Victor Wanyama says that Mauricio Pochettino has been a father figure to him, and that the Argentine has played a huge role in transforming his game.
Tottenham’s Victor Wanyama during training
Victor Wanyama insists that something special is going on at Tottenham Hotspur at the moment. The Kenyan midfielder says that the club is heading in a good direction and everyone wants to be a part of it.
His confidence is based mainly on the presence of Spurs manager, Mauricio Pochettino. The Argentine signed him for Southampton from Celtic in 2013, and then took him to Spurs last summer.
Wanyama says that Pochettino has a ‘magic tough’ and he has helped clubs grow, wherever he has managed.
“At Southampton, like here, he built the team, developed young players, got good results, helped the club to grow. You can see it by the improvements he makes season by season. It’s difficult to understand how he does that, but he does. He has a magic touch,” he said, in an interview with The Times.
Tottenham’s Victor Wanyama scores their first goal
He refers to the Argentine as a ‘father figure’, and says that Pochettino has done a lot for him to take his game to the next level.
The 25-year-old credits his manager for transforming him as a player. He feels he has physically, mentally and tactically improved a lot.
“I have said before he is like a father figure to me. With my parents being so far away, sometimes I will need someone to talk to. He talks to me like a father does. He’s a great guy. Whenever you speak with him, you just feel warm,” he added.
“The training is really hard, but it has improved my fitness and improved my game. Mentally, he makes players focus on bigger things and we started to achieve those things. He changes your mindset.
“Tactically, he has taught me a lot. Before, I was just thinking, ‘I’ll just sit here and defend.’ But if you’re playing for him, it’s not only defending. You have to attack also. You have to know the right time. I have learned so much from him.”
With 2.6 tackles and 1.2 interceptions per game, Wanyama is right up there with some of the best defensive midfielders in the Premier League at the moment.
While his job requires tremendous tactical discipline in midfield, he still gets involved with attacking moves, and has scored three goals for the club in all competitions.
Tottenham’s Victor Wanyama in action
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