Ange Postecoglou is confident that we will see a different Tottenham side in the return leg against AZ Alkmaar next week and explained what his side has to do to overcome the 1-0 deficit.
Alkmaar boast an outstanding record in knockout matches, having won eight of their last nine two-legged ties.
They also dispatched Galatasaray with consummate ease in the previous round and Tottenham Hotspur thus knew going into the clash at the AFAS Stadium that it was not going to be a walk in the park.
However, the away side would have still expected to play better than they did, with the Lilywhites struggling to create too many chances of note against a resolute Alkmaar defence.
Ange Postecoglou confident Tottenham can turn the tie around
Postecoglou is certainly not panicking despite the 1-0 defeat, insisting that his side have the ability to put some goals past the Eredivisie side.
The 59-year-old acknowledged, however, that Tottenham have to be a lot more aggressive both in and out of position in the second leg than they were in the Netherlands on Thursday.
When asked if Spurs’ struggles to break down their opponents is a concern heading into the return leg, Postecoglou told Football.London: “I don’t have any doubt about our ability to break them down, but obviously we have to play a little bit differently to how we did tonight, not just with the ball but without the ball too.
“We’ve got to be a lot more aggressive than we were tonight. We were just lacking a bit of aggression in everything we did. We were a little bit hesitant with the ball, hesitant in our pressing and we can’t be that way.
“If we address those things I’m sure we’ll be in a position to at least cause them more problems than we did tonight. It’s only 1-0 so I guess that’s a positive in that we didn’t let the game get away from us.”
Spurs have to bring their A-game to beat Alkmaar
This result makes the return leg next week the most crucial game of Ange Postecoglou’s tenure at Spurs as an exit from the Europa League at this stage would raise serious question marks over his future at the club.
There is no doubt that Tottenham have the firepower to put a few goals past Alkmaar but if the Dutch side score first in North London, the atmosphere at the stadium could turn very nervy.
Postecoglou will know that his players have to start on the front foot and need to score early to take the edge off the occasion.
READ MORE: Heung-min Son issues brutal assessment as Tottenham slump to Europa League defeat