Townsend showing Dembele traits
4 min read
Towards the end of the transfer window the press were trying to tell us that Andros Townsend was seeking talks with Mauricio Pochettino over his future, which I felt were fabrication, he would have already talked with him.
Now Andros Townsend reveals that to be the case, he had a meeting with Pochettino at the end of the season before the transfer window had opened. The 24-year-old is one of those players who can leave if the right price comes in or as part of a deal for a player we want, but that we are quite happy to keep. rather than a player we want to sell and will negotiate an offer for that is perhaps less than ideal.
It is no secret he wasn't good enough last season, players recover from injury, but he never seemed to recover any sort of form at all, arguably he went backwards. He made it known during the transfer window that he wanted to stay at Spurs and fight for his place, understandable given a move would be a move down in search of regular football.
Just as Mousa Dembele has improved this season and we are hearing quotes from him that suggest a change in mental attitude so we hear the same from Andros Townsend. Dembele, if you remember, took responsibility for a lack of game time, he didn't blame the head coach, he didn't complain he wasn't picked, he said it was down to him, it was his responsibility and it wanted to put it right.
The Evening Standard asked Townsend if he felt he could get back into the England team.
I have written a few times, and Townsend has cropped up on several occasions, that substitutes have to be mentally ready when they cross the white line, not start to get mentally ready after they have crossed it, Thier preparation of opponent game analysis they should be doing while watching as a sub. Then when they come on they are mentally up to speed with the game and can have an impact instead of having to try to work their way into the game. Some players are great at it, David Fairclough (Liverpool) springs to mind and Harry Kane has been doing it for England.
Unlike last season, Townsend came on at the weekend and made a difference, he made an immediate impact. his comments to the media suggest he now understands how important that is and that in this age of squad football, every opportunity has to be taken.
Now Andros Townsend reveals that to be the case, he had a meeting with Pochettino at the end of the season before the transfer window had opened. The 24-year-old is one of those players who can leave if the right price comes in or as part of a deal for a player we want, but that we are quite happy to keep. rather than a player we want to sell and will negotiate an offer for that is perhaps less than ideal.
It is no secret he wasn't good enough last season, players recover from injury, but he never seemed to recover any sort of form at all, arguably he went backwards. He made it known during the transfer window that he wanted to stay at Spurs and fight for his place, understandable given a move would be a move down in search of regular football.
Just as Mousa Dembele has improved this season and we are hearing quotes from him that suggest a change in mental attitude so we hear the same from Andros Townsend. Dembele, if you remember, took responsibility for a lack of game time, he didn't blame the head coach, he didn't complain he wasn't picked, he said it was down to him, it was his responsibility and it wanted to put it right.
The Evening Standard asked Townsend if he felt he could get back into the England team.
“Of course. The manager has always had faith in me over the last two years. Hopefully, if I can get a few starts for my club, or keep coming on and playing well, I can get into the next England squad. My aim is just to focus on Spurs and the England stuff will take care of itself."
I have written a few times, and Townsend has cropped up on several occasions, that substitutes have to be mentally ready when they cross the white line, not start to get mentally ready after they have crossed it, Thier preparation of opponent game analysis they should be doing while watching as a sub. Then when they come on they are mentally up to speed with the game and can have an impact instead of having to try to work their way into the game. Some players are great at it, David Fairclough (Liverpool) springs to mind and Harry Kane has been doing it for England.
Unlike last season, Townsend came on at the weekend and made a difference, he made an immediate impact. his comments to the media suggest he now understands how important that is and that in this age of squad football, every opportunity has to be taken.
“I was out for all but the first week and a half of pre-season. I dislocated a bone in my shoulder and then tweaked a ligament in my ankle, and those injuries wiped me out until a couple of weeks ago. It’s been a frustrating time, but I’m fully fit and hopefully I can have more performances like the one at Sunderland.
“I got myself fit over the international break, which was a great chance for me to train every day. I was chomping at the bit on the bench [against Sunderland] and got my chance. Hopefully, I showed everyone what I could do.
“When I first broke into the team, we’d just signed Lamela and Chadli and there were other players, so every season I have different challenges.
“This season there is different personnel but the same number of players, so I know if I can keep putting in good performances then I can break into that side. You’re never going to have just one player to fight for your place. When I spoke to the manager before the end of the season, I told him I hadn’t been happy with my fitness. The main aim was to get myself fit over the summer and make an impression in pre-season. It didn’t pan out that way and I was set back a few times, but now I’m fit I hope I can show what I can do.”
The interview and Dembele's during the summer shows how it is the players responsibility to analyse himself, to assess their own performance and just like anyone else in the workplace go to their yearly assessment with a personal development plan. The coaching staff are also doing their assessment of course and it will all get discussed.
At the end of the day, the decisions Townsend makes will determine his future, does he have the burning desire or just a desire, one improves, one maintains. According to Tim Sherwood he has the burning desire so if he is channeling it in the right direction, maintaining his focus on preparation, his performance levels at every opportunity will be more of what we want from him.
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