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Every word Ange Postecoglou said on Son and Udogie, Brighton vs Tottenham and Maddison snub

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Ange Postecoglou held his press conference ahead of Tottenham Hotspur’s clash with Brighton & Hove Albion at the weekend. Spurs are hoping to make it six wins in a row ahead of the international break.

The 59-year-old has needed to deal with several injury problems during the past couple weeks. Richarlison has been out for a while and recently both Son Heung-min and Destiny Udogie have missed games with problems.

football.london's football correspondent Tom Canton was among those putting the questions to Postecoglou at the press conference at Hotspur Way on Friday morning. Here's every single word the Australian said ahead of the match.

Tired?

Yeah, we got in late last night but yeah all good.

Latest team news?

First things first last night, all good. Obviously, fairly tired but physically no issues from last night’s game. Then out of the guys who sort of stayed back, Destiny we think will be okay.

We have training today and tomorrow so he has to get through that. Sonny unlikely, he’s pushing hard but I just don’t think the turnaround will be quick enough for him to be available at this stage. And then that’s it, the others are kind of long-term.

Can you rule Son out of the international break?

Well yeah, if he doesn’t play for us its not like he’s close then it makes sense. But then again we have to be mindful, that international duty, national teams take over they are the custodians of their players but we’ve given them all of the medical information, they understand and they are understanding of the situation.

On Maddison missing out on the England squad

Yeah look I am sure he is disappointed but at the same time he is playing well. You know, it’s not, sometimes it’s all you can do. These things come along at times, it's not always perfect in your career and there are situations and circumstances that mean you don’t always get what you want but it shouldn’t deter from or detract from everything else that you’re doing. So he is playing really well for us, I think he’s been outstanding all year. He’s making an impact in every game he plays, he’s a really important part of our midfield setup and if he continues to do that I am sure he’ll be selected again but he can’t just sort of put everything into one basket just being disappointed just because you’ve missed out. I’ve said that shouldn’t have any effect on him and the way he’s playing because he has been brilliant for us.

Many wouldn’t have said I’d make 50 mate, even when I was on about 46. Look obviously as managers we, there’s always a ticking clock against our tenure. Every time you reach a milestone it's always an indication that people believe in what you’re trying to do. It has flown by to be fair, obviously 15, 16 months, 50 games but I enjoy every one of them and hopefully, the next 50 are ones where we can make a real impact.

Best winning run for three and a half years, how close to the desired level is the team right now?

Well, it’s always kind of a shifting measurement or scale. Every time you go on any consistent run of form, and I think we’ve been consistent all year, obviously the results in the last five games have been rewards for the performance but you know that always makes you even more eager to keep pushing on and get better and see what kind of level we can reach. I think we’re a developing side, still very much a young side, the squad is still developing together which suggests whatever markers we set at the moment we should be able to exceed. But there’s no doubt when you win games like we have in recent times, that belief and that energy accelerates and the key to that is to keep it going, you don’t want to let it go you want to work as hard as we have to keep the momentum going.

Fabian Hurzeler 31 years old, how do you feel about his impact at such a young age?

Yeah, 31 it's crazy. That's about the age I started, albeit not at this level. Yeah, he's really impressive. When he was coaching at St. Pauli, he coached Jackson Irvine, who I had with the Socceroos -- he's a great player and a fantastic person, as well. He actually reached out to us and said Fabian likes what you're doing, can he come pay a visit? He spent a day with us last year. He asked a hell of a lot of questions and I gave him too many answers, that's for sure. If I'd have known he'd be Brighton manager. You could tell he's just a real student of the game, wanted as much knowledge... He was already a senior manager who got them promoted last year, so he was already doing a good job but you can tell when somebody's got that curiosity. I think that's the key for all managers, especially young ones. You've got to maintain that. It can get sucked out of you at times because when you get sucked into the battle, particularly at this level, of dealing with one crisis or another, you can forget that curiosity to find out more information. If he maintains that, I think he'll be an outstanding manager but he's done well. It's probably a perfect fit for him because I think Brighton are a fantastic club. They're careful about who they put in as manager. There's usually an alignment there. I wonder sometimes whether other clubs even think about that stuff. So he's in a great place.

