Fri 21 May 2021, 21:20
Tottenham HotspurInterim Head Coach Ryan Mason gives us his views ahead of our final game of the season – a trip to Leicester City on Sunday afternoon (4pm UK)...
1 – No pain, no gain
Ryan told us after Wednesday’s 2-1 defeat at home to Aston Villa that the players would feel hurt by the result. Had he found that to be the case?
Ryan: “Yes, of course. I think it’s normal when you care about the Club, you care about results. The other night, it was very disappointing to lose the game in the manner in which we did but we have to get over it as soon as possible because we’ve got a big one at the weekend and hopefully we can put in a performance and get three points.”
2 – Japhet and Ben
Another blow on Wednesday night saw Japhet Tanganga carried off on a stretcher. What could Ryan tell us about him, along with any other team news for the trip to the King Power Stadium?
Ryan: “For Japhet, it’s the ligaments in his ankle so that’s him, he won’t be involved in the last game of the season. I’m not sure how many weeks it will be (for him to recover) but it was quite a nasty one. Other than him, at the moment, it’s just Ben (Davies). He’s returning to some light training so that’s positive for him, but he’s not available for selection for the weekend.”
3 – Leicester City
Our squad has had some fierce battles with Leicester, dating back to the Foxes’ title-winning campaign in 2015/16 when Ryan himself was part of our team. What kind of challenge did he expect to face this time around?
Ryan: “An intense game. Both teams are playing for something – obviously they’ve got their own ambitions and we have ours, so it’s going to be a game where both teams are going to have to be fully focused. I’m sure we both respect each other, we respect them as a football team and a football club, but our attention has to be on us and how we can win the game. The desire is to win, that’s the most important thing. Like I said, Wednesday hurt – it did – just the manner in which it happened is tough to take but the beauty of football is we’ve got another game three or four days later so we have to pick ourselves up and be in the right frame of mind to hopefully go and get three points.”
4 – Hunters or the hunted?
We slipped to seventh after Wednesday’s defeat and qualification for the Europa League is now no longer in our own hands. Did Ryan feel it would be beneficial to be chasing a top six finish on what could potentially be a dramatic final day, or to have to look over our shoulders and defend our position?
Ryan: “No, I think the most important thing is that we focus on ourselves – that’s the only thing we can control. Obviously we were in control of the situation on Wednesday but unfortunately the result didn’t go as planned. I’ve said all along, it’s not easy to win games in the Premier League and we’ve continued to see that, so the weekend will be no different but we have to go there with confidence.”
5 – Time to reflect?
Ryan has earned three wins and suffered three defeats in his six games in charge. As the final game of the season draws near, how did he assess his tenure at the helm?
Ryan: “It’s tough to reflect because I want to win a game of football on Sunday, so that’s the most important thing that’s on my mind. It’s football – there’s been a lot going on, the highs and lows – it’s normal and I’ve been involved in it long enough to know that’s what comes with the territory. Listen, it’s something that I’ve learned a lot from, there’s also things that I think we’ve done well and we’ve helped, so like I said, the most important thing on my mind now is Sunday. It’s nothing about me, nothing about my feelings or anything like that, it’s how we get this football club to win three points at the weekend. That’s where my attention will be.”
