Tottenham Hotspur will be eager to bounce back after once again going into an international break on the back of a disappointing defeat.
Spurs have shown they have what it takes to comprehensively defeat anyone on their day, but they’ve also been prone to some shock losses.
On Wednesday, one of Tottenham’s best players this season highlighted how his national side has also been the subject of criticism from naysayers.
He stressed how much he and his compatriots wanted to silence doubters amid a whole lot of “nonsense” being sent their way.
Tottenham and Sweden star Dejan Kulusevski enjoys silencing critics
The player in question is Dejan Kulusevski, who has been one of the standout stars for both Spurs and Sweden over the past few months.
For instance, Kulusevski is joint top in the Premier League in terms of chances created, sharing a tally of 30 with Fulham’s Andreas Pereira.
Tottenham have often found themselves the subject of criticism from every which way, and this has also been the case for Sweden in recent years.
The national team failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup and Euro 2024, leading to widespread criticism.
However, since Sweden appointed Jon Dahl Tomasson as their manager in February, they are unbeaten in the Nations League and have reached the next round.
Kulusevski, who scored a brace and registered an assist in Sweden’s 6-0 win over Azerbaijan, spoke to Fotbollskanalen after the game.
“You are hungry,” said the Spurs man. “Everyone on this team wants to silence a lot of people, I think.
“There’s been a lot of nonsense. There has been too much nonsense and too many people talking. So, it comes from there too. You want to silence people.
“Sometimes it hurts when we play well, and that’s something you like as a player. To go out and enjoy your football and show how good you are.”
The 24-year-old was asked to elaborate what sort of criticism was aimed towards the team.
“You know that for sure. You know better than me,” Kulusevski explained.
“You know that. It’s two years. Tough year. But when it’s tough, you see people. How they enjoy it.
“And it’s fun for me. Because later when it turns around, I want to hear them too.
“Because it’s easy to talk when things have been tough, but when things look like this, maybe it’s harder to comment.”
Kulusevski showing the right attitude to thrive at Tottenham
Although Kulusevski’s comments were regarding the Sweden national team, they could very well apply to Tottenham too.
Spurs often find themselves the subject of criticism at every occasion, and this is something that the players need to put right.
Kulusevski will be eager to silence some doubters when he returns to Tottenham, and hopefully all of his other teammates will have the same mindset.
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