Ange Postecoglou overcoming challenges at Tottenham Hotspur.

Ange Postecoglou has firmly stated that he remains unfazed by the external criticism following Tottenham Hotspur’s disappointing defeat to Arsenal in the north London derby. The loss has left Spurs languishing on just four points from their opening four Premier League matches. However, the Australian manager is not sounding any alarm bells at this early stage of the season.

When asked about the prospect of being the first Tottenham manager to complete a full season since Mauricio Pochettino in the 2018/19 campaign, Postecoglou responded with a touch of sarcasm, saying, “Yes, they had a cake for me.” His light-hearted remark underscored his belief that negativity from outside the club does not affect his focus or the team’s objectives.

“The fans are free to feel how they want to feel, and it doesn’t impact me or what we are trying to achieve,” he explained. “For me, you can get overly impacted in both ways; we just have to stay clear-eyed and focused on what we want to achieve and what kind of team we want to be.”

Postecoglou acknowledged that navigating through challenging times can be tough, but he believes it ultimately strengthens the team. “If you’re swimming against the tide, that’s alright; that makes you stronger,” he said. “A big part of it is change. When there is real change, it unsettles people, and they want comfort and security. But I came in here to try to do something that hasn’t been done for a while.”

He added, “You can’t just think me walking in will change things; you’ve got to change things, and it can be unsettling, but it is necessary for us to achieve what we want to.”

Much of the scrutiny surrounding Tottenham’s slow start has been directed at Dominic Solanke, who made a £65 million switch from Bournemouth this summer. Despite not yet finding the back of the net for his new club, Postecoglou has reiterated his faith in the 27-year-old forward, revealing that Solanke was the preferred choice over Ivan Toney, who is now playing for Al Ahli in Saudi Arabia.

“We did look at him (Toney), but Dom was the one we wanted that fitted the profile we were looking for at the time,” Postecoglou stated.

In response to the criticism aimed at Solanke, the Spurs boss urged patience. “Just take a breath, do a little bit of yoga, think about the world for a second and then make an assessment after,” he advised. “We don’t have to rush to make judgements all the time because the alternative is he may have got off to a great start, is fit, scored in all four games, is flying, and then goes through a patch like all strikers where he doesn’t score.”

Postecoglou concluded by emphasizing his belief in Solanke’s potential, noting, “What I look at is he has come in, fitted really well, and quite logically has picked up an injury that has disrupted the way he wanted to start his career. But he’s still got plenty of time for that.”