Tottenham Hotspur may have missed out on the chance to climb back into the Premier League’s top four on Tuesday night, but they remain firmly on track to do so come May.
Spurs headed to West Ham hoping to make it two wins in a row, and they certainly got off to a good start through Brennan Johnson’s early opener.
However, Tottenham conceded not long after, as unmarked Hammers ace Kurt Zouma headed home from a corner on 19 minutes.
As things stand, Spurs are on 57 points, two behind fourth-placed Aston Villa, who’ll be playing away at Manchester City on Wednesday night.
Tottenham are certainly on course to finish the season in a much stronger position than last year, when they limped to an eighth-placed finish.
Much of the progress at Spurs is thanks to Ange Postecoglou, who has very much grabbed the club up by the scruff of the neck and dragged them upwards.
Tottenham were quick out of the starting blocks earlier in the season and even looked like potential dark horses for the title at one point.
Now, with just eight games left to play, Spurs are still very much in the picture to seal a top-four place. But more importantly, you can see the progress being made at N17.
Tottenham legend Glenn Hoddle, speaking to TNT Sports ahead of Spurs’ meeting with West Ham, spoke highly of Postecoglou.
What has Glenn Hoddle said about Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou?
Hoddle recalled how the atmosphere at Tottenham was previously “toxic”, but Postecoglou has turned things round with how he has taken the shackles off his players.
“I think the most impressive thing if I were a fly on the wall in his camp there and the dressing room is that he takes all the pressure off the Spurs players with the ball,” Hoddle said on TNT Sports.
“Let’s face it, let’s be honest – in the last three years Spurs have become a little bit toxic.
“Fans weren’t happy with the style of football and whatever you can say about those kinds of players, but Ange has come in and took it to the other end of the Richter scale. He’s completely open with his play, puts his full-backs into midfield and he goes for it.
“They press high, they defend high on the half-way line. There are a few vulnerabilities there but they’ve got a quick back four when everyone’s fit.
“But at the end of the day it’s the confidence he gives the players. Make a mistake, don’t worry about it, play out from the back don’t worry about it, I’ll take the responsibility.
“And as a player that’s exactly how you want to play, takes all the chains off you, all the stuff that gets in your head, performing, that fear factor and I think that’s been a major, major asset.”
TBR View
Tottenham have had their fair share of false dawns in recent years, and it hasn’t been easy for the fanbase.
But now, Spurs finally have a manager who ‘gets’ the club, and has overhauled everything from the tactics to the man-management to the transfer agenda.
Not since Mauricio Pochettino has there been a feeling that Spurs have a manager who’s in it for the long haul and could build something brilliant at N17.
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