Cristian Romero returns from a ban to bolster Tottenham’s defence but Ange Postecoglou remains fixated on squeezing even more attacking flair from his team.
Spurs have quickly become synonymous with a dashing style and high-risk strategy under their new boss, who is keen to boost the return of 28 goals from 14 Premier League games, which leaves them off the pace in the ranks of free scorers.
‘We are still well short in that area,’ said Postecoglou about the league’s glut of goals. ‘It’s still the area where we’ve got so much more upside in our front third to score more goals.
'We’re seeing some of it. Brennan Johnson and Deki Kulusevski are starting to get a bit more familiar with their roles and Gio Lo Celso has a couple of goals from midfield but it’s an area where we can improve.’
The 3-3 draw at Manchester City offered further glimmers of encouragement for Postecoglou. ‘It is like, when you’re panning for gold,’ he said.
‘There’s a lot of dirt there, but you’re just looking for that little speck, and we’ve got quite a few specks of gold I can show to the players after the game that say, “keep digging here, we’ll get some nuggets eventually”.’
Postecoglou has tinkered with his front line. Son Heung-min started the season wide on the left before switching to play through the centre, and injuries to James Maddison, Richarlison and Pape Matar Sarr forced further changes. Son has nine goals and the Spurs boss paid tribute to his contribution on the eve of tonight’s derby against West Ham.
‘He’s elite in every sort of aspect,’ said Postecoglou. ‘I’d be very surprised if by the time he’s finished he’s not up there as one of the outstanding strikers who’ve played in the Premier League.
‘A lot of his career has been played out wide
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