Darren Anderton admitted that he is loving watching the brand of football that Tottenham are playing under Ange Postecoglou, suggesting that the club have returned to their previous attacking traditions.
Under the management of the likes of Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte, successive losses usually led to a feeling of doom and gloom among the North London faithful.
After three defeats in a row, Spurs bounced back with a hard-fought point against Manchester City on Sunday courtesy of Dejan Kulusevski‘s late header. Despite the recent losses the fanbase has generally been quite upbeat and accepting of the fact that they are at the beginning of a new project.
A big reason for that is the type of front-foot, high-octane football that Postecoglou has got the side playing, with Anderton admitting that it is a refreshing change of a few years of counter-attacking football.
(Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
Darren Anderton is enjoying Spurs under Ange Postecoglou
The former Tottenham midfielder told Stats Perform (as relayed by beIN SPORTS): “I have loved it. I have really enjoyed the transformation that’s going on. As a Spurs fan and an ex-Spurs player, to watch them has been a breath of fresh air.
“It’s been a joy to watch them this year. I’d have to say over the last couple of years I would not be rushing to turn the TV on at some points. But I think that the style of football is so entertaining. Spurs fans want to see that. And if you can do that and be successful as well, then it’s great.
“I feel we’re always going to create opportunities with the style of football and the quality of the players. I obviously remember from my time and how we used to attack under Ossie [Ardiles]. I feel like there’s that excitement here but with that little bit more emphasis on obviously being difficult to beat as well when it needs to be done.
“Whereas Ozzy, when we asked him what we do when we lose the ball and what shape, he said, ‘Hey, you’re good players, you should never lose the ball’. So this is exciting, but I think with a stronger squad and with better defensive players.”
Anderton feels that despite Tottenham’s poor results last month, their performances have not dipped, claiming that the Lilywhites have been quite unlucky.
Speaking before the City result, he added: “Yes, in the last three games they’ve got beat. But I thought the Wolves game, they didn’t play particularly well, but probably still should have won the game. I think in the Chelsea game, if Son’s goal had been allowed to stand and we went 2-1 up, I think we might have gone on and won four or five.
“And then the Villa game, I think the Villa game is just a good game. I think, obviously, there are some VAR decisions that probably didn’t go our way, but that’s just sometimes in football how things go.”
However, Anderton acknowledged that Tottenham’s struggles might continue over the coming weeks until their key players return to action.
The 51-year-old added: “Obviously, it’s going to be difficult to sustain it with the injuries that they’ve got. They’re just going through a little bit of a spell. James Maddison started so well. He’s going to be a huge miss.
“I don’t think the team has had a player like that since Christian Eriksen. The way that he gets the team to play and the way to still keeps playing on the front foot is refreshing to see.”
Spurs Web Opinion
Despite our injuries and recent spell of defeats, I am genuinely excited about the future for Spurs under the current head coach. Postecoglou has made a huge difference already at Tottenham and it would not be an exaggeration to say that the Australian has helped a lot of Spurs fans rediscover their love for the club.
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