‘I suffered so much’ – Kulusevski on Juventus struggles after heroics against Man City

After scoring a goal and picking up an assist in his first Premier League start, Dejan Kulusevski has admitted that he struggled mentally due to the lack of opportunities at Juventus.

Kulusevski has certainly not had an easy start to his Premier League career, with Tottenham falling to two back-to-back losses against Southampton and Wolves in his first two league appearances for the club.

However, the Swede, who came into the starting eleven in place of Lucas Moura at the Etihad Stadium, showed his quality as Spurs produced a fantastic performance to beat the Premier League Champions.

The 21-year-old netted his first goal for Tottenham just four minutes into the game after Heung-min Son set him up for a tap in.

Kulusevski also produced an inch-perfect cross for Harry Kane to head home Tottenham’s winner deep into stoppage time.

The winger admitted that the feeling of winning at the Etihad was even sweeter due to his struggles at Juventus over recent months.

Kulusevski told Sky Sport Italia after Tottenham’s 3-2 win: “I suffered so much over the last few months, I didn’t feel like myself and playing like this with my first Premier League start, I cannot describe it.

“I needed to stay calm and play without too many thoughts in my head. We scored so early, it was great, you don’t have to think anymore, you can just play.”

Kulusevski also admitted that he is enjoying working with Antonio Conte and spoke about the Italian’s obsession with winning.

He added: “It’s wonderful because Conte only wants to win and if he doesn’t win, he is not happy.

“We work really hard and that is what we need, there are no other secrets. You have to work hard and listen to the coach. If you listen to him, you can do well.”

Spurs Web Opinion

Kulusevski was a threat down the right all game and I was left extremely impressed with his decision making in possession. The 21-year-old was also quite impressive defensively, nullifying Cancelo’s attacking threat for large parts of the encounter.

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