Tottenham Hotspur are not yet a cohesive unit.
Tottenham manager Anzhi Postecoglou has a long way to go to unite his team around a single philosophy, saying that some of his players don’t yet believe in his way of doing things.
“Postecoglou has admitted that not all of the Spurs players truly believe in his way of doing things,” said Alasdair Gold, who works for Football London and is a dedicated Spurs journalist.
Postecoglou, who took over at Spurs ahead of this season, has a different style than recent managers at the club. Whereas Nuno Espirito Santo, Jose Mourinho, and Antonio Conte prioritized defending from low positions and looking for counterattacks, Postecoglou asks his players to stay high up the pitch and press relentlessly.
As such, Spurs are still in transition. Considering it’s Postecoglou’s first season in charge, you’d think that his style of soccer would have settled into the team, but Spurs have had their ups and downs, often showing signs of insecurity.
Even Postecoglou has admitted that the team hasn’t quite come together yet.
According to Gold, Postecoglou said that Spurs are still in the process of coming together as a team, which is why some players have not truly embraced his style of soccer, but are merely following his instructions because that’s what he tells them to do.
“What I always think about is, ‘Are they doing it because I’m telling them to do it, or are they doing it because they believe in me?’ It’s one of those things that you always go through,” he said, adding, “At first they’re just listening to me, but at least I’m influencing the team.”
“To really progress, the players need to grow and believe in my philosophy. But we haven’t reached that level yet,” he said, explaining that the players are not yet at the stage where they believe in his philosophy.
“In my opinion, the players are all at different stages. Each player is going through their own personal difficulties: injuries, poor performances, and all these things make them question. My 카지노 experience is that when you get to the point where the players and staff play the same way without me, you have real faith. We don’t have many of those players yet.”
Gold’s comments come as Tottenham prepare to face Chelsea.
In their first meeting with Chelsea this season, Postecoglou made his football philosophy clear. Spurs kept their line high and remained aggressive despite having two men sent off and two injured.
While the result ended in a crushing defeat, some fans and pundits applauded Spurs for maintaining their aggressive tactical style in the face of adverse conditions.
However, there’s a chance this game could go a little differently. This time around, Tottenham will be looking for substance over substance.
Spurs, who are aiming to qualify for the UEFA Champions League next season, are currently battling Aston Villa for the fourth spot. With a seven-point gap between them and Villa, it’s more important for Tottenham to get points than results as the season winds down.