Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Sandro has praised the influence of manager Andre Villas-Boas since joining the club, believing his boss to be one of the best tacticians around.
Sandro, 23, has been one of Spurs’ stand-out performers as the side get to grips with life under the Portuguese manager and the new tactical system he is trying to implement.
Following a fine run of recent results, the Brazilian believes that the new head coach’s influence can be seen as his clear direction is born out on the pitch.
He told The Independent: “It is clear tactically that our manager is one of the best. We all knew that from his history before he joined the club and what he has achieved and every day we are learning tactically, as you can see from the recent performances. Especially we are very well prepared for every match.
“It helps all the players a great deal that the manager speaks perfect English, perfect Spanish, Portuguese, French, and so everybody understands very clearly the message. Personally, it is a big help that the manager speaks to me in Portuguese. When I first joined the club, I didn’t speak any English and it was difficult to fully understand, even with the help of people translating for me, exactly what the messages were at times. It was frustrating.”
For Sandro, this ability to communicate clearly and succintly with the manager has been key to some impressive performances, with the manager now able to give guidance during the game.
He added: “The big difference now is especially during a game, if there is a 30-second break, I can go over to the substitutes’ bench to get a direct message from the manager, if he wants me to do something differently or pass on a message to one of the other players, I can now understand and react in the moment.
“I’ve got a good relationship with him, I’m very much enjoying working with him. He is one of the best out there, not just for me but for all of the team. And it helps that if there is something that is not going right we can approach him, or he can come and speak to us.”
Tottenham are currently on a four-game winning run in the Premier League, including an away victory at Manchester United, but must play Villas-Boas’ former side Chelsea immediately after the international break.
