Tim Sherwood believes that all the pressure will be on Liverpool in Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final at Wembley and hopes his resurgent Aston Villa side can capitalise on the weight of expectation on Brendan Rodgers and his players. The Villa manager said that, whereas winning the Cup would be regarded as a “priority” for Liverpool, his players viewed the prospect of silverware as an unexpected bonus.
Looking as relaxed as he hopes his players will be come kick-off at Wembley, Sherwood was on good form as he talked about the letter he wrote back to the six-year-old Villa supporter who applied for the manager’s job when Paul Lambert was sacked – “I said to him: ‘No hard feelings, good luck next time’” – and offered a fresh, tongue-in-cheek, take on that footage of Raheem Sterling inhaling nitrous oxide. “Let’s hope he’s not laughing after Sunday,” Sherwood said.
The Villa manager did, to be fair, make it clear that he was not condoning Sterling for his actions but also admitted he had a “wee bit of sympathy” for a player he tried to take to Tottenham Hotspur after watching him in action for Brent District at the age of 14.
“He was a street footballer, a dribbler – dribble down the alleyway, a fantastic talent. Everyone knew about Raheem when he was at QPR and tried to get him. Liverpool were the fortunate ones. I’m not sure Tottenham wanted to spend the money which was asked at the time. He’s made the correct decision because he’s gone to a club with a manager who wants to give him the opportunity to play.”
Keeping Sterling quiet will be one of the priorities for Sherwood as Villa aim to reach their first FA Cup final since losing to Chelsea in 2000. “I think it’s a bonus for us and a priority for Liverpool,” Sherwood said. “I’m not saying we’re taking this game lightly because we’re not; we want to get this great club to Wembley and a final.
“But I think the pressure is on them a lot more. They need to be winning trophies – Liverpool football club have demanded that for centuries now. We hope they’re a bit edgy and nervy with it. We’re trying to capitalise on any advantage we possibly have.”
Christian Benteke, with eight goals in his past six league matches, will carry Villa’s threat alongside Gabriel Agbonlahor, who is expected to be passed fit after recovering from a hamstring problem. Benteke has been back to his best in recent weeks but will have only two years remaining on his contract come the summer and Sherwood admitted that Villa could be forced to sell their prize asset if the player cannot be talked into signing an extension.
“We don’t want to sell our best players,” Sherwood said. “I also want players who want to play at the football club. He’s made no indication to me that he wants to play elsewhere. If he does, then we will assess the situation but we want to keep him at the club.
“You can’t force any player – I’ve been one myself. You might as well take the money because you end up without the money or the player if you don’t take it. It’s certainly something that will have to be addressed. You don’t really want players going into the last 18 months of their contract. He’s someone for the long-term future of the club and you need to protect your interests.”
Sherwood confirmed that Shay Given, who is Brad Guzan’s understudy in the Premier League, would start in goal against Liverpool, in keeping with the manager’s selection policy in the previous rounds of the FA Cup.
Nathan Baker is set to come in for the injured Ciaran Clark in central defence with Ashley Westwood likely to replace the suspended Carlos Sánchez in midfield as Villa look to pull off the upset that would ruin Steven Gerrard’s hopes of bowing out of English football with an FA Cup final appearance. “Believe it or not, it’s not about spoiling the party for Steven Gerrard, it’s about what we can do,” Sherwood said. “And, to be honest, we’re hoping that he’s on his holiday in May.”