Remember his questions he asked you?

He asked us a lot! I actually palmed him off at one stage because he was asking me too many, so I gave him to one of the other coaches. He was just inquisitive about everything. He was already a senior manager, doing a good job, but the fact that he wanted to ask and had observed us. I'm sure other clubs as well, it wasn't just us. But he made a real impression on everyone.

It was a curious one. It was one of those periods where we were a bit disrupted in terms of player availability and stuff. We started the game really poorly, really open, but by the end of it, it could have been 4-4, 5-4. We didn't handle the occasion well, particularly early in the game. It was indicative of our season. There was some good stuff in there that got overshadowed by stuff we really struggled with at times last year in terms of our consistency of performance. So far, in the away games we've had this year we've played really well. Leicester we should have won. Newcastle, we played really well but didn't win. Obviously Man Utd, we played well there. Even last night, we played really well in Europe so we're handling those situations better. And I think we're going to have to at the weekend too.

Solanke - surprised it's taken so long to get an England call-up?

I don't know about surprises. With Dom, he's had to work awfully hard in his career and it's a salient point to all young players that your trajectory doesn't always go in a linear fashion. He started at big clubs, he was a youth international, he obviously made an impact but for one reason or another, he did get started. But it didn't deter him. He went to Bournemouth, worked awfully hard, obviously had a year in the Championship. So I think there are reasons why he wasn't selected, but certainly his last 13 or 14 months in terms of his goal output, even before that but certainly last year in the Premier League, got him in the frame for the Euros. He was really close to getting selected there. It's all down to him, mate. I've had him for a month. I've got zero to do with his getting in the England team. And even the way he's handled his move here - big club, again, for him big expectations. Unfortunately, he got injured but since he's back he's been brilliant for us in all aspects. Great for him but most exciting for me is I know there's more to come.

Archie Gray being called up for England Under-21s, what do players learn from youth football?

I guess it depends. I will always think these things you should treat them on an individual basis. For different footballers at different levels in their career and depending on their workloads, international football can be a real benefit. I think Archie will benefit a lot from being with the U21s.

You have to remember with Archie that he has had one year of senior football and that was in the Championship, he is just breaking into this level, Premier League level, now. I think the more experiences we can gave him at this young age the better he will be moving forward. But, there could be another player who has already got that by 18/19, has that experience, has two or three years of senior football and I can understand maybe U21 international football, particularly when you are talking about Premier League players and there workloads, you kind of think is there a benefit? I really think for the most part you treat it on an individual basis. I’m always an advocate for international football because I have seen how much it helps young players develop but again you have to always measure that against where they are at in there club situation.

You put trust in young players?

I think most managers would like, if they have talented youngsters, to use them. For us where we are in terms of a club, I think it is really important for what we are trying to build. I have always thought that clubs that have sustained success always have a strong underpinning of young players who grow with the team so that invariably over a period of times players move on and you are looking for replacements that they are already here. Whether that is guys who are club trained like Mikey, Will has had a couple of years with us, or we are bringing them in. Like I said last night, with the ones we are bringing in, we worked really hard to get Archie and Lucas to our club. Part of that was me saying ‘you come to our club, we will develop you, you will play and get an opportunity.’ It is easy for me to say that, get them to sign a contract and three months later they haven’t played at all and then come next window I go again and speak to the next 18-year-old and he turns around and says ‘actually, the evidence doesn’t back up what you are saying.’

I have that responsibility but at the same time they have earned it and it is an easier decision for me to make when I see them every day and I have no fear about throwing them out there. They are ready for it and want to contribute. It is always a balancing act and for a club like ours I understand how important it is, particularly for club-trained players like Mikey to make sure we keep that pathway open for them.

How is Archie Gray so comfortable playing in different positions at such a young age?

