Ange Postecoglou has said that the challenges that he is now facing at Tottenham at the moment are nothing new for him, opining that the team will be better for having had these kinds of experiences.
Following a brilliant start to the season, there is a bit of feeling that the wheels have come off for Spurs over the last month and a half.
Their loss against West Ham United on Thursday was their third straight at home and means that the Lilywhites have only taken a point from their last five Premier League matches.
However, Postecoglou insisted that there is always a steep learning curve for his sides in his first season in charge.
When asked about Tottenham’s current struggles, the Australian told Football.London: “I have been there and I have the benefit of experience. I’ve been through this many times. So I know, unequivocally, what we need to do.
“But for a lot of these guys, it’s the first time and I’m always mindful of that wherever I’ve been. That’s why I know that invariably, sometimes it’s happened at the beginning of my tenure, sometimes it happened in the middle, sometimes at the end of the first season, but always in the first season there are challenges.”
The 58-year-old insisted that the players will have more belief in the team’s principles and in themselves when they come out of this poor run of form.
He continued: “Players need to go through that and come out the other side and see that ‘okay, we’ve survived that. It hasn’t killed us, we’re still going, we’re still alive, we’re still up for it’, right?
“Then if anything it can make us stronger going forward, but obviously, I have the benefit of that experience. The players don’t and my role in this is to guide them through it. I know how we get through this, and I know what the road ahead looks like.
“But they’ve got to go through it themselves and find out about it themselves. Do they want to be part of this because it’s not gonna get any easier. That’s the one thing I keep telling them.”
Postecoglou will never stop trying to improve Spurs
Postecoglou also remarked that he is never one to rest on his laurels even when things are going to plan as he is always looking for things that can be improved.
The Spurs boss added: “There’s never going to be a time where it’s going to be smooth, not while I’m at the club. Even when things are going well. I’m going to be pushing for us to be better. I’m going to be pushing for us to improve and pushing for us to bring success to this football club. So there’s never going to be a time where they can feel any sort of comfort that things are going to run smoothly.
“So the more they embrace this side of it the better and it’s a great time for me to be somewhere, apart from the beginnings this is where I’m most alert, not just with the players with the staff, everyone at the football club. How is everyone reacting to this? It gives me a good indicator about what we need to do going forward.”
Spurs Web Opinion
Most Spurs fans acknowledged at the start of the season that there would be a few hiccups along the way in Ange’s first season in charge.
So, it makes no sense to overreact right now and level undue criticism on the 58-year-old or the players, especially since there has not been too much wrong with our performances.