Sat 09 January 2021, 17:43
Tottenham HotspurAssistant Head Coach João Sacramento takes us inside the camp as we prepare for our fascinating FA Cup third round tie against Marine of Northern Premier League Division One North West at Marine Travel Arena, Crosby, Merseyside on Sunday (5pm).
1 - Magic
What does Joao think about Sunday's tie on Merseyside? If ever there was a tie to illustrate the magic of the FA Cup...
Joao: “Exactly, those are the perfect words to describe the FA Cup. First of all, fair play to Marine. It’s not easy to arrive at this stage, so, if they are here, it’s because they deserve it. We are guessing that these guys will play the match of their lives, and what we need to do is show respect to them. That respect has started already this week in the way we are preparing for this game, preparing normally, with massive respect, so nothing changes. That respect needs to continue from kick-off until the last minute. We don’t expect our players to relax at all in this game.”
2 - Mood
We've kicked-off 2021 with impressive performances against Leeds and then Brentford to reach the Carabao Cup Final - how is the mood in the camp?
Joao: “The players are happy, we cannot deny that, but we are conscious about the situation that we haven’t won anything. It’s not time to celebrate, it’s time to be focussed. As you know, we think game by game, so the Carabao Cup Final in April (25 April v Manchester City) is far away, and we won’t waste any focus on that. Our focus is now solely on Marine.”
3 - Keeping it clean
What did Joao think about the fact that we've kept 10 clean sheets in our last 19 matches in all competitions?
Joao: “A lot of people like to talk a lot about tactics, but it’s not rocket science - clean sheets are very, very important. We’ve worked a lot on our defensive process but it’s not easy, we don’t really have time to coach because we’re always playing matches, always recovering. I think since the start of the season, we’ve not had a full week to prepare for a game, and that is hard. We use a lot of video sessions and provide feedback on that, because we don’t have time to work on the field.”
4 - Back to Marine
Marine play in the eighth tier of English football - had Joao been involved in a tie like this?
Joao: “In France, I had the opportunity to play against some lower-league teams, and it’s a little different now because, unfortunately, there are no fans. That is such a shame for Marine, I really feel for them because a moment like this should be shared with the community. It is what it is, we’re in a special moment, and we need to adapt.”
5 - So far, so good
We're fourth in the Premier League, the Carabao Cup Final is in the bag, we've reached the knockout phase of the Europa League and we're just about to start our FA Cup journey - does Joao feel we're in a good place as we step into 2021?
Joao: “It’s important to be involved in other competitions. That means we’re in a good way. Like I said before, we need to keep our focus game by game and to give our best in every competition. I hope that we can win some of them, that would be amazing, and that is our motivation every day.”
