Fri 16 January 2015, 11:13
Tottenham HotspurBenji Stambouli recalls enduring a physical battle on his Spurs debut at Sunderland earlier this season, but has challenged us to push on by taking three points against the Black Cats this weekend.
The central midfielder went on as a second half substitute as we drew 2-2 at the Stadium of Light back in September, marking his first appearance in our colours following his switch from French side Montpellier.
Ahead of Saturday’s return match at White Hart Lane, the 24-year-old admitted his first taste of Premier League action came as a bit of a culture shock.
But now he’s got used to the style of football on this side of the Channel, he’s confident in our ability to take three points when we resume domestic duties against Gus Poyet’s side.
“I remember that physically it was a tough game when I made my debut at Sunderland and I was surprised by the rhythm of the game – it was a big change from football in France,” he said.
“It was my first game for Tottenham and it was a good memory for me.
“Now we are playing Sunderland at home and it’s a very important game.
“We are ambitious, we’re taking it game-by-game and it’s important for us to push on.”
Having completed 90 minutes in Wednesday’s FA Cup replay triumph over Burnley, Benji is eager to return to Premier League action and to recover from his personal disappointment after conceding the penalty in last week’s defeat to Crystal Palace.
“We have to learn from our mistakes – especially me after the penalty at Palace,” he said.
“Now I want to improve and to be better for the team. The most important thing on Saturday is to have a good spirit among the team, a fighting spirit.
“At the moment we have good morale and we feel we can beat anyone. We saw that against Chelsea.
“As long as everyone is on their game we can beat anyone.”
