Tottenham: Victor Wanyama Reflects on Home Debut
Tottenham defensive midfielder Victor Wanyama made his home debut special by scoring the game-winning goal yesterday against Crystal Palace.
Tottenham’s first summer signing ahead of the new league year was a major coup.
Previously, Victor Wanyama’s value was around £20 million after being a late transfer target last summer, but things changed.
With Ronald Koeman leaving Southampton to manage Everton, it meant that Mauricio Pochettino could bid for the Kenyan international once again.
And in quick fashion — which is not very Spurs-like — Wanyama joined Tottenham on a bargain price of £11 million.
must read: Pairing Wanyama and Dier Might Not Be Best for Tottenham
The 25-year-old’s arrival meant that Spurs finally added a key piece to their bench.
Because Eric Dier played in almost every game for Tottenham last season (51 out of 53 games, plus the Euros), Dier needed someone to rotate with him.
Victor Wanyama was supposed to be that person, but it hasn’t happened yet.
Mauricio Pochettino might play Dier and Wanyama together until Mousa Dembélé returns from suspension before deciding what to do next.
By then, who knows if this partnership flourishes. If it doesn’t, a change could happen but not anytime soon.
It’s unlikely that Wanyama will be benched after scoring the game-winner yesterday and saying how much it meant to him.
“It means the world to me, getting a goal on my debut in front of our fans is amazing,” Victor Wanyama said (via Tottenham’s official site).
“It’s maybe the only thing I could ask this year!”
“The fans were unbelievable and that goal, I can’t describe it – a special goal for me.”
“It’s amazing, amazing, I couldn’t believe it, it was my debut and how the fans were behind us from the first minute until the end, it was special.”
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With the game winding down and Spurs taking a corner kick in the 81st minute, the ball would be whipped in that Harry Kane would head towards goal.
Wanyama who was closest to the net decided to help out by heading the ball as well.
It was literally a double header to score the game’s lone goal.
“I saw Harry go for it, I knew he would attack the ball and I reacted to it and had a clear header,” explained the 25-year-old.
“I couldn’t ask for more, it was a great set-piece and a team goal. It was just a matter of time.”
After taking a 1-0 lead, Spurs would proceed to run out the clock and secure their first win of the season.
It was a close game but one that shouldn’t have been if Tottenham managed to put away a couple of their chances earlier on.
“We had a lot of chances, created a lot but didn’t get a goal,” Victor Wanyama added.
“We had to dig deep and work harder and harder. We were patient and at the end, we got our goal.”
“It feels special to have won that game and when you get that first win, you also get that confidence. We can build from here and now we’ll see next week.”
Next: Tottenham: Pochettino Excited for First win
Next weekend, Spurs will host Liverpool at White Hart Lane.
And if last season’s matches against Jürgen Klopp’s side are anything to go by, it will be another tough match on August 27th.
Spurs will be up to the challenge, but can their defensive midfield pairing help?
It has stifled any creativity moving forward when Spurs have the ball and it’s something to watch out for this season.