Ange Postecoglou recently described Emerson Royal as one Tottenham’s best trainers, saying his “unbelievable” work ethic helps “set the standard for the whole group” during sessions.
“I have always been that person,” the defender tells Sky Sports with a smile. “I have always been a guy who trains hard and loves to compete. I am very competitive in everything I do.
“If I’m playing ping-pong, I want to be the best. If I’m playing basketball, I want to be the best – even though I’ve never picked up a basketball in my life. This is the competitiveness that I have.
“Thanks to God, the manager has seen it. He has seen that I compete hard and try to help my team-mates as well. It is not only about me. I always try to think about the team and help make sure everyone is training well. It’s because I am a competitor.”
Emerson’s selfless attitude is part of the reason he is so highly valued at Spurs and it is especially admirable in a season in which the Brazilian has only started two out of 12 Premier League games.
“I always respect the manager and, as the manager says, I always train hard even if I’m not playing,” he says. “But I am not a player who accepts being on the bench. I will never accept that in my life.
Postecoglou would expect nothing less. “If you are not training well, these guys are ready to step in,” he said of Emerson and some of the others on the fringes of his team last month. “They are disappointed they are not playing, 100 per cent, as they should be.”
What matters is that they channel it in the right way and Emerson is certainly doing that. “I am going to keep fighting, keep training hard and keep giving my best,” he says.
I am not a player who accepts being on the bench. I will never accept that in my life. I will always fight to play
He is speaking at the club’s Hotspur Way headquarters as Spurs ramp up their preparations for Sunday’s game against Aston Villa and betrays no signs of fatigue despite having only recently returned from international duty with Brazil.
His focus is back on Spurs. He is determined to win back his place from Pedro Porro at right-back, the position in which he started both of Brazil’s games against Colombia and Argentina earlier this week, but he has filled in at left-back and centre-back without complaint.
“Obviously, it’s a bit different, especially defensively, because your body position is totally different,” he says of adjusting to left-back.
“But as I said before, I am here to help the team. Even if they put me in goal, I may not be the best player, but I will still try my best.
“That will always be the case.”
His versatility is an asset to Postecoglou, especially at a time when Spurs are so depleted. They have lost James Maddison, Micky van de Ven and Richarlison to injuries following their stunning start to the season. Cristian Romero and Yves Bissouma are suspended.
“I think it’s important to have players who can play different positions,” says Emerson. “Of course, you can put any player anywhere, but to actually do a good job is difficult. If the manager puts me somewhere, he knows I will do a good job.
“Now, we have some good players who are injured or suspended, but the team is not just the 11 players who start. You have to have a very good squad in order to achieve big things.”
Despite their personnel problems and defeats to Chelsea and Wolves before the international break, Spurs remain only two points off the top of the Premier League in fourth place.
A Champions League finish felt like a distant dream after coming eighth last season. A title challenge was downright implausible. But Emerson feels they should aim high.
“I like to think game by game, but I am very confident in this group,” says the 24-year-old. “We have a great team with good players. We have a manager who has a really good style of play.
“We are among the best teams right now and we are fighting. I hope we can fight for everything this season. As I said, I am a competitor who wants to win. So, why not?
“We are going to fight to be in the best position possible.”
His optimism has a lot to do with Postecoglou, whose impact has been extraordinary following his appointment in June. The mood around the club is completely transformed and so is the football.
Postecoglou’s team play at a ferocious tempo, unafraid to throw bodies forward regardless of the context or the opposition. It makes for thrilling viewing. The players, like the fans, have relished the fresh start, Emerson included.
“For me it is very important to have a manager who likes to play because my characteristics are suited to that, playing short passes, combining with team-mates, finding space,” he says.
“The manager has been helping me a lot. I’ve been playing at left-back, at centre-back for him as well. But the most important thing is that he knows he can count on me and that I have the trust of the manager. I’m very happy to be working with him.”
The Australian asks a lot of his full-backs, demanding they play almost as No 10s when Spurs are in possession, but it is not an alien approach to Emerson. In fact, he says, it comes naturally.
“It has not been difficult for me to adapt because I played the same way in the Brazil U23 team under Andre Jardine, playing inside. So, I am already used to it and it’s the way I like to play as well.
“It has been easy for me because it is what I like to do.”
There was a hint of that when he scored against Brentford on the opening day and Emerson is similarly minded when it comes to Postecoglou’s much-discussed high line, an approach he persisted with even when Spurs were reduced to nine men against Chelsea.
“If you want to be a team that always has the ball and is competitive, you have to take risks, that’s football,” shrugs Emerson. “I think our defensive idea we have is very good because we are high all the time and we are pressing the ball all the time.
Emerson has experienced changes off the pitch as well as on it with the arrival of his son, Ravi, in September. He feels settled in his personal life as well as at the training ground.
“I have my family with me, my girlfriend and my baby boy, and I’m very happy here in London,” he says, smiling again. “I like the city a lot and, above all, I like it at the club.”
Just don’t expect him to get too comfortable on the bench.
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