Ange Postecoglou has praised the Tottenham fans for the atmosphere they created against Manchester United, admitting that the backing from the home supporters helped the team come through the first-half unscathed.
It was quite an even game until the half-time whistle, with neither side managing to control proceedings and both teams giving possession away too easily.
Postecoglou suggested that his side were fortunate to still be in the game at the interval, given the chances that they gave away and United failed to punish with Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford both guilty of missing easy chances, which they would typically be expected to score from.
Goals from Pape Matar Sarr and an own goal from Lisandro Martinez ensured that Spurs recorded a 2-0 win over United, their first since 2020 when Jose Mourinho was in charge.
What Ange Postecoglou thought of the atmosphere at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
The Tottenham head coach told Football.London: “The atmosphere was incredible. Our supporters were outstanding today. The energy they created in the stadium right from the first whistle was brilliant.
“To be honest I thought it helped us. In the first half we just looked a bit nervous and edgy for about half an hour or so and were probably fortunate to still be in the game. We were giving the ball away cheaply and just letting them come at us.”
However, Postecoglou insisted that he was not surprised to see some signs of nerves at the start of the game, given the fact that Spurs are quite a young side.
He continued: “At the same time, it’s not surprising. A couple of 20-year-olds out there, a 22-year-old and a couple of 23-year-olds. It’s a really young team we’re putting out there so I thought there were some really encouraging signs towards the end of the first half for five or 10 minutes.
“We got them in at half-time and settled them down a little bit. Then I thought the boys were brilliant. They came out with a great energy, took the game to Manchester United, scored a good goal and didn’t stop from there. They had to defend but we did that well. Vic pulled off a couple of good saves so encouraging signs there.”
The Australian remarked that some elements of the second-half performance particularly pleased him, pointing out that his side kept looking to take the game to the opposition instead of defending their lead.
However, he added that it was far from a complete performance and that there is still plenty of room for improvement.
When asked if the performance pleased him as much as the result, the 57-year-old responded: “I thought there were encouraging signs there. I don’t think it was a victory of the back of a backs to the wall, desperate performance. I thought there were elements, especially in the second half, where we showed the kind of team we want to be and that’s what you’re looking for.
“I’m not silly enough to think that two weeks into the season, six or so weeks into my tenure that we’re going to be putting in complete performances, but what you want to see is some sprouts of growth in terms of the team we want to be and I definitely saw that, and real resilience too. We had to show that in the first game as well with things that went against us.
“Today we could have gone into our shells in the second half but if anything we got more brave and more courageous with our football and we got the rewards.”
Just sit back and enjoy this, the Ange Postecoglou era has well and truly begun! pic.twitter.com/xMUxhSfQlh
— The Spurs Web (@thespursweb) August 19, 2023
Spurs Web Opinion
While the second-half performance was brilliant to watch, it is clear that there are still some issues to be ironed out. United could have scored at least a couple if they were clinical as we gave the ball away too often in dangerous areas.
However, as Ange mentions, that is to be expected in the first few matches of the season as the players are getting accustomed to a completely different way of playing than what they have been used to.