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As with the majority of Spurs fans, I have mixed feelings about this seasons outstanding form of our former boy wonder Adel Taarabt and that is sure to continue should he face us next season.
Without question, the best player in the Championship this season, in a side that have at this time have already sealed the title and only a possible points deduction will spoil the party and see our one time superstar in waiting line up against us next season, that is of course assuming that there isn`t a major bid from either Barcelona, Real Madrid or even Arsenal in the summer to tempt him away from Loftus Road.
Nineteen league goals this season is a figure that if any one or our strikers had managed, we would probably be looking at a settled top four place already, instead we have scored only a combined fifteen goals with four established strikers this season, makes the stat even more upsetting.
Obviously scoring goals at a higher level is totally different, especially when you have a side that dominates games and next season, he might well be in a side that is battling relegation that for the title, and historically a great player at one level often doesn`t manager to step up in ability and looks poor to average against better and quicker opposition, but is Adel a player who will shine next season or find the upgrade in opposition a step too far?
In terms of ability, I have every belief that Taarabt has the quality and potential to still develop to make him a truly excellent player, but questions are still un-answered as to whether he has the mindset to be a team player or does he still need to be the individual match-winner that was said to be so frustrating to the coaching staff and Spurs and initially so at QPR?
Neil Warnock took the brave decision to build the team around Taarabt in one aspect, but also literally give him a free reign to play where and how he wanted and demanded that his team mates covered his backside and did his running and tracking. Adel was literally a free man to do as he pleased and to seemingly great affect.
Question is, whether he will have the opportunity to do the same next season, as well as have the quality. Surely he won`t get the same, time, space or chances to have such an influence and in turn will we see a player grow frustrated and isolated should Rangers struggle and he doesn`t get the supply he has become used to?
With Tottenham here was always the feeling that you had to build the team around Taarabt, which might work if you are Messi or Ronaldo, but is Taarabt that good and can a side like Spurs really think of having such a luxury item in the side as anything other than an impact player, which would never be enough got for Moroccan, who rightfully would have expected to be an automatic starter.
There will always be a part of me that feels that Spurs should have at least looked to use him as that impact sub last season, in preference to like for like replacements or at times where you needed unpredictability. I also wonder if he was the right player for Spurs but merely at the wrong time? Could we see him given a free role behind one striker, much in the way we have done so with van der Vaart? Two slightly different players, but could the chance have been given and what would have been the results?
So much could still change between now and the start of the season, QPR could still be consigned to the Championship, one of the game`s elite could make QPR an offer they cannot refuse or it could be simply a case that the player or the club cannot cope with the raise in quality and Taarabt`s "genius" might be too much of a luxury of Neil Warnock or will it ne Marcello Lippi? But I am thoroughly looking forward to seeing Taarabt run out in the Premiership, but I still haven`t a clue whether we will see a footballing genius at work or a flat track bully who isn`t up to playing at the very top of the game...
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