Eriksen sees points for attacking Spurs at Old Trafford
(Reuters) - Tottenham Hotspur playmaker Christian Eriksen is relishing the attacking philosophy instilled by new head coach Tim Sherwood and sees no reason why it cannot lead to more success at champions Manchester United on Wednesday. Spurs have picked up two wins and a draw in the three Premier League games since former midfielder Sherwood replaced Andre Villas Boas who was sacked earlier this month. Sherwood, 44, has recalled striker Emmanuel Adebayor to play alongside Roberto Soldado in the forward line of a 4-4-2 formation that has resulted in seven goals in three matches. Spurs only managed 15 goals in 16 league outings before that. Having lost at home to West Ham United in the League Cup, Sherwood led Spurs to a 3-2 win at Southampton, then a frustrating 1-1 home draw with West Bromwich Albion before Sunday's 3-0 win over Stoke City moved them up to seventh in the table. Former Ajax Amsterdam midfielder Eriksen won at Manchester United last year with the Dutch side in the Europa League and believes his new side, who were victorious at Old Trafford for the first time since 1989 last campaign, can repeat the feat. "I think we should go to United and just play like we did against Stoke," Eriksen, signed in August, said in quotes carried by British media on Tuesday. "We should just play free. We will still get space and we just have to take our chances. "Of course United are a better team than Stoke and we have full respect for them, but I think we can get something from the game." Victory for Spurs would move them ahead of United in the table and aid belief to their title challenge. They trail arch rivals and leaders Arsenal by eight points. Eriksen said that Sherwood had told the expensively assembled squad that they had played with fear under Villas Boas, whose reign ended with a 5-0 humiliation at home to Liverpool three weeks after a 6-0 thumping at Manchester City. "The coach has told us to play more free," the Dane said. "We have seen that in the games (Sherwood has taken charge of). He said it looked like we were a little bit afraid (before). "He said we shouldn't be afraid. He said we should just play and see that we are good. If we dare we have a really good team and really good chances. "I think what you see now is how we should play." United, though, will be a stern test for Sherwood and his progressing Spurs. The champions have won their last four Premier League matches to revive their own title ambitions. They sit level on points with Tottenham but have injury concerns with Robin Van Persie and Marouane Fellaini still out and Wayne Rooney struggling with a thigh problem. Eriksen believed Spurs could trouble David Moyes' side. "If you go there the only thing you should be afraid of is the players. The crowd and everything, just forget them," he said, adding it had served Ajax well in their 2-1 victory in February 2012. "It was a good night for us. We were young players, it was a big stadium to play in but it was a good game. "We had the feeling that we were not afraid. We just played our own game. "I think if (Spurs) play our own game we can make every team have a difficult evening."
