Tottenham bounced back from that 3-2 defeat against Brighton emphatically on Saturday with a comprehensive victory over West Ham.
Strikes from Dejan Kulusevski, Yves Bissouma, Heung-min Son and an own goal from Alphonse Areola secured all three points for Spurs in N17, leaving them seventh in the Premier League.
The result means Tottenham have now won six of their last seven games across all competitions, form Ange Postecoglou is surely proud of after September’s 1-0 defeat to Arsenal ramped up the pressure on Spurs.
Now – as quoted by the Independent – Dominic Solanke has shared what Tottenham players were saying to each other after Saturday’s win against West Ham.
Dominic Solanke urges Spurs to kick on after 4-1 win over West Ham
Speaking after victory in the London derby on Saturday, the England international said: “It was huge. Before that Brighton game we were on a good run of form. We started that game well, maybe got a bit complacent so it was important we bounced back and showed we had learned from it.
“Speaking to a couple of the boys after, I think we need to play like this as much as we can because we know we can do it.”
That lack of consistency does seem to be Tottenham’s Achilles heel.
As the 3-2 defeat against Brighton showed, Spurs often slip up just as Postecoglou seems to have stumbled across a recipe for success, so it is now down to Solanke, who Tony Cascarino compared to Didier Drogba, and his teammates to keep the momentum going.
Ange Postecoglou is close to a breakthrough at Tottenham
Spurs seem to perennially be described as bottlers and underachievers – with rival fans even creating a new adjective, Spursy, for the north Londoners as a result of their struggles.
It has been 14 years since Tottenham last won a trophy, although we can’t help but feel Postecoglou is on to something in N17.
Spurs finally have a proper No.9 for the first time since Harry Kane left for Bayern Munich in Solanke, whose clever movement helped to create many openings against West Ham, even though he failed to provide a goal or assist.
Furthermore, the decision to move Kulusevski – who Graham Roberts called “fantastic” – into central midfield has proven to be a masterstroke from Postecoglou.
These tweaks – along with a settled backline of Pedro Porro, Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven and Destiny Udogie – are the sign of a top team, who could quite conceivably win a trophy this season if they keep performing at this level.