Tottenham’s injury woes have been a cause for concern for Antonio Conte and his staff this season, however those injuries to Dejan Kulusevski, Richarlison and Lucas Moura (injury update here) have pathed the way for Bryan Gil to stamp his impact on the side.
Gil, who featured in Tottenham’s 1-0 over Portsmouth on Saturday (match report here) , is currently enjoying his best ever run in the starting 11, with the Spaniard starting the last three fixtures.
In an interview with the Evening Standard, Gil spoke on his recent run in the side:
“I’m getting more opportunities now, he is giving me minutes and I have to repay the manager’s faith,” Gil said. “I have to show he can trust me when I get those chances and show that I can play well.
“Nothing has changed because I focus on the day to day, not the future. You never know what can happen. I’m focused on the present, on working, and if I get the chance to play I have to capitalise on that.”
Much has been made of Gil’s physical capabilities since joining the Lilywhites, with some sections of the Spurs fanbase claiming he is too lightweight for the English game. Gil has since admitted that he did struggle with the Premier League’s physicality when he first arrived on English shores:
“The physical aspect [of English football] is something I struggled with in my first year, but I’ve got my head down and worked with the physical coaches and I can notice the difference. I think on the pitch you can see the difference as well.”
“There is a big difference [between the Premier League and La Liga]. I think in that area [physically] I suffered here quite a lot in the first few months and last year. But I just tried to get better every day, it’s not something you can change overnight. It takes time and I think I’m getting there.
Gil, who grabbed his first assist of the season against Palace last week, is now visibly a lot stronger on the ball compared to when he first arrived from Spain. Gil spoke on what he has done to deal with the increased physicality:
“If you want to change physically you have to change everything, your diet, you have to sleep well and you have to put the time in the gym. But it’s difficult. I’m a slim guy and it’s tough to put on lots of weight but I’m getting there little by little.
“In the end everyone needs time to adapt. Now is when I’m getting some more minutes and getting the chance to be more of a prominent player. I’ve worked hard for this moment to arrive. I hope I’ll keep getting minutes on the pitch here and that I can keep improving.”
Back in October, Spurs boss Antonio Conte compared the 21-year-old to Manchester City’s Bernardo Silva stating the two had a similar “structure” (via the Evening Standard) . Gil spoke on the comparisons:
“I don’t read much of the press but if he said that then, well he’s a fantastic player, one of my favourites and he’s on a different level so I suppose I have to say thanks!”
Have your say on Gil’s resurgence, by visiting the VitalSpurs fan forum here