Pedro Porro outlines how he plans to’surprise’ opponents in Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham team.
The Tottenham Hotspur defender is enjoying life under yet another head coach during a turbulent first seven months at the north London club
Pedro Porro understands that if he is to become a successful right-back under Ange Postecoglou at Tottenham Hotspur, he must surprise opponents.
The 23-year-old has only been at Spurs for a little over seven months, but he has worked under four different head coaches in that time, having signed for Antonio Conte, then under two caretaker managers in Cristian Stellini and then Ryan Mason before joining Ange Postecoglou this summer.
Pedro Porro outlines how he plans to’surprise’ opponents in Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham team.
Porro had six goals and 14 assists for Sporting and Tottenham last season, with three goals and three assists coming following his move to north London. With so many different instructors in such a short period of time, the Spaniard acknowledges it has been difficult and a bit of a whirlwind experience.
“At first, I struggled with a few things, and it was difficult, but I’m focused on my football, and I just have to keep working hard,” he told football.london. “Everything has been new to me since I’ve been here.” Now that we have a new coach, we must keep moving forward and focused on training and games. It’s a new manager, so things are different, but I enjoy it, so let’s keep going.”
Porro is a calmer persona than you might expect from watching him laugh and joke about the squad in training videos.
The full-back is a perpetual smiler and cheery presence in the group. As Porro’s English improves, this interview was conducted through an interpreter at Perth Zoo during the club’s pre-season trip. Only a few moments before, he was laughing with James Maddison, who was practising his rudimentary Spanish and throwing in some questionable phrases, much to Porro’s surprise and enjoyment.
Take him out of that group and Porro is more shy, thoughtful and cautious at times, not giving too much away, perhaps wary of the questions that may come of being the subject of a £40m move that was made for a previous head coach with doubts among fans and pundits over whether he can fit the new man’s system.
Porro, on the other hand, has liked his brief stint with Postecoglou and the exciting style the Australian has brought to the club.
“We’ve only been working for a short time, but his ideas are really good, and I believe we have to continue as normal and, as I said, try to reinforce the process,” he said.
Postecoglou comes change for Porro, not only in needing to switch from wing-back to right-back, but also in knowing that the new head coach prefers inverted full-backs, who come inside to perform a function in the centre of midfield during match periods.
There had been some speculation that Porro’s attacking mentality would lend itself to his being deployed as a winger, and he was asked what position he planned to play under the new manager.
“My position [under him] is defender, but the system is different, and I’m happy with whatever comes,” he stated before being questioned if the difference between being a wing-back and a right-back was significant. “Both yes and no.” It’s different – being a right wing-back is similar to being a winger, but it’s still different while attacking since you have to surprise the opposition as a right-back.
“All you have to do is get into the habit of defending.” I’ve advanced since becoming a professional, so [returning] is always more difficult, but I keep trying.”
“It’s a different way and new ideas,” he says of the inverted full-back setup. That style of game appeals to me because it allows you to spend a lot of time on the ball and pass it around. Still, I feel at ease working on defence, which is critical and will be critical in the future. Both are significant.”
Porro, who was an unused substitute against Brentford on Saturday, believes that the battle with Emerson Royal, who played the full 90 minutes and scored, and Djed Spence for the one right-back spot is good for everybody.
“I think it’s good for the team, we have to be very competitive and give 200%,” he said. “I think it’s very good for the three of us to compete.”
Spurs paid just under £40m this summer to make Porro’s loan move from Sporting a permanent one as part of the obligation to sign him in his January deal. Seven months on and Porro feels more settled now in a culture and league that is very different to his life in Portugal and back home in Spain.
“Yes, basically I’m good now. I like the league, I like the new project and truly now I’m going to play better,” he explained. “I thought it was going to be hard to adapt and in the few first months that people talk about I did have plenty of difficulty. I had to change very quickly and I’m doing alright.
“It’s good because I feel a lot more at ease; it’s easier for me to get along now than it was in the first few months.” There’s also Reggy, Cuti, Davinson, Eme [Royal], Gio, and a slew of other characters. There are a lot of Spanish speakers. The better I feel, the more I can communicate.”
Porro likes to unwind away from football by playing the Spanish racket sport padel with friends and watching TV. One recent series he admitted to enjoying this summer was Netflix’s ‘The Silence,’ set in his hometown and known as ‘Muted’ in the UK.
Spurs’ new goalie Guglielmo Vicario is not mute, and while for many at the club, having a new guy between the sticks after 11 years of Hugo Lloris would have been weird, Porro scarcely played alongside the former Spurs captain last season due to the Frenchman’s ailments.
“It wasn’t strange because I was only with him for a very short period of time,” he explained. “Certainly in that case, I can’t say much because I didn’t have as much time with him as the other players.” “Vicario is a good communicator, yes, he’s a nice guy, and we get along well.”
The last game Porro and Lloris played together was the Frenchman’s last for the club, a disastrous collapse at Newcastle when caretaker boss Stellini attempted to play a back four at St James’ Park with the attacking Porro and Ivan Perisic as full-backs, and the hosts duly scored five goals in 21 minutes, three of which came in the first nine minutes.
It was another learning experience for Porro as he tries to get used to playing in a deeper role.
“I just try to help the team in whatever position I’m put in, but in the end I’ve been playing for about two years further up the side,” he admitted. “When I was Sporting I was playing not so much in the defence and now I’m the opposite. I’m more in the defence but there are things in life that train you and you can improve from day to day.”
One player Porro does love playing with down the right-hand side of the pitch is Dejan Kulusevski, who also had his loan move made permanent this summer.
“Deki is a good player, he surprised me a lot when I got in. I knew him, because I had seen him playing before,” he said. “He is a good player, and I get on with him well which is important. In the game against Southampton (when Porro scored his first goal for the club), it was obvious that I get along with him.”
Porro once said that the toughest opponent he had faced at Spurs came on his debut for the club against Leicester and it was a certain James Maddison. The England international joined Tottenham this summer in a £40m deal and the Spaniard was able to breath a sigh of relief.
“He’s a good guy and a good player, and I’m sure he’ll be very important for the team,” he remarked with a smile.
Porro played at Sporting alongside Marcus Edwards, a former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder, but he maintains he did not discuss the club with the youngster before moving to north London.
“No, and I haven’t talked to him much since I left, but I’ve got a good relationship with Marcus,” he explained. “In Lisbon, we had a good connection. He’s a kind man.”
Porro is looking forward to the Postecoglou era at Tottenham and he can already feel the closeness between the squad.
“We have a good team and the relationship between the squad is healthy and most important is to be a family and together,” he said. “It’s all good. There are no issues there [with the Postecoglou era].”
So, what can Tottenham fans expect this season from their Spanish right-back?
“I’m a guy who likes to work hard, and I can help wherever I’m needed, which is the most important thing day in and day out, game in and game out.” “I’m just trying to get to the top of the club,” he explained.
“I’ve always loved soccer, and I’m very passionate about it.” If you don’t have that, I believe it’s difficult to deal with other challenges, such as team relationships. I’m usually cheerful.”
Spurs fans will be hoping that Porro remains content as he adjusts to a completely different role than he has been used to in the past. If he can grasp being an inverted right-back, he can become a very dangerous weapon in Postecoglou’s offensive Tottenham Hotspur side with his creativity and finishing.
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