Ange Postecoglou has pointed to the struggles that Mikel Arteta and Jurgen Klopp had during their first seasons at Arsenal and Liverpool respectively as a reminder that any new process takes time.
An increasing number of people have questioned Postecoglou and his methods after Tottenham fell to four back-to-back Premier League defeats.
The optimism surrounding Spurs at the start of the season had largely dissipated, with some Tottenham supporters now starting to wonder whether the team’s current style of play will yield the required results going forward.
However, several pundits, including the likes of Gary Neville and Roy Keane, have come out in support of the Australian and urged the North London club to give him time (Sky Sports).
Postecoglou says Spurs are on the right track
Postecoglou has now pointed out that Areta and Klopp were similarly questioned at the start of their spells at the Emirates and Anfield, and the 58-year-old was bullish that the foundations have been laid for Tottenham to kick on next season.
When it was pointed out to the Spurs boss that he has a better record than Arteta and Klopp had at the same stage of their Premier League careers, he told Optus Sport Football Podcast: “But people kind of dismiss that and I remember at the time, as you will, people weren’t certain on Jurgen, they weren’t certain on Mikel, they were coming for them.
“So the fact people are questioning me is no surprise because we all go through that. I shouldn’t be absolved from that because that’s just the nature of the Premier League, there is so much interest, so much scrutiny that they’re not going to give you a pass and say ‘Actually, you’re doing well compared to these guys’. No. We’re going to put you under the same heat we put those guys under because they did.
“I remember Mikel was under a lot of heat for a lot of time, so was Jurgen at the beginning. I shouldn’t be absolved from that but you’re right in terms of where I think we’re at.
“I think we’re in a decent space for progress. We’ve created a good foundation in our first year. Am I happy with the way we’ve finished? No, I’m not. But in terms of what we’re trying to build, I firmly believe we’re on the right track.”
Spurs Web Opinion
It is worth remembering that the one thing that all Spurs fans wanted last summer was for the incoming manager to get the team playing possession-based, aggressive football, and many were ready to accept that this season would be a transitional one.
So in many ways, Postecoglou has fulfilled his remit and there is no question that he deserves an opportunity to show what he can do next season after putting his own imprint on the squad.
Keep up to date with all the latest Tottenham news and opinion by following SpursWeb’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts.
