Ange Postecoglou names four Tottenham stars who made the difference against Alkmaar

Ange Postecoglou believes that the leadership qualities of four of his senior Tottenham players came to the fore on Thursday, with the Australian crediting his experienced quartet for helping the side cope with pressure and seal progression into the final eight of the Europa League.

Tottenham have one of the youngest squads in the Premier League, and their lack of experience has told at times this season.

The Lilywhites’ cause has not been helped by the fact that some of their most experienced players have been sidelined with long-term injuries this season.

Postecoglou insisted that it is no coincidence that Tottenham’s results have picked up since a couple of their leaders returned to action.

Ange Postecoglou lavishes praise on Tottenham leadership group

Postecoglou remarked that having all four of Heung-min Son, James Maddison, Cristian Romero and Guglielmo Vicario back in the Tottenham starting eleven came as a huge boost to his side in the high-pressure game on Thursday.

He pointed out that his captain was unlucky not to pick up a goal or assist in the 3-1 win over Alkmaar but admitted that he is delighted to have all of his experienced men starting together for the first time since October.

When asked about Son’s tireless running, Postecoglou told Football.London: “Sonny gives you everything every game, there’s no doubt about that. He works so hard for the team. Had a couple of moments today, a couple of times unlucky, and a couple of times could have been on the end of things. But it was a collective effort tonight.

“I think it’s the first time – somebody said – since October we’ve had our four leaders on the park: Vicario, Romero, Maddison and Sonny. So much this year we’ve relied on one or two of those. But to have all four of them out there makes a difference for us. I thought they all led the team well.”

When asked about Maddison’s contribution to Tottenham’s win, Postecoglou responded: “Yeah, I thought all night he was really good. I think all those four leaders felt like it’s their time now. It’s been really tough for them, it’s been really tough for all of us, the whole club but particularly the players. I thought that Madders, when we needed the quality, he was there tonight and made all the good decisions for us. Worked hard for the team, which was so important.

“I think from my perspective it now allows us to have this solid core of players, our best players, that are available, getting to fitness, but we also have this ability to put people on who can also impact games which was important today.”

Experience is invaluable in big knockout games

As Tottenham go deep into the tournament, the value of experience becomes even more important, with the likes of Cristian Romero knowing what it takes to get over the line and win silverware.

The goal that Spurs conceded after the mix-up between Lucas Bergvall and Wilson Odobert showed why youthful exuberance can sometimes be counterproductive on such big occasions.

If Tottenham are to lift the Europa League trophy, all four senior men that Postecoglou mentions will have a huge role to play.

READ MORE: Five things we learned from Tottenham’s huge European win over AZ Alkmaar