Antonin Kinsky has now opened up on his emotions after being substituted against Atletico Madrid, and has also shed light on what Roberto De Zerbi has done differently to his predecessors at Tottenham.
Kinsky was in tears when he was taken off after just 17 minutes against Atletico Madrid back in March after making some poor errors at the start of the game.
Some predicted at the time that the Spurs youngster’s career at the top level was over, but the 23-year-old has shown tremendous strength of character to fight back.
The goalkeeper has made vital contributions in Tottenham’s quest to stay up, with Kinsky’s late save against Sean Longstaff in the 1-1 draw with Leeds being described as one of the saves of the season.
Tottenham star Antonin Kinsky reveals how he bounced back from setback
The Czech shot-stopper has now confessed that he was angry with himself after his errors against Atletico and that he reviewed every single thing he did ahead of the game to get to the bottom of why he made those mistakes.
Kinsky also shared that he had several testing experiences in his formative years, which have allowed him to develop the mental strength needed to deal with adversity.
When asked what was going through his mind after the events at the Metropolitano Stadium, Antonin Kinsky said in Tottenham’s matchday programme ahead of the draw against Leeds:
“Confused is the right word to describe my emotions, and I was angry with myself, as I would be if I didn’t do something well, or the way that I should be doing it, but I did everything as I normally would. After the game, I was asking for clips of everything from warm-ups to all of my actions during those first 17 minutes because I wanted to work out what was behind it, and if I did anything out of the ordinary. I wanted to find a conclusion.
“You can have a feeling, but sometimes it is also good to watch everything back, or ask someone that you trust to see if they share the same opinion as you, as a learning point. That gave me the confidence and the calmness not to change too many things and just to keep going and get ready for my next moment.
“I was sad about what happened, but on the other hand, I was calm because I have good people around me who always give me great feedback. They really think about it and are honest with me. I listened to them, and then compared their feelings to mine, and they were similar. At that point for me, it was just about keeping going and making sure that when the next opportunity came, I would be ready again, just as I was before that game.
“I know myself, I know the way that my parents raised me, it doesn’t matter how difficult the moment is in life, that’s the challenge, to deal with it, and it’s a nice feeling when you do that. While what happened was something that I didn’t wish for, these things happen, and it wasn’t my first bad moment.
“Until the moment that I got here, when I was playing in the different divisions in Czechia, there have been moments like this. The only difference is that more people see it here. I’m not too worried about how those people feel about me. I care about how I feel about myself. I think this is why it hasn’t affected me too much.
“I think for me, coming back in goal, even after something like that happens, I get confidence from the work that I put in if I know that I do the maximum every day I can. If there is a game that I’m not playing in, in the morning I do some warm-ups, and after the game I go on to the pitch because I have a lot of energy. For me, it’s another day to use wisely and get the most out of.”
Kinsky reveals what Roberto De Zerbi has done to change players’ mindset
De Zerbi has showered praise on Antonin Kinsky for his recent performances, stating that the youngster is improving every single day.
The former Slavia Prague man has admitted that the Italian has constantly reminded the players of their quality since arriving through the door and managed to restore belief in a squad which was lacking in confidence.
When asked about De Zerbi’s time at Spurs so far, Kinsyk said: “I think it has gone very well. From the way he speaks and from what you read about him, you can tell that he believes in us. That is the big message that he gives us overall. He reminds us of the quality that we have in the squad, and that instead of speaking about it, we need to show it. This, of course, has helped, and I believe that it is going to work. Our performances are starting to show that,” said the keeper.”
“Where it all starts is in the head. If you don’t believe it, you can’t achieve it. I hope and believe this is the right way. We all feel that we have the quality to get out of this situation. Now it’s about proving that feeling on the pitch.”
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