Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
HE’S A JAY DREAMER!
Rodriguez targets trophy with hometown club
Burnley v Tottenham 7.45pm IF Jay Rodriguez has a dream then it is to lift a trophy with his hometown club.
He has ticked off most targets – an England cap, almost a decade in the Premier League, and some truly memorable moments along the way, not least a League Cup final appearance with Southampton.
But that silverware eludes him. And it would be sweet justice if he were able to help Burnley progress to the quarter-final of the Carabao Cup this season, and go closer to that dream, by knocking out Tottenham.
Spurs were the opponents who broke the Clarets’ hearts on an epic run to the semi-final of the same competition back in 2009 when a goal by Rodriguez (right) seemed to have put them in the final.
He has nothing but good memories though, and says: “I think that cup run was the start of something for us.
“It gave us belief as a team and Burnley belief as a club.
“We were so close, I came on and scored the goal that levelled the tie.
“And at 3-0 up we thought we could do it, but it wasn’t to be.”
Against a team of stars – featuring a young Gareth Bale and Luka
Modric – Burnley produced a titanic performance that has gone down in Turf Moor history by clawing back a 4-1 deficit from the first leg.
In any other competition, with that away goal, Rodriguez would have been the winner. But Spurs scored twice in extra-time and went through 6-4 on aggregate.
It makes him believe a trophy is within grasp. “100 percent it’s possible,” he says. “You can have the best quality players but if you don’t have that grit and teamwork together it doesn’t stand for anything.
“I genuinely believe we do have a lot here and we can compete with anyone with the mentality we have. For me, especially in the cup, you have to go all out and go to win it.”
It would mean something special too, to do it with Burnley after returning to the club following stints at Saints and West Brom which brought him England recognition.
At Southampton, they were denied by Manchester United’s 87th-minute winner at Wembley in 2017 scored by Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
There are equally big names in opposition this season, but Rodriguez still holds on to the dream.
He said: “It would be the best feeling ever – yes, of course it would – to win something with your home club where you grew up.
“We know realistically it’s far away and very difficult to do, but in the same breath we can take the next step.
“It’s something to aim for – you always have to aim high and see where it takes you. And we have shown we can beat the big teams because we believe in our work, our quality and attitude.” Tottenham boss Nuno Espirito Santo welcomes back Matt Doherty but said the right-back will have to fight for a place.
Doherty has missed the last three games since being injured on Ireland duty but is back in the frame.
But Nuno is taking most of the squad that lost to West Ham on Sunday and said: “He’s going to be in the squad, but it’s up to us to decide the right moment to integrate all the players.
“We must look at which are the best partnerships for what we want to achieve as a team.”