Jeddah national striker Tony was interviewed by the Guardian and talked about the level of Saudi football and his own chances of being selected for the England national team.
Ivan Tony is very clear about the comments about the outside world about his choice to transfer to Saudi Arabia a year ago. Last season, he scored 35 goals in various competitions for Jeddah Nationals, helping the team win the AFC Champions League. But even so, Tony still failed to be selected for the England national team, but he still firmly said: "People who know me know that I will only do what I want to do. If there is something I want to try, I will do it. No matter what others say I don't care, it won't affect me. I just focus on myself and do what makes me happy." In the interview, Tony said that he liked the city of Jeddah, describing it as "more leisurely" than the Saudi capital Riyadh, but he also spent a while to adapt to life on the Red Sea coast: "The weather has played a big role, and someone should try playing football in the sauna to see if they can bear it. You have to play differently and use different tactics, which requires an adaptation process. The game will have a few high intensity of 20 minutes. The confrontation stage, then the pace will slow down and speed up again. "
"Once I get into the state, the goals will be endless, and I feel that I can score more goals, but even so, in a brand new environment, I can become the second scorer in the league in the first season, which is already an achievement for me. This season, I hope to win the scorer king, help the team win the game, and achieve our goal."
Talking about the Saudi league criticized, there are few spectators and cannot be called the world's top league, Tony said: "The situation is indeed different, but you have only one purpose here: to get three points and take it home. Passion comes from yourself and the locker room. Whether there are 10, 10,000 or 20,000 people on the scene, the players have to fight for victory."
Tony mentioned the 4-3 victory over Manchester City in the Club World Cup: "I wanted to post to celebrate with social media, but considering the domestic reaction, I remained silent. However, people have seen the strength of the Riyadh Crescent. Saudi Arabia has a high football level. The players here do play very well. Although their popularity is not as good as the Premier League, many people have the strength to gain a foothold in the Premier League."
Tony said that although he was not selected for the England national team this time, next year's World Cup is still his goal: "Saudi is a high-level league, and people should not underestimate it. We all saw the Riyadh Crescent beat Manchester City. As for me, I must focus on myself and give myself the best chance. Who knows what the result will be? If I am selected, I will do my best for my country. If not, I Tony said he hasn't talked to England coach Tuchel yet: "I'm not looking forward to chatting with him, I believe he has other more important things to pay attention to. My job is to be yourself, that's it. If you're good enough, it doesn't matter where you play football in the world. As long as you do the right thing and keep scoring goals, you'll have a chance."
29-year-old Tony said he doesn't miss the Premier League, but is still paying attention to the situation of his old club Brentford: "Thomas Frank, one of the best coaches I've ever worked with. Although he left this summer, the team will be fine. They have never had big stars, but every player who joins will give their all for each other, and I believe they will perform well this season."