I think we all
wanted Tim Sherwood to succeed at Spurs didn’t we? What a shame it already
looks doomed to failure.
Of the many
mistakes he’s made since taking over; not seeing the point in holding
midfielders, trying in vain to bring the gilet back, not standing by the side
of the pitch when his team are losing, the worst must surely be shunting
Christian Eriksen to the left.
Eriksen’s one of
those players that it takes a while to appreciate just how good they are.
At first glance he doesn’t seem to have much that sets him apart, he’s not
especially quick, isn’t that impressive physically and while technically
accomplished isn’t hold your breath skilful. What he does do better than
almost anyone in his position is more often than not make the right decision.
The young Dane has
been unquestionably the best signing of the seven brought in with the Gareth
Bale money. Even out on the left he’s been decent enough. When he’s
had his chance at ten either earlier in the season under AVB or on the odd
occasion under Sherwood he at times has looked far and away Tottenham’s best
player. At 22 already with Champions League and International experience
it’s frightening how good he could be.
He sums up a kind
of Northern European footballing excellence does Christian, a no nonsense get
the ball and pass it the place it most needs to go type of playmaker. The
importance of putting the ball where it most needs to go has been drilled into
him from an early age, possibly as a result of the same type of futuristic
advanced training area used by Ivan Drago in Rocky IV (which given that his
footballing education was spent at Ajax can’t be too far away from
reality). At his best he takes the team where they need to go.
All of which makes
you wonder why Sherwood is sticking him out of the on the left. He’s not
been doing too badly there (although he’s been caught out defensively a couple
of times) it’s just that his potential to influence games has been so
diminished. When Tim took over and implemented a back to basics up and at
them 4-4-2 it made sense to fit him in there, with two strikers already
reducing control in midfield there’s no way you would get away with allowing
him to drift. Now though Spurs are set up in a formation with Erikson’s
ideal position and still marginalising him.
And it’s not even
as if the guy picked as a ten in his place is doing a decent job. As a
winger Nacer Chadli looks decent. With a free role behind a striker he
more often than not looks out of his depth. Given the obviousness of
swapping them I can only guess that this is Sherwood’s attempt at leftfield
tactical flamboyance. It’s enough to make you wonder just what game he’s
watching from the stands.
This is just the
most obvious part of Sherwood’s increasingly public breakdown. White Hart
Lane is increasingly looking like the setting for a recreation of Falling Down
with Tim instead of Michael Douglas. As shouts at everyone who’ll listen
about how his players have lost their passion and that he’s been overcharged
for a can of coke he must be aware that somewhere over his shoulder Daniel Levy
is emailing Louie Van Gaal and telling him the job’s his if he wants it.
You’d have to think that the first thing he’d do when he takes over is put
Eriksen back in the centre.
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