After Watford came from 1-0 down to dramatically claim a 2-1 win over Arsenal back in 2017, Troy Deeney shared the above quote with the world.
Far too often in modern-day football, viewers are left listening to footballers provide the most mundane interviews, repeating scripted 'it's all about the team' answers. This is not the case with Deeney - he is a man of brutal honesty, on and off the field.
Troy Deeney speaking so open and honestly isn't anything new.
— BT Sport Score (@btsportscore) September 14, 2018
Remember the time he told #PLTonight that Arsenal had lost to Watford because they lacked cojones? pic.twitter.com/uRmpER2y0W
As he sat down for his interview with BT Sport, the striker was first asked how he felt after making such an impact in his 27 minutes on the field. In response, he referred to himself as the 'big battering ram', before admitting that he 'did alright for a change'. As Deeney continued, he went on to reveal the real reason why Arsenal lost the tussle.
They lacked cojones. As a result, Deeney explained that as soon as he entered the field, he told himself to 'whack the first one and see who wants it'.
He went on to say:
The Watford captain admitted it himself, his strength is using his body to make his opponents uncomfortable. The thing about Deeney is, no matter whether or not he ends up on the winning side, the opposition's defence will always know they have been in a game. He is a professional nuisance.
And this is the exact kind of player the England squad needs.
A Plan B attacking option to take the bull by the horns and be the bull in the china shop.someone with the 'cojones' to fight for every 50-50 and to impose himself on the game.
Under normal circumstances, the 31-year-old would probably be nowhere near a call-up to the England first team but these aren't normal circumstances.
The Three Lions are facing a right-on-cue injury crisis ahead of Euro 2020 and options in attack are scarce.
Manchester United
Deeney has six league goals in 16 starts for Watford so far this season, having spent the early parts of the campaign on the sidelines through injury.
Sure, it's not a spectacular record, but he has five in 13 league appearances since Nigel Pearson was appointed, while he has also contributed two assists to go with that, as the Hornets have fought back against near-certain relegation.
The absolutely-no-nonsense forward never shies away from a challenge, no matter how daunting the task. And this was once again made evident as he scored once and assisted another during Watford's stunning 3-0 win over Liverpool.
With the Reds renowned for producing some remarkable comebacks this season, Vicarage Road remained anxious with the score at 2-0. But following more fine work from Ismaila Sarr, Deeney was on hand to produce a deft finish to make it 3-0 and put the game to bed.
The captain led by example - and that example was find the weak link in defence and bully him into submission.
Deeney said after the game
"I knew he [Lovren] wanted to fight me and that’s my game. So if you want to try and fight me you’re going to be in for a tough night. He did that for the first goal and I rolled him and we scored."
“He’s too big, too strong, too quick, too good on the ball, loves fighting, a good head of hair.
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Source: 90min
