‘A little bit toxic’ – Hoddle names the most impressive thing Postecoglou has done at Spurs

Glenn Hoddle believes that Ange Postecoglou deserves a lot of credit for the kind of feel-good factor he has brought to Tottenham and for taking the fear of failure out of the players’ minds.

It is fair to say that the unbridled optimism surrounding Tottenham at the start of Postecoglou’s tenure is now starting to turn to realism, with fans beginning to realise that the club still has some way to go before they can compete with the best teams in the Premier League.

Some of Spurs’ recent displays have left a lot to be desired but that should not take away from the fact that this campaign has been a successful one in charge for the Australian coach.

Postecoglou walked into Spurs at an extremely tumultuous time on the back of a disappointing eighth-place finish, with the connection between the fans and the club being as bad had it has ever been over the last two decades.

Additionally, the Lilywhites also lost their talisman in Harry Kane, and many would have felt at the time that the club could slip further down to the table to mid-table mediocrity.

Postecoglou has removed the toxicity from Tottenham

Hoddle pointed out that the reason Postecoglou has been able to turn around the mood in the dressing quickly is due to his ability to take the pressure off the players.

The Tottenham legend told TNT Sports (as relayed by Football.London): “I think the most impressive thing, if I was a fly on the wall in his camp there in the dressing room is that he [Postecoglou] takes all the pressure off the Spurs players with the ball.

“Let’s face it, let’s be honest, over the last few years Spurs have become a little bit toxic. The last few seasons the fans weren’t happy with the style of football.

“Whatever you can say about those individuals is up to you. But Ange has come in and taken it to the other end of the Richter scale. He’s completely open with his play, puts his fullbacks into midfield and he goes for it.

“They press high, they defend high on the halfway line, there’s a few vulnerabilities there but they’ve got a quick back four when everyone’s fit. At the end of the day, it’s the confidence he gives the players.

“‘Make a mistake, don’t worry about it, play out from the back, don’t worry about it. I’ll take the responsibilities’. And that is exactly how a player wants to play, it takes all the chains off you, it takes all the stuff that gets in your head and stops you from performing – that fear factor. I think that’s been his major, major asset.”

Spurs Web Opinion

The one undeniable thing is that the Tottenham camp is a happy one at the moment, which has not always been the case over the last few years. With a couple of smart additions in the summer, there is no reason why Spurs can push on and compete with the top three next season.