Ange Postecoglou has backed his young players to show the leadership required to get Tottenham through their current “tough spot” in the Premier League.
Spurs have won just once in their past six league matches and are currently 14th. Postecoglou continues to insist the club’s injury crisis is unlike any he has experienced in his career before, with Ben Davies the only member of Spurs’ sick list likely to be available for selection against Everton on Sunday. But the Australian believes his team will be stronger if they can find a way through their current adversity.
“The younger players have done brilliantly in coping with what’s been thrown at them,” Postecoglou said. “Archie [Gray], Lucas [Bergvall], Djed [Spence] … Dom [Solanke] has done an unbelievable job. These guys have embraced the challenge of us being in a tough spot, they’ve not shied away.
“They are all new in terms of the team, that’s important because at some point when we get significant returns [in players], that could lead to a stronger time. I’ve always said leadership can come in different forms, and maybe the young ones can lead us through; there’s no reason they can’t. That’s the message I’ve been giving back to them: whatever it takes and whoever stands up in these moments, don’t wait for somebody else. If you feel like it’s going to be you, then you take that moment.”
Postecoglu’s remarks hardly reflect well on Spurs’ older players, though the manager insisted it was more a case of his squad being short on experience altogether. “We don’t have a lot in that bracket to be fair,” Postecoglou said.
He went to say that he was not explicitly looking to add experience in this transfer window. “What we need right now is some reinforcements in terms of able bodies who can help us get through this period. That’s much more important than anything else right now. Every game we’ve got close to double-digit absences.”
Spurs face an Everton side at Goodison Park seven points and two places below them, and back under the control of David Moyes. Postecoglou extolled the virtues of his counterpart, another manager who has been criticised for not adjusting his approach to the game. He was also pleased that, at 61, the Scot has replaced him as the Premier League’s oldest manager.
“I’m delighted to see him back because it means I’m not the oldest in the Premier League anymore. If we can get Roy [Hodgson] off a beach somewhere I will be even happier,” said Postecoglu. “He is still at the top of his game and is a fantastic manager. I think longevity is a measure of your capabilities particularly when you think of how long he has managed in the Premier League itself and he has made an impact at the clubs he has been at.
“There is not one person, one manager who won’t go through tough times, who won’t lose his job at some point. That happens to everyone. You’ve got to have something to cling on to. What do you believe in? If you don’t [have anything] and if you’re just changing all the time because of pressures then eventually what happens is you disappear.”