”

[ad_pod id='writer-1' align='right']