Dominic Solanke’s interview with The Athletic earlier this year shows why Ange Postecoglou preferred him over other options, with the striker making it clear that he sees pressing as one of his biggest strengths.
It is fair to say that not all Spurs fans are completely convinced by the Solanke signing, with some worried that he might simply be a one-season wonder.
However, when one takes a closer look, it is not at all surprising that we only saw the best of the Englishman last season after the arrival of Andonio Iraola.
The Spaniard likes his team to press from the front and attack with pace, with the system suiting Solanke down to a tee.
The Chelsea academy graduate finished the 2023-24 campaign with 19 Premier League goals, which is an outstanding tally for a team which finished in the bottom half of the table.
Solanke’s quotes about Iraola’s impact and the reasons for his improvement are quite revealing, shedding light on why Tottenham decided to spend big on him.
The centre-forward said back in February: “Pressing has always been part of my game. I work hard and I like to press. We have always been a pressing team for as long as I’ve been here. (Under Iraola) it’s very detailed. He loves his detail.
“We have a lot of meetings and obviously it takes time to memorise it so that it becomes second nature to all of us: being in the right place, pressing at the right times. It’s not just everyone pressing everywhere. There’s a lot of structure to it. We’re all on the same page now, which is great.
“We all know which defender each of us is meant to be pressing or marking. The person playing behind me knows where he’s going, the two wingers the same, and it’s quick now.
“When we win the ball back, we like to play fast in transition. I’m obviously the highest up the pitch, so that was always going to benefit me. It’s happened a few times this season where we’ve won the ball back high up the pitch and it has resulted in me getting goals.”
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Solanke is not just homegrown and comes with plenty of Premier League experience but unlike Ivan Toney, he is used to playing in a high-pressing, possession-based system, which should make it easier for him to adapt to Postecoglou’s set-up at Spurs.
The post ‘I like to press’ – Old Solanke quotes show why he is a great fit for Postecoglou and Spurs appeared first on The Spurs Web - Tottenham Hotspur Football News.
