Danny Rose has made the startling confession to the Times that he was “horrendous” in the first half of Tottenham’s 2-1 Champions League win against Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday night.
The Spurs left-back Rose admitted that his poor performance in the first half of Spurs’ triumph in Germany had given him a reality check in terms of assessing his fitness following his omission from the north London derby last Saturday, but was pleased with his recovery after in the second period.
Tottenham were 1-0 down at half-time but goals from Harry Kane and Son Heung-Min secured a memorable victory and ensured qualification for the Champions League last 16 as group winners.
Rose played the full 90 minutes of the match after being recalled to the startling XI after he did not even make the matchday 18 for the 2-0 defeat at Arsenal.
“I thought I was close [to being fit] and then in first half I was horrendous,” Rose told the Times. “I thought I was getting hooked at half-time, and it gave me a bit of a reality check, maybe I’m not as close as I thought I was.
“In the second half I thought I did better, I contributed quite a lot in the second half, and I just hope I can get many more minutes. There’s a lot of games now over the next six weeks, and I hope I can play a part in as many as possible.
“At Tottenham, you have to have an exceptional level of fitness. I’m not there yet, because I’ve been out for a long time. I’m still catching up.”
OPINION
If only every leading footballer was as candid as Rose. His latest performance in front of the mic was every bit as fascinating as his display on the pitch as he showed once again that he is world class at being frank and speaking his mind. It is not to everyone’s tastes, certainly not all Tottenham fans, as some believe, as with his infamous interview last August, that he puts his own interests before those of the club. But, in terms of insight, five gold stars to Rose. His straight talking is a godsend in an era of PR-dominated fluff and dishwater-dull player social media accounts run by management companies.