Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino has suggested that Vincent Janssen needs to ‘show more’ in the training and on the pitch to grab a place in the team. Talking to the press ahead of their FA cup tie with Fulham, the Tottenham boss insisted that he tries to be fair when picking the squad and has urged his fringe players to grab their chances.
Harry Kane’s status at White Hart Lane is unparalleled and it would be difficult for any striker challenging the Englishman for a place in the playing XI. Though Janssen has struggled for form this season, he has been told by his boss that he will get an opportunity to prove himself.
“Maybe. Today he was out of the squad. He needs to show more, and we will see. Maybe he will have the opportunity to be on the bench or play [from the start]. Today we cannot be sure if he will be on the squad, on the bench or start from the beginning.”
When asked to elaborate on what he meant by “show more”, the Argentine added:
“Performance is always about how the players show their quality, their belief on the training ground. When you select the starting XI and the bench, I try to be fair. It’s normal that maybe he needs to show more. It’s about trying to give support to help them recover the same spirit and the same feeling that was before Liverpool,” Pochettino said.
When asked about his team’s mental condition after just two wins in the last 6 games, Pochettino responded by saying:
“I am not unhappy, I’m not upset. Sometimes things happen, up and down. Now we try to be all together and try to find all together the way to change this run. You know how tough the competition is in England – the Premier League, the Champions League, the Europa League,” he said.
“Always it’s too difficult because maybe some problems will appear with the players [like] they are not fresh and it’s a big risk to play them on Sunday. After we have a lot of games ahead to play. It’s not a lack of respect [for the FA Cup]. We try to give all the players an opportunity.” he added.
Spurs have struggled since their 4-0 demolition of West Brom and drew against Man City and Sunderland after that. Though they managed to beat Middlesborough, the performances have not been convincing and the Tottenham boss seems to be in a confident mood to turn around his team’s fortunes.
It looks like Janssen may get to play or maybe even get a start, given Harry Kane’s injury problem. Though Kane has suggested that he is feeling okay, Pochettino might not be willing to take a chance on his star striker and may possibly rest him, giving his summer signing a chance to prove himself.
Good luck convincing the boss Vincent!
