Take it in, soak it up and enjoy it Tottenham fans, because new boss Ange Postecoglou has caught lightning in a bottle so far with his start to life at the club – and who knows how long that will last. Heading into the second international break of the season, Spurs sit top of the Premier League table.
Still undefeated in the division, a helping hand from north London rivals Arsenal on Sunday, when they defeated Manchester City, ensured that at least two weeks would be spent at the summit. Even if that’s all the time they spend there, fans know this means much more than just results.
There’s a positive air surrounding everything at Tottenham so far, even when you take away the games that have been and gone so far. An exciting playing style has gripped supporters, but so too have a squad that have everyone backing them, a manager guiding them with compassion and a humbleness often detracted from the footballing bubble.
That was clear in his post-match press conference as Postecoglou told the media: “I don’t think you read too much. They’re not silly, they know it’s only October and being top of the league now doesn’t really mean anything tangible apart from the fact that we’ve started the season well.
“We’ve played some good football and we’ve had all sorts of different challenges thrown at us. We’ve been behind in games away from home, we’ve had to score last minute winners. It’s not like it’s been smooth sailing. We’ve had to work awfully hard to be in the position we are and I guess from my perspective it’s great that they’re getting rewarded with results and that can only help us grow as a team.
“But it’s not like they’re sitting in there thinking we’ve achieved anything. We haven’t achieved anything, all we’ve done is lay some really good foundations. Our goals and ambitions lay in improvement. Can we play better, can we become a better team and if we do that then we’ll see where that takes us.”
While there has been no tangible achievement realised yet, there will be a feeling that the foundations are already built to reach that point. It’s a far cry from the win now attitude faced under the reign of Antonio Conte just months prior, where everything felt much more negative.
That was reflected in the Italian coach’s rant before he left: “I am not used to this position. I’m really upset and everyone has to take their responsibility. Not only the club, the manager and the staff. The players have to be involved in this situation because it is time to change this situation if Tottenham want to change.
“If they want to continue in this way, they can change the manager, a lot of managers, but the situation cannot change. Believe me.” Since then, just one change of manager has been able to turn the club on its head from where it was just a few months ago…
