Paulinho

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Spurf

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Jan 27, 2011
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Interesting article on Paulinho.

Paulinho interview: I'll prove my worth to Tottenham and Tim Sherwood
Midfielder is a regular for World Cup hosts Brazil, but has endured a difficult first season in the Premier League at Spurs

Fernando Duarte
The Guardian, Thursday 3 April 2014 23.00 BST


Paulinho had heard about "rotation" before he moved to England last summer but he had never experienced it. Now he has, and he does not like it. At all. The Brazil international, who joined Spurs for a then record £17m, wants to play every possible game, every possible minute – and it has not happened this season.

But setbacks of this sort do not faze the 25-year-old, who looks certain to be included in Brazil's World Cup squad despite his lack of playing time at Spurs. He has already had his sliding-door moment, six years ago, when he decided to fight on rather than to quit football altogether. At that time he had already been to Europe once, playing for Vilnius in Lithuania and Lodz in Poland, and did not get a contract with a top-flight club in Brazil when he returned.

Any thoughts of giving up, however, were ended by his wife, Barbara. "She basically told me I would be letting down my family and everybody who had sacrificed something to support my dream of being a professional footballer. She was quite tough on me," he says. "I keep her words and the memories of the difficulties I have had in my career as a way to keep things in perspective when things don't go my way. In the meantime, I have to keep my head down and work hard."

And an improvement is needed, both for Paulinho and Spurs. It has been a tumultuous season at White Hart Lane and this week Tim Sherwood challenged Paulinho to "prove himself" in training in order to cement his place in the starting XI. "I pick players on what they are doing in training, not on reputations and price tags," the Tottenham manager said. "I can't be worrying if the Brazil national manager wants him to play every week. I am going to do what is best for Tottenham, not any national manager."

Paulinho is happy to work hard in training – and that is exactly what he is doing, but he does admit that it hurts not to be playing. "You are told before coming to Europe that big teams here quite often rotate players," he says. "I respect this culture but it is instinctive for me to get annoyed if I don't play every game. I always want to be on the pitch, much as I know it is my first season here and how difficult it is for a South American player to adapt to the demands of the Premier League."

Spurs' woes this season are well known in England but were only recently picked up by the Brazilian press. Headlines in the country spoke of Paulinho being relegated to the bench and although that sounds harsh considering he has been given an average 76 minutes per game for the club this season, the news reached the seleção command, already scarred by the goalkeeper Júlio César's descent into oblivion at Queens Park Rangers. Brazil's technical director, Carlos Alberto Parreira, duly met Paulinho last week to discuss the situation. "We obviously take into account what happens to a player at his club, but the most important is how they have behaved while at national team duty. Paulinho has been instrumental for us and we fully trust him to keep doing his job for Brazil," said Parreira.

Paulinho seems to have been singled out by Sherwood as part of his frustrations with the team's form. A point duly noted by the midfielder, who is clearly not comfortable to talk about the situation, although by no means does he back down from defending himself. "Sherwood is in charge and every manager has a style. It's his call if he wants to publicly criticise the players. It's up to each one of us to have a clean conscience about what they are doing for the team. I am very comfortable in saying that I have been working hard and trying to do what the club signed me for," explains the Brazilian, speaking at a Gatorade event aimed at showcasing the energy drink's collaboration with the seleção. "They have done a lot of tests with us in training sessions and matches, as well as the lab ahead of the World Cup to ensure we last the full 90 minutes."

Paulinho didn't imagine his first season at Spurs would be this testing. He walked into a club then managed by a fellow Portuguese speaker, André Villas-Boas, somebody who could certainly help his second shot at making his name in Europe, especially after guiding Spurs to a respectable fifth-place finish in the previous season. Villas-Boas, however, left Tottenham only four months after Paulinho's arrival and the Brazilian admits it wasn't the happiest of times. "It was hard to see André go. He was the guy who asked the club to sign me, so you have to be disappointed when that happens," he says. "Having said that, this is not a new situation in my life. It happened to me in Brazil at Corinthians, when the manager who had got me in the first team [Mano Menezes] left in 2010. The manager changes and you just have to make sure you show the [new] guy you mean business."

Tottenham are far from glory days with a top-four finish now unlikely following drubbings at the hands of Chelsea, Manchester City and Liverpool. "The manager and the fans have the right to be upset at the team," says Paulinho. "A team like ours should not have been routed in those games. But the players know it. It's just important we stand together at the bad times too. I can assure you nobody at the club will be happy if we fail to qualify for the Champions League. One of the reasons I came to this club was to help them play at the top level."

