New Tottenham Hotspur signing Sandro Tonali has spoken like a true leader, sending a message to his teammates as they ramp up preparations for the new campaign.
Spurs are now less than three weeks away from the start of the new Premier League campaign, with the Lilywhites set to open the season with an away clash at Brentford on August 22.
The squad is now back in London after a gruelling pre-season programme in New Zealand and Australia, and they will now play Getafe and Hoffenheim in their final friendlies of the summer.
Many of the club’s summer signings have impressed in pre-season and appear to have settled down quickly, and their biggest signing of the summer has now issued a clear message to the squad.
Sandro Tonali urges Tottenham teammates to give their all in every training session
Although Tonali was not part of the squad that finished 17th in the Premier League back-to-back, he is acutely aware of the importance of bouncing back and taking Spurs back up to the part of the table they belong.
The Italian international called on everyone at the club to put full concentration into each training session and game as they build up their crucial opener in West London.
Asked if he was happy with preparations so far, Sandro Tonali told the club’s official website: “Yes, of course. We keep building our team every day to play in the best shape, to play our best football, not just in the game, but every single day at the training ground. Every day we put 110% of our concentration on the pitch to do our best, to do my best, and my teammates as well.
“I saw a top player in this team every pass, every tackle, every minute in training. We want to keep going every single day until the first game in the Premier League, because it’s not just for our fans, but for all these players last season and two seasons ago, it was tough for them, and I think we have to understand that we have to put everything on the pitch to win every game, and I think this is the right way.”
Tonali insists Chelsea clash was not played like a friendly
The midfielder believes the Lilywhites can take a lot of confidence from their 2-1 win over Chelsea in Sydney, admitting that it was clear very early on that the game would not be played like a friendly.
Tonali praised the concentration and fight the team showed after going down to 10 men but suggested that there is still room for improvement.
Asked about the win against Chelsea, he added: “After the first contact with Joao Pedro, Lucas Bergvall and Conor Gallagher, we changed everything on the pitch, because we started like a friendly game, but after five minutes, it was like a battle, every tackle, every pass, every shot. After five minutes, I spoke with Ben Davies. He was really aggressive when he spoke with me, and I understood, after one second, how important it was today.
“Then, after the red card, I think we put 10% more on the pitch to win this game. I think we played very well, we played with 100% concentration on the pitch. It was a little bit tough to play today, it was not perfect, but if you put all the passion on the pitch, you don’t have excuses. I think we played very well. We are happy.”