Photo: Saggittarius A / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Sandro Tonali says Tottenham's squad is fully focused on preparations ahead of their Premier League opener against Brentford on 22 August.
The Italian midfielder scored his first goal in a Spurs shirt during a 2-1 win over Chelsea at the Sydney Super Cup on Saturday — a result achieved with 10 men after Tottenham were reduced a player on 49 minutes, before Richarlison tapped home the winner with the last kick of the game.
"We keep building our team every day to play in the best shape, to play our best football, not just in the game, but every single day at the training ground," Tonali said. "Every day we put 110% of our concentration on the pitch to do our best."
Tonali said the tone of the Chelsea match shifted quickly. "After the first contact with Joao Pedro, Lucas Bergvall and Conor Gallagher, we changed everything on the pitch, because we started like a friendly game, but after five minutes, it was like a battle."
He credited Ben Davies with raising the competitive edge early on. "After five minutes, I spoke with Ben Davies. He was really aggressive when he spoke with me, and I understood, after one second, how important it was today."
Tonali also acknowledged the significance of the result for the club after recent difficult seasons. "I think we have to understand that we have to put everything on the pitch to win every game. It's not just for our fans, but for all these players — last season and two seasons ago, it was tough for them."
"After the red card, I think we put 10% more on the pitch to win this game," he added. "It was a little bit tough to play today, it was not perfect, but if you put all the passion on the pitch, you don't have excuses. I think we played very well. We are happy."