The Spurs man is all but guaranteed in Scolari's squad for the World Cup, although lately the fight for places in the group more interesting after Fernandinho received a well deserved call-up and thanked Scolari with an impressive display for Brazil against South Africa a month ago, when he tested by Scolari both in place of both Luiz Gustavo and Paulinho, the midfield stalwarts Scolari has been using for a while now. "Fernandinho is having a wonderful season at City and he has rightfully received a chance in the team. But his good form is not a problem for me – Big Phil is the one who has to be worried about having so many midfielders to choose from," Paulinho explains.

It looks like this one knows how to stand his ground.
 
I do believe we have a gem of a player in Paulinho and just hope it works out with him.
 
While Paulinho hasn't done himself too many favours since joining (performance wise), the last thing our manager should be doing is constantly talking to the press talking of how a player needs to work hard(er) in training to be given minutes on the pitch. This isn't the first time Sherwood has done this, Capoue was the recipient earlier on and no doubt Paulinho won't be the last to receive a sly dig in the press from his manager.

I really hope we get to see the Paulinho of Corinthians and Brazil either in the last few games of this season or a fresh start for the new season, that guy looks a real gem of a player and one we could come to really rely on if he hits the form & level we believe he can.
 
Read this article this morning and with Paulinho I can see he has ability, just I can't see a future for both him and Eriksen in the same starting line up, as they both need to play through the middle further forward where they have less defensive duties and they can make an impact nearer the goal.

Paulinho especially doesn't have the passing ability to sit deeper, nor does he has the defensive game, premier league football anyway as at international level he has a different role and that is because the pace of the game is different, just in the premier league he gets exposed when deeper, which is why depending on the formation its either Paulinho or Eriksen as the main creative/goal support behind the striker. Unless one is played out of position on the wing but as we have seen that doesn't bring the best out of Eriksen so it will be interesting to see what happens, especially as we also have Lamela (the forgotten man).

When we start discussing our summer signings and the flops, it becomes more evident how poorly planned the signings where in relation to how they would be used within the squad but at the start of the year Paulinho (under AVB) looked to be the most promising and was starting to get in great goal scoring positions.

Now there is a chance next season he will have another manager, that's three managers in under a year, not exactly the ideal situation to help foreign players settle.
 
I think Paul can can adapt his game to that of a box-to-box player, allowing Eriksen the number 10 role. Paul has a great engine and as we've seen glimpses of, is able to get into great positions without the opposition picking him up, unfortunately his shooting has just let him down at times. His defensive side has been exploited as he's had to do a lot more than what he's probably used too and more than what he wants too. If he's partnered with Sandro, I can see him flourishing given time. Not only could they build a great understanding being fellow countrymen but Sandro is a beast of a DM, when he's playing, the other CM can have more of a licence to roam forward which is where Paul has been effective. I'm a big fan of Dembele for the record but I think an in-form Paul - partnered with the beast - can be our best CM pairing and a bloody good one at that, possibly one to rival Luka and Parker but with different abilities and skills. I'm praying we eventually see a midfield of:

Sandro, Paulinho
Lamela, Eriksen, Chadli

At some point in time. On paper that's a ridiculously talented midfield; a beast, an engine, two wonderkids and a creative skilful inside forward all supporting what can hopefully be a striker ready to thrive on the support of it all, whether that's a revitalised Soldado, the good Adebayor or a new lad (Lukaku?).
 
SOS, the only issue I have with that type of line up is it lacks someone who can dictate play such as Modric, although it's nice to see you found a place for Chadli.

Our central midfield needs someone we can play the ball to and release it, start moves etc. Paulinho just doesn't have the passing range but does make good runs from deep.
 
SOS, the only issue I have with that type of line up is it lacks someone who can dictate play such as Modric, although it's nice to see you found a place for Chadli.

Our central midfield needs someone we can play the ball to and release it, start moves etc. Paulinho just doesn't have the passing range but does make good runs from deep.

Eriksen has dropped deep enough in games to be able to receive a pass from a CM or defender though. Don't forget both Lamela and Chadli are very creative too when they wanna be so all it needs is a pass to anyone of the supporting trio in order to hopefully get something going, Paul isn't blessed like Modric when it comes to passing but I'm sure once the team is more used to one another, and has a full pre-season to work on tactics, then he'll be able to spot a pass where one of the more creative lads will be waiting (hopefully!).
 
