Sessegnon aims to go forth and put heat on Arsenal
NOT LONG before Ryan Sessegnon joined Tottenham, the Collins Dictionary received an application for the word ‘Spursy’ to be added to its lexicon. The definition, the submission explained, was ‘to have success in reach but to ultimately chuck it away’.
The additional information explained, as we all know by now, the word’s association with the nearlys and not-quites of Tottenham Hotspur. Of which there have been plenty.
Tottenham’s win over Arsenal was a game they knew they had to win. Lose it and their north London rivals had the top four. Draw it even, and their Champions League hopes were all but dead. But it was Antonio Conte’s side who thrived under the pressure while Arsenal lost their heads.
Spurs are now a point behind the Gunners with two games left and the momentum on their side. ‘We showed we can deal with the pressure of many difficult situations,’ Sessegnon says.
He knows, too, that this final week of the season — the visit of Burnley this lunchtime and a trip to relegated Norwich on the final day — and what is at stake is as much a battle of wits as of strength.
‘It’s a mental game now,’ he says. ‘We have to keep our cool, keep our focus. We are positive about the way the season is looking for us but the job is not done and we need to keep reminding ourselves [that]. As great as the win [against
Arsenal] was, it’s forgotten now. They have the advantage as they’re one point ahead but you could say the momentum is with us.’
Sessegnon will do well to force the memories out of his mind. When asked where his first north London derby ranks in his Spurs career, he is quick to reply: ‘At the very top. The previous ones I haven’t been able to play, for many reasons, so this was very special. The atmosphere was electric from the first minute.’
It is likely to be the same this lunchtime, too, with Spurs knowing a victory over relegation-threatened Burnley would see them leapfrog Arsenal into fourth and pile the pressure on to the Gunners for their trip to Newcastle tomorrow night.
Sessegnon says: ‘I feel like it probably is the best way to just get that Burnley game over and, hopefully, to get the win so it puts the pressure on them on Monday night.’
They will hope they fare better than the last time they faced the Clarets. A 1-0 defeat at Turf
Moor and a fourth loss in five Premier League games saw
Conte threaten to walk away from the club.
‘I remember the dressing room being very down,’ says Sessegnon. ‘Conte was just disappointed we didn’t win. That was it. We didn’t really pay too much attention to the outside noise. We bounced back.’