Kevin Danso interview: Tottenham star on set pieces, key Thomas Frank advice and that Micky van de Ven goal | OneFootball

The defender knows he has a tough job on his hands playing back-up to Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero, but is glad being rejected by Southampton led him on a path to Spurs

After Danso made 18 clearances in last month's impressive win away at Everton, Frank labelled Danso "magnet head" in his next press conference.

"It was a positive, so I’ll take it," Danso says.

That old soul was watching on from the touchline when Micky van de Ven provided something from a more modern school of thought on Tuesday night.

The Dutchman collected the ball on the edge of his own box and duly ran the length of the pitch, four Copenhagen players left in his wake, before expertly slotting home.

He’s up there [among the world’s best], the fastest player I know ... not many do it like he does

Kevin Danso on Micky van de Ven

Danso says he "pretty much knew" it was going to be a goal once Van de Ven approached the Copenhagen box, so good is his team-mate's left foot.

Minutes later, Cristian Romero went on his own charge and put it on a plate for Joao Palhinha to score Spurs' fourth. The ball must be in Danso's court now, with marauding up from the back apparently the new norm for Frank's centre-backs.

“It seems to be. I’ve done it a couple of times in my career," the 27-year-old says, before quickly adding, "it hasn’t ended up as an assist or goal!"

Frank joked Van de Ven "turned into Lionel Messi" for his goal and the Dutchman has put his hat in the ring for discussions over the best centre-back in the world with his performances this season.

“He’s up there," Danso says.

"The fastest player I know. His willingness to defend also. There’s so many times when you see Micky covering long balls, covering the space. Not many do it like he does.

"Just that desire to defend and also being so good and composed on the ball. And his left foot is a real weapon.”

Kevin Danso won the long-throw competition held during pre-season

Getty Images

Van de Ven is Spurs' top scorer with six goals this season, benefitting from the team's set-piece prowess. Only Arsenal and Chelsea have scored more from dead-ball situations in the Premier League.

Danso has played his part in that facet of the game after a pre-season audition revealed he had the longest throw in the squad. Frank has been keen to maximise those situations, but Danso insists it is just one of the tools in Spurs' armoury.

"Under the new manager with attention to details, we’ve shown we’re really strong in set pieces this season compared to other seasons maybe," he says.

That suggests the players are aware of the commentary that Spurs have been at times too reliant on set pieces and not creative enough from open play.

“I mean, it’s not us that creates the narrative," he responds, smiling.

"We just want to go out and win the game. Sometimes it is through a set piece that you edge the game or open the scoring. Sometimes free-flowing football will win you the game.

"Our goal with the manager is to be as effective as we can in all fronts.”

‘It’s not always as bad as you think, but it’s not always as good as you think it is’

Thomas Frank's advice to the Spurs squad

Frank cuts an animated figure on the touchline at Spurs, in stark contrast to his predecessor Ange Postecoglou. There are plenty of encouraging claps and instructions to his players, though a more frustrated side came out during the defeat to Chelsea when he booted a water bottle after Spurs conceded.

“Generally relaxed and chilled," Danso says of Frank's day-to-day demeanour.

“There’s one thing he says that I’ve really take on board: ‘It’s not always as bad as you think, but it’s not always as good as you think it is’."

Is he still capable of an angry half-time or post-match team talk?

“I haven’t seen it yet, if that’s the case! Always level-headed," Danso says. "That does a lot of good for the team.”

Danso is in a fairly unique position in the Spurs squad in that he knows even his best form will often not be enough to get in the team. Injuries to Romero or Van de Ven are his route into the team, or stepping in when one of them needs resting.

“That’s part of being at a top club that’s at the top of world football, like Spurs is," Danso says.

"You have players in every position that are top, top quality. Micky and Cuti are exactly that. I understand that and I’m very realistic. My role is to just play as best as possible, try and get in the team. If not, also understand that’s part of football. I believe in myself.

"When you’re at the top of world football, that’s what happens. You’ve got competition. Just got to deal with it the best you can.”

That includes being thrown in at the deep end, with Danso already used five times off the bench this season to see out leads. Spurs won all of those matches.

"Personally, you want to play every game, but you also understand that Micky and Cuti are performing very well," he says.

"When I get my opportunity, even ten minutes at the end of a game, perform at that same level.”

Kevin Danso with the Europa League trophy

REUTERS

It feels like a long time since he made just six Premier League appearances in a disappointing loan spell at Southampton during the 2019-20 season. The Saints had the option to sign Danso permanently, but declined to do so.

"That was the first time it didn’t go my way," he says.

"I kind of blame myself a bit. Especially in those periods, it’s where you have to work harder and search for something inside you to really push on. I feel like I didn’t really do that. I was very young, of course, but that was the lesson I learnt.

"It was one of the best things that happened to me.”

This time, he feels at home in the Premier League and at Spurs. Danso has immersed himself in the local community. He is an ambassador for the homelessness charity The Passage and has just finished emptying a van outside Tottenham Foodbank, assisting volunteers in assembling packages to prepare for their evening shift.

“I grew up in Austria, but my parents were from Ghana, and so they relied heavily on the support of their communities, which is why I place so much value on it and believe in the power of charity work," he says.

Spurs host Manchester United on Saturday, the first meeting between the two sides since the Europa League final in May. Danso came off the bench in that match and made three clearances in stoppage time alone to help Spurs hold on.

That was the club's first piece of silverware in 17 years and the first of Danso's career. Spurs have already been knocked out of the Carabao Cup this season, but Danso still believes another medal can be added to his collection.

"In football, anything is possible," he says.

"We showed last season a lot of resilience to win the trophy. A lot of injuries, a lot of things that didn’t go our way, and we still managed to end it on a high. It’s not always how you start, it’s how you finish.

"Sometimes you’ve just got to dig in. This season we want to achieve something similar, so we’ve got to dig in again.”

Kevin Danso helping out at Tottenham Foodbank

Tottenham Hotspur