Wish Sherwood would shut up for once. I can't wait to see Paulinho playing under an experienced manager like Van Gaal next season. Paulinho's a great talent and in away I'm glad that he hasn't shown his full potential as on the back of a patchy season for us, he'd have plenty of clubs looking to buy him. For that reason I'm hoping he has a **** World Cup :D
 
My worry with Paulinho, and this has been the case from pretty much when we signed him, is that he is a very good player but isn't really the type we need. His role in the team appears to be to be the goalscoring midfielder and although he has scored some key goals for us (Cardiff away etc.) some of his other shooting, especially early on in the season, has been woeful. Maybe he would work well right now behind Soldado as he seems to bring other players into the game very well but Eriksen might score just as many from that position and offers more in other areas. And as others have stated Paulinho doesn't yet have the attributes to play as a deep-lying playmaker who also gets forward and scores some key goals, I'm thinking in the Gerrard role there. It could just be first-season blues for him and I really hope we see the best of him in the future. But I worry that he doesn't at this moment offer anything significantly different or better from what we get from our other midfielders.

I actually have similar reservations about Dembele, who I see as being very good at his 'thing' - taking the ball past opposition players and retaining possession - but far too limited in his passing ability and ambition, and not as effective defensively as he should be for a man with his strength. At least Dembele has been somewhat of a 'big game player' for us during his time here and I do like him for that, even if he can go missing in the 'lesser' games, if you see what I mean. Has a big left foot shot on him as well but doesn't get to use it enough, for whatever reason.

The big theme here IMO is that both Paulinho and Dembele (not playing together I add) could benefit from playing with a deep lying playmaker to feed them and an out and out defensive mid alongside them allowing them more freedom to make forward runs into and around the box, but we lack the former and the third midfield spot is more likely to be taken by Eriksen over those two, and rightly so for me at this moment in time. Which leaves those two in a pickle as they're going to have to realistically adapt.
 
Its going to be a very depressing summer for yourself, Roo & HIAG (just to name a few) if Sherwood is left to manage us next season.

And me. He doesn't know what he's doing and he's clearly got some issue with Baldini.
Tactically inept and a poor man manager. Crap with the media, too.
Other than that, he's great!

Might be an idea to use a 4-1-4-1 if we want to include Paulinho and Eriksen.
Lloris; Naughton, Kaboul, Dawson, Rose; Sandro; Lennon, Paulinho, Eriksen, Chadli; Adebayor.
 
And me. He doesn't know what he's doing and he's clearly got some issue with Baldini.
Tactically inept and a poor man manager. Crap with the media, too.
Other than that, he's great!

Might be an idea to use a 4-1-4-1 if we want to include Paulinho and Eriksen.
Lloris; Naughton, Kaboul, Dawson, Rose; Sandro; Lennon, Paulinho, Eriksen, Chadli; Adebayor.

I think that's our best line up(apart from defence). Paulinho and Eriksen both have the legs to get up and down the pitch, although their desire is a bit lacking at times so it'd suit them both to have Sandro behind them that can help to slow attacks down. On the wings, Chadli and Lennon both always put in a good shift as well which we'd need.
 
Might be an idea to use a 4-1-4-1 if we want to include Paulinho and Eriksen.
Lloris; Naughton, Kaboul, Dawson, Rose; Sandro; Lennon, Paulinho, Eriksen, Chadli; Adebayor.

If you feed that prospective line-up into the tactically competent to Tim Sherwood translator, you'll get...
Lloris; Naughton, Kaboul, Dawson, Rose; Sandro; Lennon, Bentaleb, Dembele, Eriksen; Adebayor
 
Yeah I like the 4-1-4-1 formation as it gives the defence protection and an option to release the ball, but when Bayern used that formation they would have players like Kroos, thats what we're missing. We should have signed Moutinho last year so hopefully we can finally sign a creative CM unless Holtby returns and proves he is good enough.
 
and me, its become clear he hasn't got a clue imo.
If he's still in charge for next season i won't be following much
 
Yeah I like the 4-1-4-1 formation as it gives the defence protection and an option to release the ball, but when Bayern used that formation they would have players like Kroos, thats what we're missing. We should have signed Moutinho last year so hopefully we can finally sign a creative CM unless Holtby returns and proves he is good enough.

I totally agree about Moutinho but Bayern come up against sides that will sit back against them so they have to be particularly skilled and clever. Some of the sides we play might have some caution to them but I don't think it benefits any of the teams we're playing to try and close the game out. It's easier to play without skilled passers in open games where you can sweep forward and counter. 4141 is just a formation and not a tactic so just playing in the shape as Bayern doesn't mean we would have to emulate them.
 
I totally agree about Moutinho but Bayern come up against sides that will sit back against them so they have to be particularly skilled and clever. Some of the sides we play might have some caution to them but I don't think it benefits any of the teams we're playing to try and close the game out. It's easier to play without skilled passers in open games where you can sweep forward and counter. 4141 is just a formation and not a tactic so just playing in the shape as Bayern doesn't mean we would have to emulate them.

True. Just Bayern aren't a bad team to try and emulate!