Well, he has got no choice because I’m putting him there and that is part of his development. But look, it probably helps that he comes from a footballing family and has been exposed to football since the moment he was born so I think he understands the game. He takes in information really well. Training, he is constantly looking for more and more information which he helps And then he just has a great temperament. He seems to take things in his stride and not let it affect him.

Last night, played him in two different positions and both are probably the last preferred for him. You know he has played right full-back and in centre midfield, I had him at left centre-back and left-back last night and I thought he did brilliantly again. I;m not going to just put him in different positions at the moment we are using him where we need him. I think hopefully that gives him confidence in how much I trust him. Eventually, we will settle him into an area but him playing at the moment, he has played Carabao Cup game away, two European games, exposure in the Premier League already in the first 10 games of his Tottenham career which I think is brilliant for us.

Giving advice to Hurzeler

Absolutely, I've been open to it. I just don't think there's any real secrets in football, anything you need to know is kind of out there. I think it's good for my staff to be exposed to it as well because football can be fairly insulated. All the noise you get is important. These guys from different football clubs, sports, who come in, I always enjoy it and it works both ways.

Criticism and progress after these five wins, does it feel like good times now?

What's the date? I reckon it was 14 days ago where it didn't feel like that (good times), it's just the way football is. There's a fine line of people's perception of how you're going and that's why that can't be your guide. That doesn't mean you ignore everything because there's some astute observations as to how you're going and what some people see is important to us, but ultimately you have to rely on something else to where the spotlight is.

It didn't feel like long ago when people were questioning everything, nothing's changed 14 days later except the results.

It's not going to be a smooth road. We're not at the stage as a team where things click all the time. We will still suffer, that's important, otherwise you don't know how you'll handle it. We've handled it well.

Kulusevski, playing the inside role, how impressed have you been?

Mikey Moore's special night and the unsung Tottenham player Ange Postecoglou kept applauding

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Tottenham don't really do European away wins, certainly not recently. Going into Thursday night's match in Budapest, the north London club had won only one of the previous nine trips they had made around the continent.

Think Mura and try not to shudder, think Sporting and those two late goals, think Vitesse, think Pacos de Ferreira and definitely think Zagreb. Ok we'll stop there because you get the gist and you don't really want to think about those nights.

But Spurs do often struggle on the road when it comes to European away days so when Ange Postecoglou named a team with four teenagers in the starting line-up - two of them academy youngsters making their full debuts - you could hear the football gods chortling among themselves as they planned what was to come.

However, the good thing about youth is it doesn't follow the script. Go back through those European defeats in recent years and you'll find teams packed with plenty of older players who were simply dreadful on the day.

Against Ferencvaros, Postecoglou had to think about the trip to high-energy Brighton just two-and-a-half days later but still managed to find a blend and balance to his team.

Yes, there were four teenagers and the recently-turned 22-year-old Pape Matar Sarr, however, Pedro Porro and captain for the night Cristian Romero at 25 and 26 were the youngest of the rest, with Yves Bissouma, Ben Davies, Timo Werner and Guglielmo Vicario bumping up the average age significantly and lending important experience to the bunch of youngsters.

It took Tottenham around 20 minutes to start to adjust to the noisy atmosphere within the Groupama Arena, during which time the visitors had a Barnabas Varga 'goal' ruled out for a marginal offside and Vicario made one incredible reaction save from the same player, although unbeknownst to him the ball had already gone behind and out of play.

Tottenham started to get to grips with the occasion and 19-year-old striker Will Lankshear only just mistimed a header from a Werner corner and it bounced off his shoulder and over the crossbar from around eight yards out.

Sarr was denied by the keeper but would not be on 23 minutes. Three of the teenagers were involved as Mikey Moore drove inside and his flicked pass was deflected into the centre of the box, Lankshear managed to get an important touch only for some calamitous defending to send the ball against the falling Lucas Bergvall and into the path of Sarr.

