Spurs have started the current Premier League season with style, winning six of their first eight games and remaining unbeaten. Wins over Bournemouth, Manchester United, Burnley, Sheffield United, Liverpool, and Luton Town have put the north Londoners in excellent form, and it is their greatest start to a season since 1960/1961, when they won the domestic double.
Some misfits from last season have found new life under Postecoglou, who is proving to be an increasingly popular appointment. Yves Bissouma and Pape Matar Sarr, who were rarely used by Antonio Conte, have emerged as Tottenham’s new twin midfield pivots, and have put in some stunning performances. Son Heung-min and Dejan Kulusevski have also returned to form since Postecoglou’s arrival from Celtic, with the Spurs manager praising his team’s drive to develop.
“There’s a real will and desire to become the team we want to be, which includes making sure that you’re disciplined and you’re buying into the team ethos and we had a really young team out there,” Postecoglou said.
“Vic, that’s his first derby, Destiny, van de Ven, Pape Matar Sarr, Brennan, they’re all in their early twenties, Porro, even Kulusevski is only 23, so it was a young team but just super proud of the experienced players we did have in there.”
Richarlison is another player who has struggled under Conte. Last season, the Brazilian scored only a few goals, earning him the label “poor” from experts like as Gabriel Agbonlahor. Following Richarlison’s public rant about playing time in March, the former Aston Villa striker told Football Insider:
“He’s been so bad this season when he’s been on the field.” He notes in the interview that he had two good games against Chelsea and Wolves. But he has no goals, no assists, and he doesn’t appear sharp. I’m not sure what he considers a good game, but when it costs £60 million, you have to put up figures.”
However, the former Everton star appears to be another player undergoing a transformation under Postecoglou’s supervision. The 26-year-old came on to essentially win Spurs’ game against Sheffield United recently, scoring and assisting in the last minutes of a 2-1 victory.
