Tottenham Hotspur take on Liverpool in the Champions League final a week today, as the whole world watches which Premier League side will be crowned Champions of Europe.
This marks Spurs’ first-ever appearance in the final of the competition, with their previous best coming in the quarter-final back in 2011.
However, this is Liverpool’s second successive Champions League final, but they will be hoping it ends a whole lot better than last year.
Their star man, Mo Salah, was forced off in the first half after Sergio Ramos dislocated his shoulder, whether or not it was on purpose, we may never know.
However, Spurs centre-back Davinson Sanchez claims that aggression and fighting is now part of a defender’s job, and he admires Ramos, Baresi, and Maldini for such traits.
The Colombian has warned that any Spurs player who starts on June 1 in Madrid will be eager to fight and ‘crash’ their Liverpool opponents.
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Sanchez said (Express): “Sometimes now, everyone is too focused on playing football. And Sergio has that character you need to play that position.
“I watch video clips of him [Ramos], Franco Baresi, Paolo Maldini. Their aggression.
“After a few years, you have to realise that’s important for some defenders. You have to admit, yes you play football, but at the same time, you must not forget you are a defender and have to fight. Put your face in where it hurts.
“Sometimes the striker doesn’t care. You see Roberto Firmino against his guy. Crash. Block. Harry Kane as well. If he has to put his leg in, he will.
“His injury, against Manchester United, was the same. His ankle was injured because he tried to block. And boom. Against City as well. The strikers are more worried about recovering the ball themselves these days and you have to be ready to fight against them.
“Sometimes just playing football is not enough. You have to do more. You have to run more. You have to ‘crash’ more. To – I don’t know – cry more.
“We have to show everyone the right mentality. If we can’t play our football, we have to have another way to do it.
“You can’t be worried about what people say. If you have to crash, you have to crash. You don’t care. You have to tackle. Football is not composed of just taking the ball, or clearing the ball, properly, without touching the opponent?
“No. If you clear the ball and the opponent is in the middle of it… I feel sorry for the opponent!
“Whoever is on the pitch has to do it. It’s a final. A final is about winning. You can’t wait for the opponent to be better than you, or let them start to play their football.
“We are going to start aggressively. A final is about this. Everyone wants to win the trophy.”
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