What’s the latest on injuries?
In terms of injuries, it’s the same as it was a week ago, so just Ben Davies is the only one out injured now.
Is Matt Doherty back?
Yeah, he has been training and he’s been back since last week. I said that last week that he’d had a period of time out injured and he’s back with the group and training all week.
And available for selection?
Yes. Everyone who is fit and training is available for selection.
What do you make of the social media boycott and it’s now spreading beyond football?
I think it’s spot on. I think it’s right that it doesn’t just become about the sporting world. It becomes about the world as a whole because social media, they need to put things in place that protects people from certain things and many terrible messages, but also it makes people accountable as well. There needs to be a name and a face to anyone who wants to sign up to use these platforms. They need to put something in place that does that.
How do you think they can do that? What more needs to be done?
Something I think like I said, if you want to subscribe to use these platforms, you need to have a name, you need to have an address, a name, a profile that says this is who this person is, if you’re tweeting or posting messages, whatever it is with that profile.
Then if there’s something where they are breaking laws or doing things that are not acceptable then you know you can take action.
In your role have you needed to talk to players about social media issues?
I think I’ve only been in this job the best part of a week but from my experience as a player you almost have to learn to live with it, which isn’t acceptable. It happens across so many platforms. It’s been happening for a long time, it’s been happening for a very long time. I’m happy that there’s a bit of momentum behind it, but action needs to be taken and it’s not acceptable that some of the abuse that you see directed at players by many different people, but we don’t know they are. They don’t have a name and we don’t know where they’re from. That can’t happen and it can’t happen still in the world we’re living in. So these social media platforms, they need to take some action.
Did it affect you when you were playing?
Yeah. Listen I’d be lying if I said certain comments don’t affect you. We’re human beings. I had to zone out of it and had to take myself off social media as a player because I didn’t want to see it. Even after I retired I’d get messages about my injury and certain things and you almost think it’s another message and I’ll just ignore it, but these things shouldn’t be acceptable. They aren’t acceptable but they just seem to be ok to happen.
I think the platforms need to put things in place that hold people accountable for these type of things.
Is Sunday’s game a must-win if you want to make the top four?
We’ve got five cup finals. This weekend is a massive game for this football club. It’s important that we have the right mentality because it’s not easy to win games in the Premier League. We’ve had a week to prepare and a week to train, a week to work the players and come Sunday it’s a massive game for us as a group and as a football club.
How important is Champions League football next season for this club?
The biggest priority at the moment for the players is the weekend. That’s the priority. we can’t look past anyone, especially in the Premier League. Tottenham Hotspur want to be competing on the biggest stages, we want to have something in place that allows us to do that. This weekend is a massive game for this football club.
Is a top four spot given added importance with the manager search and keeping Harry Kane, have you spoken to him?
No, I’ve not spoken to Harry. Harry is a constant professional. There haven’t been and there won’t be any conversations with me and him regarding anything apart from the training day or the match ahead. He’s one of the most professional guys I’ve ever met in my life so Harry Kane has been training excellently this week. He’ll be training excellently tomorrow, I know that, and he’ll be ready for the weekend.
Is a top four spot needed to keep Kane?
I don’t think so. Harry Kane loves this football club. That’s been proven over the last seven or eight years. He’s one of the best strikers in the world. Everyone knows that, we know that and I’d like to think Harry knows that as well. The most important thing right now, and our attention right now, is this weekend. We can’t disrespect any opponent and we can’t be investing our energy into anything else. That’s all I have to say on the matter. Our attention, Harry’s attention, the attention of this whole football club is on this Sunday.
Top four is still possible isn’t it?
Mathematically, yes it’s possible, but the Premier League is a difficult league. It’s difficult to win five in a row. We’ve seen that this season and probably across the last 10 to 15 years as well. Like I said, our focus is on this weekend. It’s a cup final for us. Every game is now. We want to go there with confidence, with a positive mindset, put in a positive performance and get a win. That’s our sole focus at this moment.
How was Harry Kane after the game following his injury?
Harry was fine in terms of his injury. He was disappointed like all of us. It hurt as players, coaches, everyone associated with this football club. Sunday hurt. But Harry’s a top professional and the whole group are to be fair. They’ve trained hard, trained well and we’re ready for the weekend.
People have been criticising the team’s performance last Sunday, how do you respond to them?
I don’t know what people have been saying, I really don’t. I’ve been in my own bubble with this group of players and this football club. Everyone’s entitled to an opinion. From my point of view, the first half was difficult at times. We rode our luck a little bit. But if you analyse the game, the second half was different. They didn’t create as much, they scored from a set piece. I know we didn’t have many shots on targets but the way we approached the game, the belief we had…We started to get a bit more control of the game, playing a different way as well. There were lots of positives to take from the second half and we’ve had a week to work on certain aspects of our game. It’s been a positive week for us after a disappointing result.
What do you put it down to the fact Sheffield United are in the position they are in and Spurs are in the position they are currently in?
It’s football, it’s a results business. Our season is not over. We can still make it a good season. We’ve five massive games for this football club and the group know that, we know that. Our focus is on Sunday, we’re not thinking it’s a disappointing season because like I say, this season isn’t finished for this football club and that needs to be the mentality for the group. It is the mentality for the group, so we’re going to go into the game on Sunday and we know and we realise it’s a big game.
