Tottenham midfielder Paulinho insists he is determined to prove his worth to boss Tim Sherwood after being criticised by the Spurs boss this week. The Brazilian arrived at Spurs in the summer from Corinthians in a deal worth around £17million.
Paulinho is not too happy with the rotation system, but he insists he is more than willing to fight for his place.
"You are told before coming to Europe that big teams here quite often rotate players," he told The Guardian.
"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."
Paulinho insists that he respects any decision taken by Sherwood, who was critical of the Brazilian this week by insisting he would not be picked purely on his reputation.
"Sherwood is in charge and every manager has a style. It's his call if he wants to publicly criticise the players," he said.
"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.
"The manager and the fans have the right to be upset at the team.
"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."
