Sydney FC v Tottenham: Danny Rose on an Australian football learning curve
TOTTENHAM defender Danny Rose is prepared for a tough test against Sydney FC and “won’t be expecting a friendly” when the sides meet.
DANNY Rose admits he doesn’t know too much about the A-League, but from what he’s been told the Spurs defender is expecting a tough test against Sydney FC tonight.
Rose, along with his Tottenham teammates Roberto Soldado, Andros Townsend, Nacer Chadli and Harry Winks spent Friday morning conducting a coaching clinic with players from the Special Olympics football team.
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Rose is coming off his best season yet for Spurs and hopes to finish off a long campaign with one final win against the Sky Blues in front of a packed house at ANZ Stadium.
“I expect it will be a difficult game,” Rose said.
“We have a manager (Mauricio Pochettino) who will be expecting us to go out there and win and I won’t be expecting a friendly, that’s for sure.
“I have to be honest, I don’t know an awful lot about the A-League, but I’ve been told the football is getting bigger and bigger here and I’m looking forward to watching it in the future.”
Rose is a product of the Leeds United youth academy, before he moved to Spurs nine years ago. But it took several loan spells before the left-back earned a regular spot in the Spurs side and the 24-year-old says he owes plenty to his manager Pochettino.
“He’s been brilliant. He’s one of the best managers I’ve worked with — he’s laid-back, good to work with and he’s improved me as a player.”
Like the rest of the Spurs squad, it’s Rose’s first visit to Australia and he’s enjoyed taking in Sydney’s iconic landmarks.
“It’s not going to be every year you get to travel to Australia and it’s been brilliant,” Rose said.
“I’ve only been here one day, but I’ve been pretty impressed with everything. We had a little walk around across the Bridge and it’s been brilliant — it’s a place I’d love to come visit in the future. I have a few football friends who have moved out here and they’ve got nothing but nice things to say about it.”
Sky Blues defender Rhyan Grant also took part in the Special Olympics coaching clinic with Rose and he is looking forward to testing himself against some of the English Premier League’s best, especially prolific striker Harry Kane.
“There are a few players in there who have had good seasons, so it’s going to be good to compare yourself to them,” Grant said.
“I’m looking forward to trying to stop Harry Kane, I’m not sure if I can, but I’ll give it a good go. Hopefully we can have a more relaxed game and put on a spectacle for the crowd.”
Originally published as Sydney FC v Tottenham: Danny Rose on an Australian football learning curve
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