How do you make sure the squad aren’t affected by the Harry Kane speculation?
There’s always speculation about the best players in the world. Harry Kane is one of if not the best No.9 in the world. That talk has been there for a number of years now. In terms of managing the group, we don’t need to manage that. I’ve said it before that Harry Kane is one of the most professional guys I’ve ever seen or come across in my life. That’s the most important thing for players. That’s what they see, they see a leader in training every day who sets the tone, sets the example and when you’re one of the best players in the world acting like that you can only appreciate and applaud that kind of mentality.
Have you had a chance to catch your breath after such a hectic week?
It has been a whirlwind, you’re right. I’ve had whirlwind weeks as a footballer in my playing days so I am used to it. I’m ready, it’s normal and like I say I feel comfortable with this football club, I feel comfortable with the players, the people and the structure we have in place here that has helped me focus on the team and on the group. That’s the most important thing. My feelings and certain things going on in my head aren’t important because the message is that has been to the lads and the most important thing is that we have to be ready and we have to be working, have a certain mindset and a certain mentality to compete because in the Premier League you just don’t turn up and win games of football and we’ve seen that. My energy and my mind has been invested in the group and making sure they’re ready.
Last week showed in Sheffield United vs Brighton that strange things can happen when that pressure is off…
It’s a totally different kind of mentality they are going into the game. Yes they are coming to probably the best stadium in the world so they are going to up their game. They are going to compete, they always compete, we know that with a Sheffield United team and I know their manager Paul will get them competing and be 100 per cent. Listen professional football at the elite level there’s no easy games and players know that and we have to be professional and have to respect the opposition and be 100 per cent committed to get a positive result.
Paul Heckingbottom is on their five-man shortlist for the job so that means it’s a huge amount for him to play for
Yeah of course. He’s representing a Premier League football club, so he’s a proud man and he’s professional as well. I’m sure he’ll be doing everything he can to get his team ready and likewise with me and the coaching staff here we’ve done all we can this week and we’ll continue to do that to make sure the group are best prepared for the weekend.
Can you pinpoint why you have let leads slip in games and how can you fix that?
I can’t pinpoint anything, but what you’re forgetting from there is the Southampton game where we came back to win the game. That is the kind of mentality, that is the kind of feeling I want players to feel. They showed fantastic belief to win that game with the circumstances of the disallowed goal as well. Whatever happened before is irrelevant in my eyes at the moment, the most important thing is how we prepare the team and the mindset going into the game.
Have you considered moving Matt Doherty into a right wing-back role?
The most important thing for this football club is preparing the team and what formation and ideas we have for the team. It is not about the individuals, because it is not a team sport, it’s a team sport and that is the most important thing. But Doc is a top professional, he has trained hard this week and he has been excellent.
What did it feel like hearing fans sing your name last week?
It was a nice feeling. I have always felt loved by people in this club and the fans. I have had a long association with the club, over 20 years, everyone knows I care deeply about my football club. My attention was fully involved in the game so I wasn’t aware of it until afterwards when a family member told me. I have always felt loved within this football club and I really hope this weekend and towards the end of the season the fans can feel a real connection with our group of players.
How important is it to end the season in front of fans?
It will be nice. Everyone in football and everyone in society wants to get back to some sort of normal life where we can do normal things. I think the last year for sports fans, their football team has been a massive part of their life, probably more so than normal because we haven’t been able to release that energy after a working week and watch our team and express so many emotions. I hope come the end of the season our fans can come back and can feel that energy with the players. It is so important because as a football club we need to feel that.
How has it been with a full week on the training ground to get your approach and patterns of play across?
Massively important. Two days’ preparation for the first game and two days on the pitch for the second one as well, it’s not ideal but it is football. I thought the lads showed bravery in those two games, I really did, to play a certain way off the back of not having much time to prepare for that. But we have had a full week and we have been able to work them hard, we have been in the classroom as well. It’s been important, the most important thing in football is that you win games, that changes the energy in the group. We know the importance of this weekend’s game, it’s a big game.
Were you tempted to play Tanguy Ndombele on Sunday with your possession-based style of play?
We have got over 20 top top players, top professionals, so every single game people can have an opinion and make an argument for playing a certain individual in a certain position but we felt and believed in a certain way, with certain players, that game we wanted to approach it. After 60 or 70 minutes the game plan and the idea was working and we believed in that moment the subs would make an impact. Unfortunately a set-play has done us and that’s tough to take, but every game we go into there is going to be players that want to play and expect to play and when you play for a big club like Tottenham that is always going to be the case.
How close is Ben Davies to a return?
I really don’t know an exact date when he is going to be back. He has been progressing well over the last 10 days I have been here. It is a day to day process where we are just seeing how he is. Ben is doing all he can to get back out on the football pitch and we hope we have him with us before the end of the season.
You mentioned getting the players into the classroom, what sort of things have you been going through in the classroom?
Our ideas. We have only been here just over a week. Some things take time. I’m very conscious that at this stage of the season you don’t get too much time out on the training pitch, we have had over 50 games this season so it is a lot of football, those little bits of detail that you can get into them in the classroom are important.
