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Ottenham head coach Nuno Espirito Santo has admitted that he is ignoring new guidance aimed at limiting the number of headers players make in practice, insisting that heading is “part of the game.”
Before this season, the Football Association recommended that professional players perform no more than 10 “force majeure” headers in training per week to reduce the risk of dementia.
Multiple studies have shown a correlation between heading the ball and developing dementia in old age, and this week the family of former Spurs defender Joe Kinnear revealed that he is the latest ex-professional to live with the disease.
Defensive set pieces have been high on Nuno’s training schedule ahead of Sunday’s derby in North London after the Spurs conceded heads from the corners in their last two games, against Chelsea and Wolves.
But when asked if fixed part drills were more difficult to practice given the new guide, Nuno revealed that he is ignoring the recommendations, despite being concerned about dementia.
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“Good question. That’s why we have training sessions without anyone seeing us, “he said.
“I am concerned about the dementia situation and what heading the ball can cause. It is a big concern for us, but it is part of the game.
Honestly, I won’t lie to you [the media]. I don’t count how many times our players head the ball. I might get in trouble for this. But football is jumping, moving forward. It’s part of the game.”
Nuno’s team enters the derby at Arsenal on the back on a spotty streak, following back-to-back 3-0 losses to Crystal Palace and Chelsea, and Wednesday’s win over Wolves in the third round of the Carabao Cup.
The Spurs collapsed in the second half of the two derby losses after drawing at half-time, blowing a 2-0 lead at Molineux to draw 2-2 before advancing on penalties.
Nuno said his team must learn to respond to setbacks and compared them to a boxer on defense, choosing his moments to hit.
The analogy was a reference to Anthony Joshua’s heavyweight fight against Oleksandr Usyk at Tottenham Stadium on Saturday night, which Nuno has said he will try to watch.
When asked about the Spurs problem to respond to setbacks, Nuno said: “It’s real. Even on Wednesday we were in front, but the moment we conceded, we didn’t react well.
“We feel a bit disorganized. We let the opponent [have] The feeling we had at the rear, so that’s something we need to improve. It happened before and we couldn’t react.
“Wednesday was better because in the second half, at the beginning, we were able to put the game to bed easily. So that momentum was ours, but it’s something we need to improve on.
“So we are working on that aspect, not only on the mental aspect of the situation, but on how to react as a team.
“First, [it’s about] confidence ”, continued the Portuguese.
“That we have. That we must have. Just to use a simple boxing example, with people talking about the big occasion on Saturday night.
You can’t spend the entire round throwing punches. Sometimes you have to protect yourself. If you receive a blow, instead of opening the guard, you should close the guard and respect that your opponent also has these moments.
So using this simple situation gives us a lot of what to do. So we are organized, we are stable, we are solid.
“Whatever happens, we must continue to do so. We are playing good football. We look for threatening and we look for the goal. You score, you have to go again. So it takes time, but this is the process.
Spurs are ready to welcome Lucas Moura to Arsenal after the Brazilian missed the last two games through injury.
“Having Lucas back gives you another option, and a very good option because Lucas is a very talented player,” said Nuno.
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