Tottenham vs Everton preview - Sherwood demands better at the Lane

Posted Saturday, February 08, 2014 by PA

Tim Sherwood knows Tottenham's home form needs to improve quickly if they are to stand any chance of Champions League qualification, starting with Everton on Sunday.

Spurs' last outing at White Hart Lane ended in a 5-1 trouncing by Manchester City, who were the fourth side to win in north London this term.

Tottenham's home record of just 18 points from a possible 36 makes for bleak reading, especially given their 26-point haul on the road is the joint-best in the Barclays Premier League.

Sherwood wants to replicate that away form at White Hart Lane and hopes to get back on track with victory against the Toffees.

"The results haven't been great from the start of the season up to now at home," the Spurs head coach said.

"Funnily enough, in a very bad result against Man City, I thought the fans were magnificent, really stuck with us and we just hoped we could have made it a special evening.

"Unfortunately it didn't work for us but it is vitally important that you win your home games.

"Our away record has been excellent, but if you're going to be top four you've got to play very, very well and get the results both home and away."

To keep up with the chasing pack, Sherwood is all too aware of the importance of the clash with Everton.

The Toffees have impressed under Roberto Martinez this season, but Sherwood believes the recent 4-0 Merseyside derby defeat highlights their fallibility.

"Roberto has done very well," the Spurs boss, who welcomes back winger Andros Townsend and midfielder Mousa Dembele from injury on Sunday, said. "He has been a good manager for a period of time now.

"He had a fantastic period at Wigan and he has gone there and it has been a fantastic start. He has changed the way Everton play.

"They look to be a little more adventurous but we would have to say that David Moyes did an excellent job at Everton in the period of time he was there.

"It is good, it is attractive to watch and we know by playing that type of football you can occasionally leave yourself open to what we saw in the derby up there at Anfield.

"You've got me started on this formation thing, but it is all about individual players fortunately or unfortunately. Individual errors count for the goals.

"If you look at those goals they conceded against Liverpool, it was not because they were wide open it was to do with individual errors and unfortunately they couldn't turn it around a very good side.

"But I have seen Everton do that to a lot of teams this season, so we hope to catch them on a bad day."

Martinez hopes January loan signing Lacina Traore can add an extra dimension to his side as they seek to finish the season strongly.

The Ivory Coast striker is approaching full fitness having arrived from Monaco last month with a hamstring problem and could be in the squad to face Spurs.

At 6ft 8in he is one of the tallest players in Europe but Martinez insists he should not be stereotyped because of his size, although he is hoping to take advantage of his physical attributes.

"He is very different to what we have got," said the Spaniard.

"When you see him straight away he gives you a clear idea of what he can bring to the team.

"He is stronger than I thought and he has an incredible appetite for his debut.

"You don't get many foreign players who come to a club and show that appetite for the league.

"After he watched the last home game against Villa you could see he was desperate to play.

"His co-ordination for such a tall guy is quite rare and I think that is where his biggest strength is.

"Technically he is very gifted and the combination play in the final third is as good as it gets.

"As a striker he has all the attributes you wouldn't expect to have in a tall guy and that is what makes him quite rare because he has the physical presence to be a target man in open play.

"He brings extra competition. Romelu Lukaku has been one of the outstanding performers, not just at this club, but in the whole league and for us to have those two options as well as the other players who have been filling in like Steven Naismith and Kevin Mirallas makes this final third of the competition as exciting as it has ever been."