What is the latest team news
and how will you approach this game at Wolves in regards to the number of changes ahead
of the north London derby?
Totally different [games]. The approach is the same. We cannot play the game on Sunday
on the Wednesday. We play on Wednesday so let's focus on the game of tomorrow. That's
the only focus we have. Regarding team news nothing has changed much. We still have players
out. Some players with some issues from the previous game which we are trying to manage,
but nothing has changed much. Same as was for
Are Lucas Moura and Steven Bergwijn still out?
Yes unfortunately they will not be with us.
Kane and his lack of goals, still affected by the summer?
What we are trying to do is improve. All of us have to improve and we have to be aware
of the moment that we are, that we need to improve through the competition because we
don't have too much time. We have to try things, try to improve our performances, in terms
of goals, in terms of consistency, all these aspects of the game during the competition.
And tomorrow is another chance to do it.
Are the lack of goals from open play a concern?
The same concern and the same worry that we have about the goals we are conceding. We
started this season very consistent, very solid, clean sheets. Not scoring too much
but... Suddenly things have changed. We are not able to score and we are conceding. So
it's trying to find the balance between these two aspects which we have to look for.
Is Harry Kane trying to do too much?
We have to
find the process inside of the team. It's all the players. All the players. We have
to tell them and find solutions and find the best way. Previous game, Harry started on
the left, really high and things went good. Unfortunately we were not able to score. We
had chances to do so. The way we are working is to find solutions, try to reinvent, recreate
situations which can improve our football and our game and Harry is part of the team.
It's the partnerships, the complicity, the way we do things, everyone has to be involved.
Is Kane frustrated because of summer?
That's the past. Nothing that we can say or do now or in the future will change the past.
What we have to do with the past is put it behind our heads and focus in the present.
You've mentioned about problems, are they problems that are new or that were already
here?
Problems that are public. Problems is the situation, the momentum we are in, problems
is what we suffer during international break, problems is the absence of players, problems
is levels of performance, problems is we concede goals from set-pieces, like we allowed first
half so good and not able to sustain. So many problems that we have to solve.
How is Steven Bergwijn?
He has an injury on his foot, a sprain, he twisted his ankle. It's very, very painful
and the decision was to protect his foot and at the same time keep doing upper body workouts
and try to maintain as fit as possible. But the injury needs to settle down and prevent
him from feeling pain. It's very painful now.
Will he be back for the north London derby?
I cannot answer that. All the injuries have a process. We hope the players improve. We
don't enjoy it. It is painful to see them out. But at the same time we're hopeful they
recover sooner or later and can re-join the group.
Some of the Spurs fans are concerned that the football on display at the moment isn't
what the chairman promised them, can you send them a message about the attractive football
you want to bring?
I wish I could, but I'm an honest person. An honest person. I think we have to look
at what happened, and the message, I think this is not the right moment but I will do
it, because I think I'll, you'll, try to explain.
We started the season with a lot of situations that players are away and we build a way.
We built how we wanted to do things and we did quite well in the first matches of the
season. I recall the atmosphere was huge.
Of course when things happen and we have problems and results don't appear and performances
don't appear, the momentum goes. The good feeling goes away but this is what we have
to realise and we have to find a way to go back again.
Our fans deserve much, much better than what we did on Sunday. I was really pleased and
I think our fans were as well with the first half, there were a lot of positives but the
second half was not good.
So we lost that chance to recover the good feeling among us, but what I can tell and
my message is clear: we are working hard, we are working very hard and the players are
committed to it.
We are positive. It's about trying to build during the competition, we don't have too
much time on the training ground. It's during the matches. The players are committed. Things
are going to gel and we are going to play better and things are going to improve because
this is what we realise. Our reaction to our problems is hard work, it's helping each other.
It's how I work, with everybody involved. This is the right path for us.
But you can say that a Nuno Espirito Santo Tottenham will not only work hard but they
will also score goals and show creativity?
We have to find the balance Alasdair. We have to find the balance in our game. If you want
me to talk about the game against Chelsea, all the positives happened in the first half
and we can share a lot of things that were ok and for sure the fans were happy.
In the second half we didn't do things. We opened ourselves. One concern we have is when
we concede first we are not able to react. The team is not strong enough to go and give
a good response.
A lot of things that we have to improve on, but what we saw is what is moving us forward
in the first half, this attitude, this willingness to go and really nice football, really nice
football.
With the talented and quality players we have when they start to gel I'm positive it's going
to be good.
When will you get to work with them on the training ground though with so many midweek
matches and more international breaks?
We have to change. The pre-season starts with a lot of players out but what we had, we built
on. We had a lot of hours training on the pitch, creating movements and lots of things.
This has gone, that has gone so now we don't have time to train. We have to use the games
to do it, and this is what we are doing.
Tomorrow is another chance to try things, to improve and play good. Playing good is
always the balance between the two boxes.