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‘Should do better’: Nuno says 23-year-old Tottenham player gave the ball away too much last night
Tottenham Hotspur boss Nuno has hailed Steven Bergwijn as ‘very talented’ after his pre-season showing last night, although he admitted his first-half performance needed work.
Goalscoring evening
Bergwijn scored in Tottenham’s 2-2 draw with Chelsea after producing a fine piece of skill and a strong finish.
It capped off an excellent pre-season so far for the Dutchman, who is playing for a place in Tottenham’s team.
Bergwijn struggled for regular games last term under both Jose Mourinho and Ryan Mason.
But Nuno gave Bergwijn a big hug as he stepped off the pitch last night.
And the signs are that Tottenham’s new boss certainly rates the Dutchman.
He said: “I believe Steven is a very talented player. I think he got 84 minutes. It’s very good for him to get 84 minutes that he was doing. He scored a goal and a goal can only give him confidence.”
Plenty to work on
Unfortunately for Bergwijn it wasn’t all good news though, with his new manager saying that his first-half performance wasn’t quite up to scratch.
“Aside from that he put in hard work and he positioned himself much better in the second half, but in the first half not too much and allowed the ball to go to the areas we didn’t want,” Nuno added.
“He should do better in the first half and lost too many balls trying to combine, but it’s the moment to make mistakes, find solutions and correct ourselves.”
Those comments rather sum up Bergwijn’s time at Spurs so far, as he has struggled to perform consistently.
Bergwijn made a huge impact after arriving at Tottenham in January 2020 as Mourinho’s first signing, but he has failed to produce with any regularity since.
His lack of goals last season was a real concern, with some of his finishing wasteful.
With Bryan Gil arriving at the club, Bergwijn is now under increasing pressure to impress.
And it will be imperative that he carries his pre-season form into the competitive campaign now.