Guzan: Sherwood understands "what it takes to survive" relegation fight

Aston Villa keeper Brad Guzan appeared on the daily football show Soccer Morning today, and had nothing but praise for new manager Tim Sherwood. Host Jason Davis asked Guzan about the FA Cup, the relegation battle, and his time with American soccer including the USMNT and MLS.

His remarks on Sherwood, though, are what really stood out. Guzan made it obvious that the team has bought into what the gaffer is doing, saying "He understands what it's about to be a player in this league and what it takes to survive." The keeper also highlighted the fact that with a new manager comes a new chance for everyone. While he didn't name anyone specifically, Charles N'Zogbia and, to a lesser extent, Tom Cleverley have already benefitted from Sherwood's tabula rasa, and it isn't going unnoticed.

From a motivational standpoint Guzan said "managers and coaches try to get the best out of you 24/7, and he's definitely doing that." He added that Sherwood "gives, at the right moment, words of encouragement. [But] he's not afraid to tell guys 'that's not good enough!'"

The other interesting tidbit was Davis asking Guzan about the club being up for sale. He specifically wondered if that was something to which the players paid any attention, and Guzan said "No, not really. We need to do our jobs as soccer players. Go out there and try to win games... it's nothing we can control as players. You obviously hear about it, hear the different statements in the press, but it's not for us to worry about."

You can find the show here, and I imagine they'll have the YouTube video up in a bit once they're off-air so that you can listen to the entire interview.