Sherwood - I don't want Eriksen playing wide

Christian Eriksen has started to shine under Tim Sherwood and has been excellent for the last couple of months after a largely disappointing season.





The 22 year-old Danish international signed from Ajax last summer as part of the revamp Spurs undertook with a view to mounting a serious challenge. That challenge never materialised and disintegrated before the season was half completed.

Sherwood recently pointed out that he spotted him as an 18 year-old and immediately told Daniel levy to sign him.

"I watched him for Denmark in 2011 and I rang Daniel Levy the day after and said that he needed to sign this boy.

 "I don’t think he was available. I think he wanted to continue his education at Ajax and that is what happened.

"And perhaps Daniel didn’t follow up on it as he does not follow up on every player I tell him, as there are probably too many.

"He had a year left at Ajax. He has been great acquisition for the club and they have done well to bring him in."

Tim Sherwood says he doesn't want Christian Eriksen to play wide which is why he has licence to play inside and not as a winger. Attacking wise he has filled the role exceptionally well under Sherwood's guidance although defensively he has let himself down.

“I don’t want him to play wide. I think in my first game at Southampton, he played inside. I think he likes to play on the fringes of it and get the ball in between the lines rather than being on the combative side.

“He’s a number 10 or plays narrow enough on the sides – that’s his position. He plays loose and gets in those sneaky positions, and he can affect it beyond the midfield. If he gets it too deep you’re probably wasting him.

“Modric was similar. Modric played inside so who knows where he [Eriksen] might end up. He wants to learn and will adapt to what he’s asked to do.”

This weekend Spurs take on Stoke and Eriksen will once again line up on the left hand side of midfield free to roam inside with a more traditional winger on the opposite side, probably Aaron Lennon.

Sherwood is becoming a fan of the Dane explaining what European clubs know already that he is a talented guy. A section of 'Sherwood haters' like to latch onto every little word and invent what is not there. He has been criticised by them for inviting clubs to prise him away as if clubs don't have scouts, don't watch players week in week out.

There is no doubt that Eriksen has thrived under Sherwood which has been the result of a heart-to-heart between the pair.

"What I did say to him was to come and find the ball more, just come and float and find the ball in between lines for us and, when he does that, he creates some space and creates chances."

The was question marks over him last summer with a number of big clubs, question marks that he has now started to answer visibly to anyone watching, the words of a Head Coach make no difference to the situation at all.

"Christian doesn't see the pressure, doesn't feel the pressure, as it is embedded in him as he works so hard on it every day.

"He has just turned 22 but has the head of a 35-year-old.

"He knows when to speed it up and slow it down. You are always fearful that someone might come and take one of your best players and Christian is certainly one."

It's amazing that such common sense is used by those with an agenda who always think the grass is greener on the other side. I want it now is there cry, you can just hear them as children stamping there feet at their mother and saying it.

I'm no Tim Sherwood supporter, I'm a supporter of his burning desire to win and his expectation of the best from everyone but appreciate he was only ever an interim.

He has been excellent for youth development, probably the best we have ever had and I'm enjoying watching the development of Harry Kane who I didn't think would be good enough and Nabil Bentaleb. Now we can add Zeki Fryers to the list.

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Every club has to have home grown talent, the development of youngsters, and remember we have Tom Carroll at QPR, will enable the club to sell some of the established ones like Danny Rose and Kyle Naughton should they wish to do so.

Sherwood has a winning mentality and Spurs need more of that ilk. I discussed in Part 5 of the Spurs Need To Go Mental series that we needed more with the Gareth bale attitude of continual improvement and Sherwood sees Christian Eriksen in that mould.

"He's a fantastic advert for any young player who wants to improve himself because I drag him off the training field every day and say: 'That's enough, Christian, it's getting dark - go home to the missus'."

That's just the attitude we need, how many like him are there at Tottenham now. Sherwood deserves a pat on the back for bringing the best out of him not abuse.

Personally I felt the season was over when he was appointed, there was never any chance of Champions League football because the side simply wasn't good enough. It wasn't suddenly going to be transformed so I fail to see the point of hatred.

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