WE’LL HAVE TO THIAGO SOME TO OUTSHINE MY PAL SILVA
SAYS SPURS STAR LUCAS MOURA
That’s the view of their Tottenham team- mate Lucas Moura, whose Spurs pals must find a way past his close friend Thiago Silva if they are to triumph in the battle of the high- flying Londoners.
Brazil internationals Moura and Thiago became especially close when they linked up at Paris Saint-Germain.
Moura arrived in France from Sao Paulo in January 2013, six months after er Thiago was signed from AC Milan.
Moura left for north London in January 2018, and last summer Thiago made his move to southwest London.
And with a hectic fixture schedule and a pandemic meaning they haven’t yet been able to meet up in London, Moura cannot wait to see his great friend today.
Moura said: “It’s easy for me to speak about Thiago Silva because we have a very good relationship.
“He is my friend, my brother.
“I speak to him very often and he helped me a lot when I arrived in Paris on the pitch and off.
“I am a big fan of his. He is one of the best defenders in the world. It will be strange and different to face him – but I am very thankful to him because he has helped me a lot in the past.
“Unfortunately, we have not met in London yet because of the virus and we had a lot of games also. It was difficult to organise something.
“He is the kind of friend you keep forever, in my heart. He is a big person for me. Before he signed for Chelsea we spoke about here, about London and about the Premier League.
“I told him if he had the opportunity to sign for a Premier League club he needed to do it because it is different but it is amazing, the best competition in the world.”
Together, the pair won four Ligue 1 titles, with Thiago, 36, going on to win a further three French crowns b e f o re j o i n i ng Chelsea as a free agent in August. Both are now looking to add a Premier League medal to their trophy cabinets, with Tottenham and Chelsea among the early pacesetters.
Spurs, especially, have raised their levels from last season.
Moura, 28, added: “The main change was in our mentality.
“We realise that it is the time to fight for a trophy and the club made very good signings in the summer.
“We have the capacity to fight for this trophy.
“I know it is too early to speak about that but right now we have the right mentality.
“That is what we try to show in every game – that we have the desire to win something in the season.”
Moura added: “Of course it is very different here at Tottenham compared to Paris Saint-Germain.
“I won a lot of trophies in Paris but it is another countr y, another compe t i t i o n and another philosophy of the game.
“But at Tottenham we are capable of being successful now – we have all that you need to win.
“We just need to put that on the pitch.”
JOSE MOURINHO can drive this Tottenham side to Premier League glory by ‘winning ugly’ says club legend Micky Hazard.
Spurs have started their top-flight campaign with just one defeat in their opening nine games and Hazard, a UEFA Cup winner with Tottenham in 1984, reckons they are on track for a first title since 1961.
Hazard said: “If I have one regret about the team I played in – which was more than good enough to win the title on two or three occasions – is we didn’t grind out results when the flair wasn’t there.
“You can’t play beautifully for 40-odd games and this Spurs side realises that - the desire to stop the opposition scoring is what title winners are made of. Even Harry Kane is now tackling like a centre-back – and that has come from Mourinho.” Hazard joined Chelsea after leaving Spurs and added: “The likes of Timo Werner and Kai Havertz will adapt even better in time – it will be no surprise if they mount a serious challenge as well.”