Tottenham reporter notebook: Ryan Mason has two games to ensure season doesn't fizzle out
Speaking at his press conference ahead of facing Manchester United on Thursday, Ryan Mason has insisted he is ready to step into the top job at Spurs and promised a reaction after Sunday's humiliating defeat at Newcastle
Wednesday 26 April 2023 16:17, UK
Ryan Mason gave an assured performance in his first press conference since taking the acting head coach role at Tottenham for the second time.
Mason has now got six years of coaching experience and declared he is ready to take the permanent job if required. Sky Sports News has been told Tottenham will certainly consider him as part of the recruitment process if he makes a positive impact.
It's safe to predict Mason will be a permanent Spurs manager at some point in his career. The key question is whether he needs another head coach role elsewhere before stepping up.
He has received plenty of praise from senior players, most notably in Marseille earlier this season when he, Cristian Stellini, Harry Kane and Hugo Lloris stepped up at half-time in the absence of Antonio Conte.
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Should Spurs do the unthinkable and qualify for the Champions League this season it will give the hierarchy at the club an interesting decision to make.
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Mason refused to get involved in questions about Conte's assessment that the Tottenham players didn't want to play under pressure or stress to achieve success.
The 31-year-old preferred to speak more generally, stating that he believes in the players in this squad. Much will be made of the final six games but this week is the most important of all.
The players enjoyed his training sessions during his last spell but nothing will test their desire more than stepping out in a high-pressure match scenario against Manchester United and Liverpool.
Lose both and the season is likely to fizzle out.
Much is made of Mason's friendship with Harry Kane but will it be enough to convince the England captain to sign a contract extension?
Mason said Tottenham is about a team effort and not one player but, clearly, they all recognise Kane's goalscoring abilities.
Regardless of that friendship Kane's motivation is to win trophies. Ideally that would be with Tottenham so the club must convince, not just Kane, but all their ambitious players that they can do that together.
Manchester United are ready to test the resolve of Daniel Levy and Kane this summer, just as Manchester City did in 2021. Kane has shown he's not afraid to push for a move away if he feels the club is not striving for the top, and many supporters share those previous frustrations.
Mason has history for hitting the ground running.
In his first spell as acting head coach he had limited time to prepare for a league game against Southampton two years ago, when Spurs came from behind to win 2-1. Lloris, Eric Dier, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Heung-Min Son started that game as Mason opted for a back four.
Kane was injured and missed out while Davinson Sanchez and Japhet Tanganga were on the bench.
On Wednesday, Mason was keen to stress that formations are not as important as desire and energy, and reminded everyone that Spurs' most successful period - getting to the Champions League final - happened with the team playing a back three.
Mason will make a final decision on Ben Davies, Clement Lenglet and Lloris after training on Wednesday afternoon.
While there is legitimate criticism of the team in recent months, fuelled by Conte's memorable final press conference it is fair to point out they have missed experienced players to injury with Rodrigo Bentancur being the biggest loss.
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Tottenham's remaining fixtures
April 27: Man Utd (H) - Premier League, kick-off 8.15pm
April 30: Liverpool (A) - Premier League, kick-off 4.30pm, live on Sky Sports
May 6: Crystal Palace (H) - Premier League, kick-off 3pm
May 13: Aston Villa (A) - Premier League, kick-off 3pm
May 20: Brentford (H) - Premier League, kick-off 12.30pm
May 28: Leeds (A) - Premier League, kick off 4.30pm
