Tottenham Hotspur vs. Sunderland: 6 Things We Learned
Christian Eriksen was the man of the match for Tottenham Hotspur in a 5-1 win over Sunderland in the Premier League at White Hart Lane, per Spurs' official website.
Harry Kane scored his debut Premier League goal, and Emmanuel Adebayor continued his excellent form under Spurs manager Tim Sherwood.
Here are the six things learned from Spurs' comprehensive victory over Sunderland.
Christian Eriksen: Future Tottenham Hotspur Great?
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Tottenham Hotspur manager Tim Sherwood comes from the Harry Redknapp school of managing.
"Football is not won or lost on a TV screen or a board," Sherwood said in January when questioned about his tactical nous, per Paul Hirst at The Independent. "It is about getting on the grass and showing them what you actually mean."
Translation: Tactics smactics.
It still is bizarre how Sherwood is not building the team around Christian Eriksen, who is a central attacking midfielder, not a left-winger.
But in Spurs' 5-1 win over Sunderland, Sherwood persisting with Eriksen in a free-roaming left-sided role worked wonderfully.
Why?
It was a tactically advantageous matchup for Spurs.
Sunderland had a struggling Santiago Vergini lining up as a right-sided centre-back in a back three, while Phil Bardsley was more advanced as a wing-back, so Eriksen occupied the space between the two.
There was no effective communication between Bardsley and Vergini, as Eriksen was given space and time.
Eriksen's first two assists came via crosses, and then he scored a low left-footed drive past Sunderland goalkeeper Vito Mannone.
A left-footed cross, a right-footed cross and a left-footed finish.
This is Eriksen's first season playing on an up-and-down team and not even starting in his preferred position.
What a star.
Emmanuel Adebayor Why Tim Sherwood Isn't Unemployed
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Without Emmanuel Adebayor's 10 goals and three assists for Tottenham Hotspur, Tim Sherwood probably would have been fired by now.
"When everyone forgot about me he [Sherwood] gave me back my life. I am very grateful and I owe a big thanks to him," Adebayor said, per Sky Sports 1 (via Andy Hodgson at the London Evening Standard). "I am playing and scoring goals, I would hope he [Sherwood] stays."
There is affection between Adebayor and Sherwood.
Adebayor has gone from being an outcast to a Premier League star again.
Meanwhile, Sherwood can rely on Adebayor to score consistently, unlike Roberto Soldado, who is a heavy burden.
With Soldado out injured against Sunderland, Adebayor came up big again, scoring twice.
Harry Kane's Breakout Premier League Game
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Being an English prospect is a double-edged sword.
The good is receiving widespread attention; the bad is being lumped as another overrated English player, a criticism Harry Kane has had to deal with.
Kane may never become a Premier League superstar, but he is technically good enough to be a solid Premier League starter, with or without Tottenham Hotspur.
Kane scored, had some nice touches, acted as a good foil for Spurs centre-forward Emmanuel Adebayor and was not afraid to pull the trigger (eight shots, five on target).
Intangibly, Kane showed grit to soldier on after clashing heads with Sunderland centre-back Wes Brown.
Kane, a former Norwich City loanee, has now equalled the amount of Premier League goals Norwich's £8.5 million-valued Ricky van Wolfswinkel has accumulated this season (one).
Another Unforced Error
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Having received the ball from Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, who was in the process of getting back into position, Spurs centre-back Vlad Chiriches incomprehensibly played a cross-field ball intended for his partner Younes Kaboul.
Sunderland central midfielder Lee Cattermole intercepted the errant pass and placed the ball beyond a scampering Lloris.
Fortunately for Chiriches, it is only a footnote, since Spurs beat Sunderland 5-1.
When Spurs were beaten 4-0 by Chelsea, all four goals came via unforced errors.
The 4-0 defeat to Liverpool highlighted Spurs' tendency to lose concentration, and "the game was finished after two mistakes," according to Spurs manager Tim Sherwood, per Sky Sports.
These two games, plus Chiriches' error, are just snapshots of a reoccurring theme under Sherwood—Sunday League mistakes.
Tim Sherwood's Youth Policy
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Tottenham Hotspur hopeful Tom Carroll is unlucky that his loan spell at Queens Park Rangers coincided with Tim Sherwood's tenure as Spurs manager.
Sherwood has given 19-year-old Algerian international central midfielder Nabil Bentaleb a career break, 20-year-old deep-lying forward Harry Kane has had a run in the team, and 18-year-old Serbian central midfielder/centre-back Milos Veljkovic was subbed on in Spurs' 5-1 win over Sunderland.
During Spurs' 4-0 defeat to Liverpool, Sherwood promoted 18-year-old English midfielder Harry Winks to the bench.
You can lament Sherwood for not being tactically shrewd, but his preference to give a chance to Spurs prospects is great for the long term.
The Fall of Santiago Vergini
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Sunderland centre-back Santiago Vergini, on loan from Estudiantes, probably signed with the Premier League club in order to use it as a platform for potential suitors in Italy or Spain.
It has not gone smoothly.
Vergini's shambolic performance in Sunderland's 4-1 defeat to Arsenal could have been dismissed as a one-off.
In hindsight, it foreshadowed a worrying performance in Sunderland's 5-1 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur, which will further damage his falling transfer stock.
His defensive positioning was all over the place, and he looked lost as a right-sided centre-back in a back three.
To think he was a transfer target for Barcelona last July, per Veronica Brunati at Marca.
Statistics via WhoScored.com
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