Adebayor stands tall for Monaco

By Matthew Spiro

AS Monaco FC thrashed RC Deportivo La Coruña 8-3 at the Stade Louis II last November, and striker Emmanuel Adebayor is hoping to help them inflict more pain on their Spanish UEFA Champions League opponents on Tuesday.

Minor role
The Togolese international played a minor role in last season's victory, coming off the bench in the 75th minute when all eleven goals had already been scored, but was nonetheless able to savour the occasion.

'An incredible night'
"Just to be involved in a small way was fantastic," he told uefa.com. "It was an incredible night - the kind that only comes around once in a career if you're lucky. We're certainly not expecting a similar kind of game on Tuesday. Deportivo will be ready for us this time."

Focal point
With Dado Pršo, scorer of four goals in that game, and Fernando Morientes no longer at the club, Adebayor has been handed greater responsibility this season and looks certain to be the focal point of Didier Deschamps' attack on Tuesday. "The coach has shown faith in me and so have my team-mates," said the lanky 20-year-old, who has scored three goals in ten games. "This is the longest run in the side I've had and I'm really enjoying it."

New-found confidence
The former FC Metz striker was on target eight times last season but is hopeful of improving on that tally this year. "When you play regularly you gain confidence and I feel it every time I step on to the pitch," he explained. "Now I'm attacking balls rather than waiting for them to come to me. I just need to be a little more efficient in front of goal, then I could have a really good season."

Great mentor
Adebayor believes his progression has also been helped by playing alongside quality forwards such as Morientes. "I learned a huge amount from Morientes," he continued. "In fact - and I can admit it now he has left - he's been my idol for many years. The way he loses his marker is so impressive, but he also has great tactical awareness. He knows when to drop deep to help the team and that's something I've been working on."

Forward planning
Deschamps invested heavily in attackers in the summer, bringing in Ernesto Chevantón and Mohamed Kallon and signing Javier Saviola on loan from FC Barcelona. With Shabani Nonda and Souleymane Camara already at the club, Adebayor knows he will have to be at his best to hold down a regular place. "The competition is strong and it's getting stronger because Chevantón and Nonda are back from injury," he said. "But I'm still learning my trade and I'm just thrilled to be competing with so many good players."

Height advantage
Adebayor, who stands at a giant 1.90m, knows he has one advantage over the others. "I'm the tallest so the coach knows he can use me as a target man and put quicker players around me," he said. "I played with Chevantón earlier in the season and it worked well because he's small and very quick while I'm big and can win balls in the air. It's the same when I play with Saviola."

Better must come
The Togolese forward is set to partner Saviola against Deportivo in a match Monaco need to win after losing 2-0 at Liverpool FC a fortnight ago. "It was a bad result and a bad performance at Liverpool," Adebayor said. "We can play better than that and we will have to if we want to beat Deportivo."