Spurs duo ready for battle… in the Spanish lower leagues!

It’s a small world. How else would happenstance have two Spurs players – who played alongside one another in our Under-23s’ opening game of the Premier League 2 season against West Ham at Stevenage in August – cross paths some 850 miles from home, in the third tier of Spanish football on a Saturday afternoon in Valencia?

That’s what will – all being well – occur this weekend when the loan journeys of Development Squad team-mates Anthony Georgiou and Samuel Shashoua serendipitously intertwine on the continent.

In the eastern-Spanish town of Buñol, the ‘B’ team of La Liga side Levante, known as Levante II, host Atletico Baleares from Majorca in a big game in Segunda Division B – a contest that could have a big say in the visitors’ title bid.

Left winger Anthony, who made his first team debut at APOEL in our 2017/18 Champions League campaign and has subsequently established himself in the senior Cyprus national team, joined mid-table Levante II on loan in January and has so far scored once in eight appearances, while attacking midfielder Samuel, named on the bench in the Premier League for us in the 6-1 triumph at Leicester in May, 2017, linked up with Baleares for the current season shortly before the end of the transfer window last summer. He’s been a regular starter since, scoring five goals in 28 games, with his most recent strike coming last time out in a 2-0 home win over UE Cornellà.

CRÓNICA | Reparto de puntos entre el #AtléticoLevanteUD y el @cfhercules https://t.co/AYVDSt2QWu pic.twitter.com/RX76OdVwOi

— Atlético Levante UD (@LUDatletico) February 24, 2019

“It’s not always the typical Spanish style of football that maybe you’d expect,” 22-year-old Anthony told us this week, reflecting on his experiences up to this point. “It’s very different to other leagues I’ve seen – the way we play, we do try to move the ball but it’s harder on some of the pitches we play on. It can be quite physical as well and I’ve sometimes found it very defensive in games where the teams are trying to hold out and get the points rather than trying to keep attacking to get another goal.”

Just over two years Anthony’s junior, midfield craftsman Samuel has a few months’ more experience of the league having arrived near the beginning of the season: “When I came in, I didn’t really know much about it,” he admitted. “I assumed it would be tiki-taka but it’s actually kind of the opposite, similar to League One or League Two at home in the sense that a lot of teams are very direct, except maybe the younger ‘B’ teams of the La Liga clubs – they try to play out. Every game is a challenge, certain pitches are Astro, there are some younger teams and then some older teams as well, so every game has different little twists. The men’s teams in the league are really physical so it’s about trying to find ways to still be effective, even when you’re not getting the ball as much as you’d like. It’s definitely a very big learning curve.”

Segunda Division B is divided into four leagues of 20 teams each. Samuel’s Atletico are seven points clear at the top of the table in group three with five games remaining – securing first place would simplify their path in the play-offs and give them a more direct chance of earning promotion to the Spanish equivalent of the Championship. It’s certainly an exciting time for the Balearic Islands outfit, who are also building a new stadium.

As for life away from football, Samuel explained: “It’s great here. I’m staying in a little flat with one of the boys with a lovely pool outside. The weather is always great – I’ve got a bit of a tan! I went to boarding school when I was younger and I’ve obviously been in digs at Spurs as well so although I am abroad, it just feels as if I’m here playing football. That’s what makes me happy. I’ve learned to cook a little bit too – I’ve gone from never cooking to having to cook every day!”

At the start of the year, he branched out further: “I took the step in January to get a car and start driving out here, because I wanted to explore the island a bit more on my days off and go to the beach and I didn’t want to have to rely on anyone else. I had to really focus when I started, with the roads obviously being different to what I’m used to at home, but it soon became normal.”

Anthony stays in an apartment block, where a number of his Levante team-mates also reside, and gets an Uber to training. But he admits: “I’ve picked up a few things in terms of the language but I probably haven’t learnt as much as I should have! Coming out here, not many people speak English so not being able to communicate is tough. In terms of football, that makes it harder to show that I can be trusted to play in the team sometimes, so I have to show on the pitch that they can trust me in a defensive as well as an attacking sense. When I do get a chance to get my one-v-ones going forward, I try to take them but it’s about working together as a team and a unit – it’s an enjoyable challenge and something to really learn from.”

Levante II host Atletico Baleares at their training ground on Saturday, kick-off 4pm. Anthony went off with a hamstring issue during Levante II’s 3-2 loss to Barcelona B last week but hopes to be fit to face his Spurs cohort: “I’m good friends with Sam – he’s a good player so I’ve got to let some of my team-mates know to watch out!” he said. “He’s been playing a lot of games since the start of the season and he scored in his last game as well. His team is top of the league so it’ll be a good challenge.”

Samuel, whose younger brother Armando is also involved in a title battle this season as captain of our Under-18s, added: “It’s exciting to have the chance to hopefully come up against Anthony. When I came in, I didn’t think I’d be playing anyone from Spurs! It’s a different situation to what we’re used to – I’m playing left wing, he probably will for them, so it’ll be good to see how much we’ve changed and grown since being on loan abroad.”