Bruno: Spurs draw was confidence booster
LONDON: Brighton & Hove Albion’s confidence-boosting home draw against Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday can be a platform to push for Premier League survival, captain Bruno has said.
Midfielder Pascal Gross scored a second-half penalty to cancel out Tottenham striker Harry Kane’s opener as 13th-placed Brighton moved to 36 points, eight clear of the drop zone.
“It’s really important, but it’s not just about the point. To get a point against a side like that is vital for us in terms of confidence,” Bruno told Brighton’s website.
“It’s really difficult to play against Tottenham with the way that they play and the movement they have ... as a team, we never give up, and that resilience is so important.”
Brighton travel to Burnley for their next league game later this month before a testing run-in sees them face Manchester United, Manchester City and Liverpool in their final three fixtures.
“What we need now is to keep performing well after a really good performance ahead of a massive game against Burnley,” Spaniard Bruno added.
“We have quite a long week to prepare for it. We need another three points to make sure that we stay up.”
Meanwhile, Stoke City winger Xherdan Shaqiri has expressed his frustration at the club’s ongoing struggle to avoid relegation from the Premier League, saying he had hoped to be competing in the top half of the table rather than the bottom.
While the Potters secured a ninth-placed finish in Shaqiri’s debut season, the club slipped to 13th a year later and are currently second from bottom, five points adrift of safety after winning just six of 34 matches.
“Of course I’m frustrated,” Shaqiri told the Stoke Sentinel. “Everyone has been frustrated all season. We are a better team than where we are at the moment.
“I have more ambition to play at higher levels than the bottom of the table. Everyone wants that, but we have to do more to make it happen. I don’t know the reason (we haven’t), you have to ask the sport directors.
“I chose Stoke because the coach who called me said they were going to make a good team and try in the future to play more in the front of the table. This hasn’t happened.”
Shaqiri has enjoyed his most productive season as a Stoke player, scoring seven goals and providing six assists in 32 league appearances, but the club have failed to mirror his form.
The 26-year-old expressed his love for the club despite their dismal season and believes Stoke must win at least three of their four remaining matches to avoid dropping to the Championship next season.
“Of course I love the club, I love the fans. I think I’ve done very well for them,” he added. – Reuters