Ryan looking for net gains
ACE MAT OUT TO BE A REAL SMASH HIT HAPPY VAN BACK IN TOP GEAR
BRIGHTON’S Mathew Ryan knows a thing or two about taking points off the opposition.
But few Premier League footballers can claim to have taken them from a former world No.1.
The Aussie goalkeeper can, though, as he regularly took on tennis ace Kim Clijsters while he was playing for Ghent.
“She always beat me but I like to think I made her fight for victory,” he said.
They met when she was dating Ryan’s mate Lleyton Hewitt and continued playing tennis together when that relationship ended.
The former Valencia man added:
“I am very competitive and it was a toss-up between whether
I played football of tennis.
“Playing Kim is a wonderful experience. She makes me realise how tough you have to be in that sport.”
They regularly keep in touch, even though she splits her time between her native Belgium and New Jersey.
Ryan said: “Because of her relationship with Lleyton she’s still called ‘Aussie Kim’ back home.
“She is over in England for the Masters next month and has asked for a ticket to watch Brighton play. She loves football. Her dad was a Belgium international and she once remarked that she had ‘footballer’s legs’.
“It’ll be great to see her again, although I might find it hard watching her in action.”
Ryan leaves next month for a round-the-world trip to play Honduras home and away in a final qualifier for next year’s World Cup in Russia.
He played for the Socceroos in the 2014 World Cup final when his idol Mark Schwarzer retired. Since then he has made his country’s No.1 spot his own and was voted the best keeper at the 2015 Asian Cup, which Australia won after SMILES BETTER: Yoshida and Van Dijk VIRGIL VAN DIJK is not sulking at Southampton.
That is according to his Saints team-mate Maya Yoshida, who has lifted the lid on the Dutchman’s summer transfer saga.
Van Dijk looked set to join Liverpool in the previous transfer window as part of massive £50million deal.
But talks between the Reds and Southampton turned sour with Saints
MAKING A RACKET: Ryan has settled at Brighton
beating South Korea 2-1 following extra-time in the final in Sydney.
At club level, Ryan admits he made a slow start to his Brighton career after a £6million switch from La Liga but is now proving his worth after a string of fine performances.
The man from New South Wales said: “There were probably a few question marks at the beginning, people thinking I needed a little more time to settle in or that I couldn’t quite cut it – but I thought I was a little unlucky.
“But since the last international break I feel like I’ve settled in, got to know my players a little bit more and had a couple of nice results. “Some advice I got when I was really young, from my mother and people around me, was ‘only concentrate on what you can control’.
“I’ve got to use the competition from other goalkeepers to make me even better.
“The club signed me as their first-choice goalkeeper and I’ve been eager to get out there and do well for the team.
“For me, there’s no better feeling than having walked off the pitch having played a nice game and collected three points.”
Growing up in Australia, Ryan supported Arsenal and after making his first appearance at The Emirates Stadium at the start of October he said: “It was surreal walking out there after watching so many historic games in the past.”
He added: “The atmosphere was a little bit funny and I don’t know whether it’s because they’re such a global club.
“They get a lot of international fans going to the games and the atmosphere isn’t quite as big as playing a smaller team with local fans who sing songs every week.
“Our atmosphere here in Brighton was louder than the atmosphere at The Emirates.
“But the experience of playing against Petr Cech and some of those guys, was great, a nice match and memory.”
Southampton arrive at the Amex Stadium this afternoon having found the net just eight times this season but Ryan knows that he will need to be at his best to make it game, set and match for his team. even threatening to report them to the Premier League. And after missing out on his mega-money move to Anfield, it was feared Van Dijk could kick up a fuss.
But, as Southampton get ready to travel to Brighton today, Yoshida says his fellow centre-back has been on his best behaviour.
“He is good. He is enjoying every day. I think he smiles a lot,” said Yoshida. “It is very Jan 2012: Brighton 3 Soton 0 Nov 2011: Soton 3 Brighton 0 Apr 2011: Brighton 1 Soton 2 Nov 2010: Soton 0 Brighton 0 Apr 2010: Brighton 2 Soton 2
Brighton – 8 wins Soton – 22 wins Draws – 10 comfortable with him, he never brings any negativity. He is really comfortable I think.”
Van Dijk missed out on the first few games of this season due to a foot injury but Yoshida believes he is getting back to his best after being recalled. “He didn’t play for a long time, so the first couple of games he was not as top level as before,” said Yoshida. “But recently he has done very well.”
●Yoshida was speaking courtesy of Southampton’s official energy supplier, Utilita Energy.