Even during the toughest period of the Ange Postecoglou reign – Tottenham Hotspur losing four successive Premier League games before bouncing back against Burnley – there was never any fear that the players had abandoned their manager’s principles.
Quite the opposite, in fact.
Clearly, for better or for worse, the Tottenham squad have bought into the former Celtic boss’ methods. And that alone was enough to keep Arne Postecoglou warm at night during a run which ranked as Spurs’ worst in 20 years in the top-flight.
And while that Burnley win was far from convincing – Tottenham again needing a second-half goal to see off one of the division’s lower-ranking sides at home – this was still a performance with Postecoglou’s fingertips all over it.
Particularly as Pedro Porro, a right-back by name but more of a winger in reality, burst into the Burnley penalty area and thrashed past Aro Muric at his near post. The Spain international’s second stunning goal against The Clarets this year.
Tottenham boss hails Pedro Porro and Micky van de Ven
“That’s part of our evolution,” Postecoglou begins, speaking to Football London. “And the great thing for us, especially in this tough spell, is that I see how players react to it. I think there are certain individuals that have really gritted their teeth and wanted to change the course of events and not accept it.
“And probably because of the nature of where we are as a team at the moment it’s been the defenders, and not just the centre-halves,” the straight-talking Aussie adds, Porro and Micky van de Ven stepping up in another game in which Spurs’ forwards misfired again.
“Pedro scored an unbelievable goal at the weekend. But I’ve loved seeing that. I’ve loved seeing the growth of guys like Micky and Romero and others, who we would never see unless we went through tough times and I think that’s important.
“It’s one of those things where you think if we can tap into it going forward, because we’ll obviously have other challenges and those kind of guys are showing the way to change the course of events. For me, that’s really something to grasp on to.”
Micky Van de Ven, named Tottenham’s Player of the Year at their end-of-season awards recently, joined Porro on the team sheet against Burnley as he burst into the penalty area and finished coolly on his trusty left boot.
The Dutchman showcased his versatility on Saturday too, filling in at left-back in the latter stages with Destiny Udogie out injured and Oliver Skipp substituted.
Postecoglou did not confirm or deny, however, whether Van de Ven would line up on the left again during Tuesday’s clash with Manchester City, with Radu Dragusin potentially coming in for a start alongside Cristian Romero.
Ange Postecoglou’s side host Manchester City
“Look, I think I have said it a number of times, and you can either take me on face value or not, is that I make decisions on all the information I have and that information is not always available to the general public for good reason,” the two-time Scottish Premiership champion retorts.
“There are reasons why we do what we do. Micky has had an unbelievable first season and the standing and levels he has played at. But we want him here for a long time and for him to be the best possible player he can be.
“Part of that is that he has had a couple of injuries and we need to be careful about how and where we use him, and why we use him in those areas.
“Not just him. A lot of the players particularly when you are talking about the physical output in different areas. So it doesn’t mean we won’t pay him there tomorrow night or (at the) weekend. But the reasons are made with the full information at hand.”
Spurs, who find themselves in the rather odd situation of holding Arsenal’s title hopes in the palm of their hand, will be without injured striker Richarlison vs Pep Guardiola’s side.
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