Tim Sherwood also discussed rumours linking him to the vacant managerial post at QPR on The Debate
Saturday 20 April 2019 08:06, UK
Manchester City cannot slip up against Tottenham on Saturday, Tim Sherwood told The Debate, where he also discussed reports linking him to the vacant QPR job.
The Premier League pair went head-to-head in a spellbinding Champions League quarter-final second leg in midweek, with Tottenham eventually going through on the away goals rule after some late VAR controversy.
They meet again in the Premier League on Saturday, live on Sky Sports, and with Liverpool pushing them all the way in the title race, Sherwood does not believe Man City can afford to lose.
"He [Pep Guardiola] knows they need to win this football match. They can't slip up," Sherwood said on The Debate.
"Liverpool are right on their heels, they cannot slip up and I don't believe they will. I think they'll win this game tomorrow, but it's going to be a tough one because Tottenham can beat anyone on their day, as they've proved, and it is equally as important for Tottenham because they cannot finish outside the top four this season.
"Both managers know one way to play - going toe-to-toe - and they both back their players. I think we will see a different Man City team, they have got more in their squad to be able to shuffle the pack and I'm not sure Tottenham have got that luxury
"It's very important for both teams, hugely important. The Champions League has gone now for Man City, they will want to win this back-to-back Premier League, which they're capable of doing and believe they will."
Elsewhere in the show, Sherwood addressed rumours linking him to the vacant managerial role at QPR, with Sky Sports News reporting last week that he would soon be holding talks with the club.
Sherwood said: "It's a great opportunity for someone. I'm not sure on the expectations of the football club and how they want to structure it, but it is certainly worth a conversation.
"It's a great club but they have lost their way in recent years and they need to find a way of how they want to move forward. If it is something I would agree with, their philosophy moving forward, then it is certainly worth considering it.
"QPR wouldn't be alone [in coming under Financial Fair Play scrutiny], they would be with a lot of other clubs who will be in trouble with Financial Fair Play now.
"It's not only a fine, it is a points deduction and if you start getting 12 points deducted as Birmingham did this season, it is an awful lot of points to lose when you're playing catch up and you haven't got a big budget in the first place.
"They need to dip into their academy, their academy is strong, they've got a few boys coming through there at the moment and they certainly need to look at that.
"They need to find a different way to move forward. They can't try and pretend to be like other clubs, it can't work like that. They know what they are and they need a clear vision of how to move forward."
