Tottenham triumphed 1-0 against Sheffield United to secure a narrow first-leg advantage in their Capital One Cup semi-final, but Mauricio Pochettino's gamble to award Emmanuel Adebayor his first start since November 2 failed to yield the desired result.
With the teams still tied 0-0 on 64 minutes, the striker was substituted to a chorus of boos for the second time in four days having failed to break down Spurs' League One opponents.
It could have been a different story had Adebayor converted a first-half chance after collecting a long pass from Christian Eriksen, but instead he was forced to watch his replacement, Roberto Soldado, win the decisive penalty for Andros Townsend to score.
After excluding Adebayor from his match-day squads throughout the past two months, it was a surprise to see Pochettino swap the stick for a carrot on Wednesday evening, handing the forward the captain's armband in the hope it would inspire a match-winning display.
"I need to pick the best team for every game and we decide to pick him and we will try to take a positive result to next week," the manager explained before kick-off. "For us it's a very important game. We expect a tough game. We need to play our game."
It is difficult to discern exactly what Pochettino means by "our game", however, in a season that has seen Spurs labour to build a new identity, other than recording late 2-1 victories. Considering their best display of the campaign - the 5-3 win over Chelsea - relied on rapid movement in the final third and flowing counter-attacks, it can be deduced that was the manager's intention.
But that style of play is opposite to Adebayor's strengths as the statistics on Wednesday emphasised. Acting as a target man ahead of Harry Kane in the hosts' attack, the 30-year-old won more aerial duels than any other player on the pitch in the first half, but struggled to convince with the ball at his feet.
No other Spurs player, including keeper Michel Vorm, averaged a lower pass accuracy than Adebayor (69 per cent) before the interval, while he missed the target with both of his two shots before being substituted. That he managed fewer touches than any of his team-mates before his withdrawal tells its own tale of a peripheral performance.
The striker's frustration at failing to influence the game could be seen in one first-half incident involving Sheffield United's Louis Reed. As he tried to shield the ball, Adebayor's hand caught the midfielder in the face, and he was somewhat fortunate to only receive a yellow card.
Given their recent animosity towards him, Spurs supporters may not have been too disappointed had the forward received harsher punishment. Despite professing his love for the fans after being jeered at the weekend, Adebayor faces a long road back to a harmonious relationship with the home support. On Wednesday’s evidence, the same sentiment applies to his role in the first team.
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