Dele: "It’s been a good start, but I have to keep on improving"
Mon 23 August 2021, 17:45|
Tottenham Hotspur
Dele told us in pre-season he had targets for 2021/22. “I want to move forward and kick on,” he said. “I’ve got numbers I want to hit this season and that’s what I plan to do.”
So far, so good.
Dele has been one of many stand-out players as we’ve opened our Premier League campaign with two wins out of two. Tough games, as well, starting with champions Manchester City at home last weekend, and continuing at Wolves on Sunday. We were tested to limit at Molineux but held firm for a 1-0 victory.
Dele’s display in his new role on the left of the midfield three didn’t go unnoticed either, picked out for special analysis by pundits Alan Shearer and Ian Wright on Match of the Day 2. Dele was everywhere, won and converted the penalty that turned out to be decisive on 10 minutes, back in his box to throw himself in for a block as Wolves piled on the pressure in the second half.
“I’m happy,” Dele said afterwards at Molineux. “There is a lot I need to work on. It’s been a different role for me so far, working hard, defending, fighting for the team, and that’s what I like to do. It’s been a good start, but I have to keep on improving.”
That was his message for the team, as well. “It was a difficult game, coming away from home, we know Wolves are a great team, they move the ball well, we had to stay solid, and we did that,” he added. “They have a lot of threats, but I thought we defended well, and we had a lot of chances as well.
“Overall, we’re happy with the win. We had to show a lot of fight and I think we’ve shown that since the start of pre-season, we’ve been building and working well together and there were a lot of positives to take, but things we need to work on as well. It’s still early in the season, we knew it wasn’t going to be a perfect performance but we’re happy with the win.”
