da poker： From enduring a pointlessly complex, departmental and almost emotionless style of football under former manager Andre Villas-Boas at the start of the season, the December-time appointment of Tim Sherwood has seen Tottenham adopt a basic, bold and passionate mode of play, donning 4-4-2 formations and more long balls to Emmanuel Adebayor than the Spurs gaffer has gilets in his wardrobe. The fashion police certainly want a word about touchline attire.
da dobrowin： From the painfully boring, chess-like approach of his predecessor, despite claims of its naivety, Sherwood’s more typically English brand of football has been a refreshing change for the White Hart Lane faithful, and by in large it’s had the desired effect – prior to their 4-0 drubbing at the hands of Chelsea two weekends ago, the Lilywhites had claimed 25 out of a possible 36 points under Sherwood’s regime.
But as Tottenham found out last week, as they endured three defeats in the space of eight days, using England’s tactics from the 1998 World Cup certainly has its flaws – especially against top quality opposition.
Sherwood had few good words to say – and a lot of bad ones – following his side’s implosion against Chelsea, in which all four Blues goals could be traced back to individual defensive howlers, or a rather speculative refereeing decision. But Jose Mourinho will feel that the three points were always in the bag; Spurs’ hit-and-hopes to Adebayor and blunted attempts to counter-attack never looked like getting past a Chelsea backline that don the best defensive record in the Premier League this season. It was always a case of how many goals the Stamford Bridge side would go on to win by, rather than the result ever being in serious doubt.
Likewise against Benfica. Tottenham at least managed to get on the scoresheet in the 3-1 defeat, but the rest of the game consisted of the North Londoners trying to find gaps around a well-organised Champions League standard defence that simply weren’t there. Perhaps a little more composed craft on the ball, and better quality goalscoring opportunities would have emerged.
The same can be said for the Lilywhites’ 1-0 loss in the North London derby. Barring Tomas Rosicky’s sensational strike on the break in the second minute, Sherwood’s side had full control of the match from the opening to final whistle, best illustrated by their 17 shots, compared to Arsenal’s seven, and 60% possession – the Gunners spent most of the match camped on the fringes of their own box.
But despite this autonomy over the ball, and Adebayor’s impeccable efforts to try and make something fall kindly for Spurs in the final third, the breakthrough never happened. It was like a porno with no money shot, a massage with no happy ending, a Michael Macintyre stand-up routine with no chubby-cheeked face-wobbling or xenophobic impersonations.
That mystical, magical yet most vital ingredient, that expensive saffron to embellish an otherwise ordinary beans on toast, was absent, and Tottenham duly found themselves unable to produce the creative quality required to get past Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker. There was a lot of effort, work-rate and get-up-and-go, however no sophistication. This is best demonstrated by the fact that just two of Tottenham’s 17 shots were actually on target.
But I lay firm in the opinion that the answer to this glut in creation already exists within the White Hart Lane roster, in the form of Danish international Christian Eriksen.
Of all seven of Tottenham’s summer signings, it’s the 22 year-old who has surprisingly slipped under the radar the most – symbolic of his stealthy and illusive playmaking style.
Despite this, he arrived at White Hart Lane with arguably the strongest track record of Spurs’ summer acquisitions and the greatest chance of success in England; a product of the famous Ajax total football academy; an Ajax Player of the Year and Dutch top flight Young Player of the Year; a 42-cap Denmark talisman; already well-blooded at Champions League level and last term donning a return of eleven goals and 13 assists in the Eredivisie; for just £11million the attacking midfielder was an absolute steal.
For the Dutch champions, Eriksen was their prime No.10 – controlling and conducting the flow of the game whilst also getting on the score sheet, with astonishing consistency for a player so young. For Tottenham however, and especially under Sherwood, the Danish prodigy has most commonly been utilised on the left wing.
Eriksen has claimed an impressive four goals and two assists in ten appearances from the left midfield role, but lacking natural pace and characteristically always looking to receive the ball on the back foot, his attacking options remain relatively limited to cutting inside or whipping an early cross.
Perhaps that’s why Sherwood likes him there, and measuring in at just 5 foot 10 with limited athletic ability, the concern that Eriksen may get muscled out of the game in a more central role is certainly understandable – it’s not hard to envisage the Dane getting bullied off the ball by one of the Premier League’s many six-foot-plus anchor men.
But amid defeats to Chelsea, Benfica and Arsenal, Sherwood has elected to play Aaron Lennon, Harry Kane and Nacer Chadli respectively in the No.10 position, none of which can compare to the 22 year-old’s natural creativity and flair, or his ability to orchestrate play.
What Tottenham need most in attack is an element that provides variation from their growing one-dimensionalism. Adebayor’s height and strength is certainly a potent weapon, but it requires complimenting with an auxiliary, less basic and more subtle threat. Eriksen’s intelligence on the ball would provide that in abundance; he sees spaces before they are vacated, passes before runs are made, and gaps in defences that are yet to emerge. Most importantly, the attacking midfielder possesses the clinical technique to match his exceptional reading of the game.
Sherwood’s approach to every aspect of management is honest and earnest – he shoots from the hip in press conferences, and one can envisage his tactical pep talks consisting of telling the players not to overcomplicate football’s most basic concept of putting the ball in the back of the onion bag. On the touchline, he roars like a lion, and expects the players to echo that emotive passion on the pitch.
But top sides need something more than simply heart-on-sleeve performances. They require guile and wit, craft and creation, cleverness and complexity. That’s what Erikson can offer Tottenham, but in order to so to full effect, Sherwood must grant him a more pivotal, and most importantly, central role in the starting XI.
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