Hughes: Dindane key to Pompey hopes

28 April 2010 09:49
Portsmouth midfielder Richard Hughes believes striker Aruna Dindane can be the key to causing an upset in next month's FA Cup final.[LNB] Dindane, back in the Pompey ranks after Lens dropped their bid for £4million compensation to allow him to play for the rest of the season, scored twice against Bolton in a 2-2 draw last weekend.[LNB]"It's massively important Aruna is back, he can be a real handful," said Hughes.[LNB]"He's got bags of pace, bags of strength and is awkward to play against.[LNB]"With his great quality, pace and trickery, slower players like myself hate playing against him. He knows it and makes the most of it.[LNB]"If he can get space in behind the defender and have a one-on-one - even in training - your first instinct is to retreat and that gives him space to make things happen.[LNB]"The way we played in that semi-final, we absorbed everything and defended well against Tottenham with people putting their body on the line.[LNB]"But you need that bit of speed and strength and creativity going the other way to keep them on the back foot, and that's what we did very well, especially Aruna.[LNB]"We didn't allow it to be constant waves of Tottenham attacks because they always worried about what we had to offer on the counter-attack - and more than half-a-dozen times we managed to break well.[LNB]"He's a top-level player and surely will keep playing in the Premier League for somebody next season."

Source: Team_Talk