SAS must stop sniping ... who shares wins
CRACKS APPEARING IN THE SAS
LIVERPOOL have two of the best strikers in the league, but I saw the first tiny cracks begin to appear in their relationship on Tuesday. Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge are like powder kegs. They are fantastic players but they’re both prone to the odd outburst and Brendan Rodgers has to manage that carefully. It looked as if Suarez was starting to lose patience with Sturridge for not passing to him, and Sturridge reacted badly to being substituted. They are both great talents and have combined so well, but they need to make sure they show Rodgers, and each other, the ultimate respect. It’s time for the SAS to start following orders.
PULIS ON THE UP
WHEN Tony Pulis joined Crystal Palace, I questioned the wisdom of his decision but, if anything, it’s enhanced his reputation. Pulis has never been relegated as a manager and, when he joined Palace, it looked like it might be the end of that record. But he has a good group and with players like Yannick Bolasie and Jason Puncheon, they are playing some good football. Pulis has been making noises about new signings and could have Tom Ince on loan, but he needs to be careful. Bringing in too many new faces will knock the confidence of the group and could disrupt the wonderful team spirit they have started to build.
GUS BRINGS CUP OF CHEER
SUNDERLAND have made such a dramatic improvement under Gus Poyet that it’s easy to forget just how bad things were under Paolo Di Canio. When the Italian left in September, they had one point, unhappy players and an atmosphere of despondency around the whole club. They’re not safe by any means, but they have caught up with the rest of the pack and have a cup final to look forward to. It’s refreshing to see they haven’t let the league take priority over the cup either. If anything, the cup results have spurred them on to better form in the league, which shows how vital it is to keep up that positive mentality in any game.
STOKE ARE SLIDING
MARK HUGHES’S side are steadily being sucked into the relegation battle. Stoke have now lost three in a row in the league and have not won since before Christmas. They are just two points above the drop zone and things do not look good. But what is interesting with Hughes is that he is still being very supportive of his players. They are in poor form but you can still see his ruthless competitive nature. Hughes is firmly in the trenches with his players and you need that, rather than harsh criticism, when you’re struggling to get results. Things don’t get any easier for Stoke, though. They face Manchester United tomorrow.
SQUAD WORRY FOR MARTINEZ
WHEN Romelu Lukaku was carried off on a stretcher at Anfield, I worried that the size of Everton’s squad might finally be catching up with them. You can’t plan for injuries like Bryan Oviedo’s terrible leg break, but Everton are being stretched. Without Lukaku they are short up front, which makes the decision to let go of Nikica Jelavic a strange one. In defence, Antolin Alcaraz is an international but he looked desperately short on Tuesday night and Roberto Martinez’s squad is starting to look strained.
TIM’S TACTICAL MASTERCLASS
AFTER a big defeat, the focus at Spurs is on the coaching structure, but I think they’re in safe hands. I met Tim Sherwood after the FA Cup tie with Arsenal and he impressed me. He and his coaches spoke about their dislike of the defensive midfield role this week, but he is intelligent enough to learn quickly and adapt. Spurs need greater protection in front of their back four, but Sherwood obviously wants his two central players to be more flexible. If ever he needed a lesson in finding the perfect midfield balance, he found it on Wednesday night. Yaya Toure and Fernandinho are the perfect partnership, and Sherwood would do well to learn from their approach.