Winks: "We've still got goals and quality in the side"
Tue 18 February 2020, 16:45|
Tottenham Hotspur
Harry Winks is backing the squad to recover from the loss of Heung-Min Son, insisting we still have the goals that can see us through against RB Leipzig.
We return to Champions League action at the new stadium in the first leg of our round of 16 tie against the German side on Wednesday night, rocked by the news that Son has joined Harry Kane on the sidelines.
It was confirmed earlier that the South Korean star – our match-winner at Aston Villa on Sunday – requires surgery on a fractured arm.
Midfielder Winksy admitted it’s a disappointing development as we chase success on multiple fronts, but is nevertheless confident that we’ll be able to find the firepower we need from elsewhere in the team.
“It’s a massive blow for us, he’s a top player and he’s in such good form at the moment, especially off the back of the weekend, but we’ve got more than enough quality and goals in the side already,” said the England international at a press conference at Hotspur Way ahead of the Leipzig clash (kick-off 8pm).
“We’ve got Erik Lamela coming back from injury as well, which is going to be key for us, so he can obviously contribute, but as much as it’s a massive loss to us, we can’t dwell on it too much because we’ve got such a big game tomorrow.
“We’re the home team so it’s important that the fans get behind us, which I’m sure they will – they’re always fantastic. It’s a game where they’re probably going to have to be a little bit more patient, in the sense that we’ve probably not got a talisman as such that we would like, but we’ve still got top players in that final third who can help score goals and create chances for us. We’re a top side, we can always create chances and I’m sure that tomorrow will be no different.”
Harry believes last season’s epic run to the competition’s final has only served to strengthen our mentality when it comes to approaching tough European fixtures.
“We had a lot of difficult spells last season in the Champions League, right from the beginning where we were completely written off, but we’ve got the mental strength in the side and we’ve got the experience now as well to be able to overcome these challenges,” he added. “Tomorrow will be a difficult game, they’re a good side, we know that, but we’ve got equally good players in our side and we believe that if we play our game and implement our style on them, we can be a good favourite to win.”
