Tottenham Hotspur have come under major scrutiny in the early weeks of this season but Ange Postecoglou’s team seemingly believe there has been real improvement.
The first season of Ange Postecoglou’s reign was pretty positive.
Tottenham Hotspur missed out on a top four place but Spurs were playing fun and entertaining football once again.
That was all well and good but Tottenham fans are looking for further development this season – and the results so far have been disappointing.
Tottenham turned a comfortable win into a frantic draw at Leicester City before beating a hapless Everton side 4-0 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Spurs then dominated Newcastle United but contrived to lose 2-1 before losing 1-0 to Arsenal in the North London derby on Sunday afternoon.
Tottenham Hotspur verdict on recent displays
Sunday’s defeat felt especially frustrating.
Declan Rice was suspended and Martin Odegaard was ruled out through injury, this felt like the time for Tottenham to step up and claim a big win.
Old failing returned though as Tottenham once again conceded from a set piece against Arsenal and lost a home North London derby for the third season in a row.
Postecoglou has been criticised since that defeat and even branded ‘rude’ as he remains convinced that he can win a trophy.
Spurs fans may be in two minds about the Postecoglou project but those inside the club actually seem to be encouraged.
The Daily Mail claim members of the Tottenham team actually think Spurs have been better in the first four games of this season than at the same mark last season.
It’s unclear whether ‘team’ refers to the playing squad or the coaching staff but belief appears to be high inside Tottenham.
Spurs took 10 points from a possible 12 to start last season and opened with a 10-game unbeaten run.
Conversely, Tottenham have just four points on the board after four games this season and some fans are growing frustrated.
The belief is that Tottenham’s performance have been even better than last season’s, but the results just aren’t going Postecoglou’s way right now.
Tottenham need results – now
There may be something in that belief as Tottenham’s general performance levels have been strong and have allowed for real dominance in possession.
Tottenham haven’t found the killer edge in the final third though and that is really holding this team back.
Son Heung-min doesn’t quite look himself, Dominic Solanke is still settling, Wilson Odobert is a raw project player, Timo Werner has never been consistent in front of goal at this level and Brennan Johnson is inconsistent.
Tottenham need to find a solution to that problem in the final third and Postecoglou ultimately needs wins quickly.
If Postecoglou is to win a trophy, he will need to attack the EFL Cup and Europa League seriously.
Tottenham must beat Coventry City before opening the Europa League campaign against Qarabag, two games Spurs need to win if fans are going to believe in a trophy-winning season.
Tottenham’s campaign is far from a lost cause; it’s only September after all.
Postecoglou certainly can’t afford to get by on performances alone though and Tottenham need to see a change in results sooner rather than later.
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