Western Morning News (Saturday)
Ladapo is backed to continue on goal trail
Argyle manager Adams expects in-form striker to add to six goals in the last five games
Derek Adams expects in-form striker Freddie Ladapo to continue on the goal trail for Plymouth Argyle.
Ladapo has scored six goals in the last five games in League One, after netting only once in the previous 11.
Adams predicted at the end of August that Argyle would find it difficult to hold onto Ladapo in the future.
That was because the Pil- grims’ boss thought a number of clubs would chase his signature because of the way he plays the game.
Now Ladapo has started to add a regular supply of goals to his all-round play as the central striker in a 4-3-3 formation.
The question now is whether he can continue that against third-placed Sunderland at Home Park today.
Adams said: “I think I was ridiculed a wee bit when I said that Freddie was a very good striker and people were going to look at him.
“I think I have been proved right there because he has gone on and scored a good number of goals and will continue to do that.
“He’s a very strong player. He takes the ball in very well and he has an eye for goals.
“Yes, he does miss chances but he gets in that position to get that opportunity. He has been an important player.”
Adams has not asked Ladapo to play in a different way, or take up different positions on the pitch, during his recent run of goalscoring.
Adams said: “It just happens. We have been able to get opportunities for him, but that’s not to say there wasn’t opportunities for him before.”
Not only has Ladapo started chipping in with goals, there has been an added benefit for the whole team, as the Argyle manager explained. Adams said: “It takes a bit of pressure off everybody. We have got Joel Grant and Antoni Sarcevic who scored last week [in the 41 win at Scunthorpe United].
“I think that’s important when you have got your midfielders and wide players scoring. We know that [Ruben] Lameiras and [Graham] Carey are capable of scoring goals as well. And, from a set play, we got a goal from [Niall] Canavan as well last week.”