‘Test the limits’ – Postecoglou reveals what he has learned during Spurs injury crisis

Tottenham Hotspur have been ravaged by a pretty severe injury crisis this season, but Ange Postecoglou insists he didn’t need this test to truly learn about the squad of players he has inherited, and confirmed the team is still far away from where he wants them to be.

Ange Postecoglou was always going to have a tough job on his hands, stepping into the managerial role at a club that was reeling from one of its worst seasons in recent memories. Add to that the sale of Harry Kane, and the uphill battle became a mountain.

All things considered, the first half of this campaign has been a success for Spurs. The Lilywhites currently occupy fifth place in the Premier League, and have played exciting football all season, all while dealing with a huge injury crisis and numerous suspensions.

Postecoglou needs a stronger squad at Tottenham

When asked if all those injuries have helped Postecoglou get to know his squad better and if it had been a good test of resolve, the Spurs boss had a typically pragmatic response.

He told Football.London: “No, not really. I don’t think you need to go through injuries to see that. What it has done is test the limits of our ability to play the football that we want within the context of the injuries we’ve had.

“It would be unfair to judge some players. The way we play takes a fairly hefty physical toll, more than the way other clubs play. For us to sustain and maintain that and be a team, it’s no secret that we need a strong squad.

“We’re nowhere near that at the moment, understandably so, obviously we’ve only had one window. It was never going to happen [in just one]. We’re still at the beginning.

“Within that context, we want to compete. We’ve got ourselves in a position where we can compete. That’s what we need to keep pushing forward for.”

Spurs Web Opinion

The fact that Spurs are fifth right now, and playing such attractive football (most of the time) given what we have gone through is, quite frankly, incredible. I think any Spurs fan would take this come the end of the season, to be honest, and we have to remember this is just the start of the project.