Ange Postecoglou has praised new signing Antonin Kinsky for bringing a sense of calm to the squad amidst the chaos. The £12.5m goalkeeper from Slavia Prague has made an impressive start, being the first Spurs goalie since Freddy Hinton a century ago to kick off with back-to-back clean sheets.
After handling the robust challenge of non-League Tamworth in the FA Cup third-round tie and keeping Liverpool at bay in the Carabao Cup, Kinsky is instilling confidence ahead of tonight's clash with Arsenal, known for their set-piece prowess. "His ability to fit in really quickly has helped us enormously," said the Spurs manager.
"It does give some comfort to the players around him if they see he’s handling it well. It means they can then focus on their own job and be a lot more clear-headed.
"We knew every time Tamworth had a throw-in in our half it was going to come in the box and how we’d want to deal with it.
Postecoglou acknowledges that facing Arsenal’s corner kicks will be "a different challenge" for Kinsky tonight.
After demonstrating his technical prowess as a goalkeeper for Spurs, the focus now shifts to how he mentally copes with the high-pressure environment of a north London derby. "It’s more about mindset and tackling that and he didn’t shy away from it against Tamworth," added Postecoglou.
Despite Spurs' poor track record at Arsenal, having won only one of their past 31 away league fixtures, Postecoglou acknowledges the potential implications of a result against their rivals. However, he dismisses the notion that Spurs could capitalise on the Emirates crowd's dissatisfaction following Mikel Arteta’s side's recent losses to Newcastle and Manchester United in cup games.