Tottenham's Dejan Kulusevski jokes he might keep face mask after doctor's advice
Dejan Kulusevski joked that playing as the man-in-the-mask is giving him special match-winning superpowers.
The Swede chopped Nottingham Forest down to size with an assist for Richarlison before killing off Steve Cooper’s side with a right-footed second in a 2-0 victory at the City Ground. The 23-year-old, who bagged a last-gasp equaliser at the Etihad to stop a three-game losing streak, picked up a broken nose during the defeat to West Ham and now has to wear protection.
But it seems to suit him. Asked about the face covering he said: “It feels good. It gives me a little more power, so it’s good. I like it. I push the secret button on the mask before kick-off - and off we go!
“I’ve not worn one before. I broke my nose and this is what I have to do to protect it. The doctor says that I have to wear it for one month. If I keep playing like this, I might keep it.”
Friday night’s victory made it back-to-back wins following the four-goal hit on Newcastle United last week. And Kulusevski is confident Spurs can return to winning ways on a more permanent basis after their storming start to the season was stalled.
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He added: “We were very disappointed with what happened. We could have controlled things much better. There were some silly goals we gave away. We have to grow, we’re still a young team. The football is there. The football has been there in every single game but we can grow as individuals.
“We played well but we still lost games and now we’re winning and still doing well. I know we are going to be up there. I know we are. But we have to do everything we can to get better. At the end of the day, no one knows who will be there but we want to be, for sure.”
Defender Ben Davies enjoyed a good night himself with a steady and composed performance. And he said that Kulusevski’s uptick in form may be partly due to his team-mates pressing him to believe in himself more.
He said: “Dejan’s been very, very good for us this year. It’s not just about how good he is on the ball. He holds it up, secures it but it’s off the ball as well. We’ve been on to him for a while. He’s such a good player. He’s so awkward.
“What he does is keep the ball away from you at all times. As a defender, that’s the worst thing because he doesn’t allow you to jump in and nick it, so that plays into our hands when teams try to get too aggressive with him, he uses his body so well that can help us up the pitch. He’s a strong boy.
“We see it day in, day out but we want him to be more aggressive sometimes. The message has been: Stop looking for your team-mates and back yourself more. And now you’re seeing it. He’s direct, he’s putting in crosses that are on the money nine times out of ten. He’s got much more confidence in his shooting now as well and he’s getting the rewards for that.
“I’m sure he runs the most in our team as well. He runs miles every single game. We’re very lucky to have him.”
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