There is perhaps one standout candidate when it comes to Tottenham's player of the month for February. Maybe a surprise going on his Spurs career to date, Tottenham fans are now starting to see the very best of Emerson Royal.
It has taken some time but Antonio Conte's faith in the Brazilian right wing-back has been fully justified with the 24-year-old having quite the impact in the team. It has come at the perfect time for the ex-Barcelona man following the January addition of Pedro Porro from Sporting CP.
Appearing to have solved their right wing-back woes going on the Spaniard's incredible numbers for the Portuguese club, the new man has only played one game for the Lilywhites so far and has been an unused substitute on three occasions. The 23-year-old may even now be thinking when exactly is game time going to come his way going on Emerson's recent exploits.
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Rewind the clock back three months and things looked rather bleak for Tottenham's No.12. Struggling for form and having little impact in the final third, things came to an ugly head in the 4-3 win against Leeds United at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Having looked uncomfortable and nervous on the ball a week earlier against Liverpool following a number of boos from some fans inside the stadium, those grumbles grew to unprecedented levels when Leeds made the trip to north London. It was extremely uncomfortable viewing as fans made it clear that they wanted to see anyone but Emerson in the right wing-back role.
There were huge groans around the stadium when he blazed over unmarked in the area when he really should have scored, with the same coming his way after an attempted crossfield ball, which later did the rounds on social media, went straight to a Leeds United player and they countered as a result. Every misplaced pass or touch was greeted by moans and Emerson undoubtedly just wanted the ground to open up and swallow him whole.
Even worse was to come Emerson's way as he was greeted by a booming, ironic cheer from the home faithful when he made way on 57 minutes. Conte, his coaching staff and the player's Tottenham teammates tried to comfort him as he made his way back towards the dugout and take stock of just what happened.
Perhaps not the perfect player for the head coach's wing-back system due to having never played the role prior to his move to Tottenham, the Brazilian, or any player for that matter, didn't deserve any of the vitriol that came his way and what happened inside Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was never going to solve the issue. It was completely wrong. After all, a player in that position would only shrink and not grow with every single touch jeered loudly.
Speaking to football.london in January, Emerson opened up on the abuse coming his way and his focus on putting things right.
"It's not up to me to say whether the crowd's opinion is fair or not. There are people who pay [to watch matches], but there are many people in favour," he said. "I do not seek to see these questions [about me]. I prefer to focus on doing my best for the club.
"I prefer to dedicate myself 100 per cent to what I can do. Sometimes things go well, sometimes they don't, but it is not for lack of will and dedication."
He added: "I never stopped making an effort, trying to help my team-mates and managing to sustain the happiness I have and put it on the field. I always try to do that.
"I understand all the manifestations of the fans. It is their role together, but you must understand about the player, his moment, will and repertoire. I'm trying to improve every day and live up to all the trust it motivates. I support myself a lot in the messages of affection I have received."
One thing that Tottenham supporters cannot deny about the player is that he has always given 100 per cent in a Spurs shirt and done everything possible to try and take his game to another level. He may not be the most talented to ever don a Lilywhite jersey but the work rate and commitment has always been there and that's all Tottenham fans can ask for.
Emerson is now reaping the rewards of his hard work and those jeers in November have now turned into cheers. Scoring in the 4-2 defeat at Man City and performing very well on the whole, the ex-Real Betis defender has gone from strength to strength since that loss up in Manchester.
Excellent again the following week at Fulham as Spurs remained strong at the back to seal an important three points at Craven Cottage before producing his best ever Tottenham performance in the 1-0 win over Man City at the start of the month, he again was one of the team's top performers last Tuesday in their defeat at AC Milan in the Champions League. Getting the adulation his recent showings have deserved in Sunday's 2-0 victory against West Ham after coolly netting the opener, the goal seemed to work wonders for Emerson's confidence and the flicks, tricks and no-look passes soon were on show.
He was then greeted by one huge cheer from all inside Tottenham Hotspur Stadium five minutes from time as he produced a precise slide tackle on Said Benrahma, before then coming out on top in a battle with Declan Rice moments later. Always going to take time for Tottenham fans to see the very best of him as he adapted to the pace and intensity of the Premier League as well as his wing-back role having previously only operated as a right-back, Emerson is now showing why exactly he was brought to the club.
Never deserving of the boos that came his way in November, those that jeered him may now be helping themselves to a large serving of humble pie going on his incredible transformation. That really is testament to the hard work that he has put in behind the scenes to win over fans and demonstrate that he can be a big success in N17.
Maybe not the most perfect of players, Emerson deserves every single bit of credit coming his way at the moment. Long may it continue.
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