As international debuts go, Hector Kyprianou’s was the ultimate baptism of fire.
The defensive midfielder was played out of position at centre back and tasked with marking arguably the best striker in the world; Erling Haaland.
The Peterborough youngster said that facing the goal-scoring Norwegian was actually pressure free.
“For me going into the game, my mentality was there was nothing to lose. In all honesty, no one can really stop Haaland at the moment, so if I concede it’s not the end of the world because everyone does,” says Kyprianou.
“I’m not sure why the manager chucked me at centre back. I thought I did alright, but obviously it’s not my number one position.
“I’m quite a natural player so I was able to adapt quickly. The biggest thing about Haaland is his consistency and mentality to do the same things over and over again. Every time the ball went wide, he would peel off to the back post, and he might get the ball once out of ten times, but that one time he gets it, he’ll be ruthless.”
The topic of Haaland’s shirt was always one that was going to crop up in the Cyprus changing room before their 4-0 loss. “It was first come first serve”, he says. “One of the boys asked him on the pitch in the second half. He wasn’t having any of it and just said, ‘mate I’m trying to win the game, stop asking for my shirt.’”
Twelve matches into the League One campaign, the Cypriot hasn’t missed a minute as the Posh sit in fifth. Many players would struggle to put a finger on why their form has taken an upward turn, but Kyprianou knows exactly why.
Jusball are a London based coaching service, with their work alongside the likes of Fulham’s Calvin Bassey, Arsenal’s Eddie Nketiah and Crystal Palace’s Eberechi Eze seen through all of their recent international debuts. Kyprianou discovered the company through former Orient teammate Jayden Sweeney and has been working with them ever since.
“I had a week off this summer and then I was back training,” says Kyprianou. “It’s like a family now at Jusball, pushing each other to the limit. There’s no laying off, always striving to do more. They’ve grown quite a lot and have so many top players and it’s a really big community now.
“Their mental training is what separates them from other coaching services. Everyone can coach cutting in and shooting, doing stepovers and passing whatever. But no one dives into the mental side of it. Jusball have a really big understanding of that side of the game.”
Looking forward, Kyprianou has the talent and most certainly the mentality to reach the heights of the Premier League. “I want to look back on my career and say I did everything possible to achieve the most I could,” he says. “For me it’s about maximising my potential.
“If I haven’t fulfilled my potential, then I will always live my life with regret.”
