Emmanuel Adebayor says he will not be motivated by the desire for revenge when he faces his former Arsenal teammates at the City of Manchester Stadium today. Invigorated by his £25 million (Dh152.8m) summer move to Manchester City, love is in the air for the Togo striker and it is pushing him to reach greater heights.
Three goals in as many league games are the perfect riposte to the Arsenal supporters who doubted him, questioned his commitment and were happy to see him leave the Emirates Stadium. While that hurt and left an indelible stain on his three years with the Gunners, Adebayor will have no extra desire to prove a point today. "You don't have to use criticism for revenge," he said. "There is no human being on this earth who is perfect.
"Today can be good, tomorrow can be better and after that it can be worse. People will always judge us on what we do, which is normal, so you just have to take the criticism as a compliment. "The most important thing is to enjoy yourself and that's what I am doing now. Arsenal were the team I followed as a child because [their former striker] Kanu was my hero, but now my team is City. "The fans love me and of course it makes you better when that happens.
"If you are doing the wrong things and the fans are behind you then you have the motivation to make it better. "You think, 'OK, I've got 50,000 people behind me singing my name I have to give something back'. They push you and I feel confident. I am happy I am scoring and the team is doing well." Adebayor's impact at Eastlands has been instant. His performances have emphasised the quality that had Barcelona and AC Milan pursuing him and invited comparisons with other top target men, Didier Drogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Adebayor knows that upsetting Arsenal will keep him on the path to success. "If you want to be one of the best strikers in this league, one of the best in the world, it means that in every single game you have to score," he said. "Most of the time if I have a chance and didn't take it, when I get home, I am replaying it in my mind. I don't want that, so I want to score, I want to play well in every game and score against every team. It's a lot of pressure, but I know how to deal with it. "
After three wins out of three and no goals conceded, City are buoyant, but Arsene Wenger's side will provide their first major test. Producing some fabulous football and beaten only in a close encounter at Manchester United, Arsenal are keen to show they remain a top four side, a place that City covet. Cesc Fabregas will be back to strengthen the midfield but Andrey Arshavin is out. Adebayor said City have someone to match him in Gareth Barry, who has also excelled since his arrival from Aston Villa.
"He's intelligent on and off the pitch," he added. "I had the chance to play with Fabregas and now Gareth Barry and they are one of the best midfielders in the world, very clever. It will be a special game for me against Arsenal, but in a good way because I will be playing against my old friends, those who made me the Adebayor of today. "But I will do everything to help Manchester City win the game. We have started well, but we need to keep doing what we have been doing and we have to believe." Carlos Tevez, who has an ankle injury, will miss today's game and fellow striker Robinho is also doubtful with an ankle knock.
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