Lucas Bergvall has broken his silence after receiving advice from Ange Postecoglou about the "levels" required at Spurs, confidently asserting he can "learn" from the challenges he's faced.
The young Swede, who was signed by Tottenham in the summer from Djurgardens, has seen limited action, playing just 46 minutes of Premier League football and a little over an hour in the Carabao Cup against Coventry City. Despite this, the 18-year-old has enjoyed some success on the field, particularly in the Europa League.
The midfielder has participated in all four matches, contributing two assists. His contributions were highlighted when he won a penalty leading to Richarlison's decisive goal against AZ Alkmaar and the key role he played in securing a 2-1 victory over Ferencvaros.
However, he struggled to leave his mark during Tottenham's 3-2 defeat in the Europa League at the hands of Galatasaray and was substituted early during Spurs' 3-0 triumph over Qarabag. After a tough outing in Turkey, where he played for 66 minutes, Postecoglou expressed empathy for Bergvall and suggested that the player needs to face more challenges to enhance his skills, reports Football London.
“The same with Lucas, giving him an understanding of the levels here," The Spurs boss said to the club's official website. "It is not easy when you are playing away in Europe. You can only allow them to learn that by exposing them to it."
Bergvall has now responded over a week later, and openly expressed his determination to learn from a challenging match, acknowledging the valuable experience it provided. He said: "Yes, it's clear that there is a lot I can take from that match. It was a tough game for the whole team. We were not up to par.
"We have to do everything we can to improve for next time, because these are the kind of games you play in Europe. With an incredible setting, a lot of fans and a good opposing team."
"Especially us youngsters who haven't played that many games in Europe can learn from it. It's part of a career. It's important to capitalise on it."
Speaking in October on Postecoglou's decision to hook him after just 12 minutes against Qarabag, Bergvall spoke to the Swedish Press about letting go his disappointment around the game. "Of course you were disappointed, as you should be," he said to Aftonbladet.
"But after that it was just a matter of letting it go and moving on. I completely understand the decision that he is making. It was just a matter of letting it go and moving on.
"It was incredibly fun. Something you've dreamed of since you were little to debut in the Europa League, so it was big for me."
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Postecoglou, speaking to the press after the victory over Qarabag, addressed Bergvall's response to being subbed off. The Spurs manager praised the youngster's attitude in training, insisting Bergvall was "flying" and understood that the substitution was part of a strategic change.
Postecoglou expressed solid backing for the player he recently put in charge of starting a crucial match, confirming the team's high regard for him. "We entrusted him with starting a really important game for us, so he knows how we feel about him," he said.
"It was a tactical decision. He was disappointed. I expect him to be disappointed, but he's going to have plenty of moments like that in his career. It's always about how you respond to those things, how you grow from those things. He was training this morning - and he was flying - so he's all good."
Sweden boss Jon Dahl Tomasson has now included Bergvall in the squad for the ongoing international break, potentially giving him the opportunity to shine in the upcoming Nations League games against Slovakia and Azerbaijan.