Sessegnon reveals crucial tip Perisic shared with him about Kyle Walker-Peters

Ryan Sessegnon has revealed that Ivan Perisic told him to take advantage of Kyle Walker-Peters’ lack of height by going in for crosses at the far past ahead of Tottenham’s season opener against Southampton.

Tottenham sent a message to the rest of the Premier League by coming back from a goal down to blow the Saints out of the water in their opening game of the season on Saturday.

It was Sessegnon who opened the scoring for the home side as he got on the end of an inch-perfect cross from Dejan Kulusevski to head home from close range.

The 22-year-old had the ball in the back of the net once again at the start of the second half but the goal was chalked off for offside.

It was certainly a statement performance from the former Fulham man, who faces competition for his place in the side from Ivan Perisic this season.

However, Sessegnon revealed that it was the experienced Croat who gave him a useful pointer before the match that allowed him to get on the scoresheet.

When asked about Perisic, he told The Daily Mail: “He’s a great player who has won a lot of titles. He’s also a great person who helped me a lot already.

“Even the goal, he told me to get in at the back post and score. Before the warm-up, he came to me and said Kyle Walker-Peters is quite small so if the ball goes into the back post make sure you are there to head it. I took it on board.”

Sessegnon has struggled with injuries since moving to Tottenham in the summer of 2019 but the youngster believes this campaign could be different since he has had a full pre-season under his belt.

He added: “Since I signed it’s the first time I’ve actually had a proper pre-season under my belt with no problems. So that probably made a difference for me today, and I just want to continue.

“Every game you have to treat it like it’s your last, and that’s what I’m trying to do.’ The wing-backs are vital to Conte’s system. They have to eat up the miles raiding up and down the flanks and are as influential in attack as they are important in defence.”

Spurs Web Opinion

Many neutrals and even some Spurs fans have questioned if the quality of Tottenham’s summer signings has been overhyped. However, what they seem to be ignoring, is the impact the increased competition for places will have in improving performance levels.

The likes of Sessegnon, Ben Davies and Dejan Kulusevski played like they had a point to prove against Southampton after the arrivals of Perisic, Clement Lenglet and Ricahrlison, and I believe we could see the same all across the pitch this season.

Keep up to date with all the latest Tottenham news and opinion by following SpursWeb’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts.

Related Topics

Have something to tell us about this article? Let us know