The Senegal international slotted a composed finish inside the left-hand post, making it back-to-back European matches he has scored in.

Spurs created further chances in the first half. Sarr and Moore forced the goalkeeper Denes Dibusz into saves while a Porro effort across goal hit the left-hand post with Lankshear inches away from getting a toe on it.

After the break, Romero's header was tipped over the crossbar by the keeper and Lankshear hit a volley into the ground that bounced just up and over the goal.

A last-gasp tackle in the Ferencvaros box denied the young striker after the hour mark following a lovely move that began with a Gray backheel out of a tight situation before Bissouma swept up the pitch.

Moore then raced from one half to the other, sent away by Sarr, before picking out Werner perfectly, only for the German to round the keeper with a heavy touch and send his effort into the side-netting.

It was left to Brennan Johnson to do what he does best nowadays - score goals. He sent one venomous effort against the crossbar in the 80th minute and six minutes later made no mistake with great control from James Maddison's lofted pass, Moore again involved in the build-up, before the Wales international arrowed a left-footed strike in off the post to make it five goals in five consecutive games.

Tottenham's defence lost their clean sheet in added time when Varga did well to get between Romero and Davies to slide home an effort but it proved to be only a consolation.

Spurs' reshuffled team, with its four teenagers, had 58% of the possession, sent 17 shots at goal with seven on target and forcing the keeper into five saves and the home defence needing to make 28 clearances.

Tottenham became the first English side to beat Ferencvaros in Hungary in 55 years.

This was Spurs' fifth win on the spin and it was their third away from home within that run, showing not only their character but proving to Postecoglou that he has a squad more fit for his purpose so the football does not change when the players do.

"Yeah, I am [really happy]. Irrespective of who you play in Europe away, it's always a challenge," the Spurs boss told football.london out in Budapest. "You saw with the atmosphere the crowd create, they really get behind their team and the conditions as well. So there's a whole range of things you need to deal with.

"Obviously we made quite a number of changes to the team, including putting the young boys in, but I thought they handled it really, really well.

"We needed to defend and defend well, we played some good football and created some good chances, maybe could have had a couple more and most importantly win an away European tie which I think is a credit to the lads."

European victories on the road are a rare thing recently at Tottenham Hotspur and it's been more than three years since they won five on the trot in all competitions. Postecoglou is changing the narrative around the club and this is only the beginning.

Magic Mikey Moore

When you look at Mikey Moore around the Tottenham training ground, he looks like any other youngster who has recently turned 17. He laughs with his academy friends, winds them up and acts like a teenager should. They don't treat him any differently even though they know he's destined for the top.

Take him out of that environment and place him within Ange Postecoglou's first team set-up and he becomes naturally quieter and remains incredibly polite, yet he's not shy. Players with his ability know what they've got and it gives them an inner confidence that allows them to feel like they belong.

On the club's tour to Asia in the summer, he took in the new experiences of Japan and South Korea with the eagerness of youth and it was an important bonding experience for him and the senior players, who all began to take him under their wing. His team-mates and club staff on that tour constantly remarked to football.london about how mature the teenager was.

There's a feeling of responsibility among these Tottenham players that they can play a part in helping Moore fulfil his remarkable potential, ensuring he does all the right things he needs to do while steering clear of any pitfalls they might have fallen into over the years.

"Mikey, when he first came up I had to remind myself how young he actually is," said James Maddison. "When he first came up he was 16 and more of like a man already when I watch him play, he’s very powerful, and he’s only going to get stronger as he develops into his body.

"It’s quite scary, he’s got a lot of ability, but I don’t want him to feel any pressure because he’s getting a lot of people talking about him, and rightly so, and that’s down to him training well, getting in the first team and getting exposure which is what he wants.

"Firstly, he’s a great kid… a really polite and well-mannered young man, which is a credit to his family because as a senior player with a young lad coming up that’s the first thing you recognise. You don’t want a young lad coming up with that arrogance, and that who does he think he is…

"And then his ability on the ball. We’ve seen it in training and the Spurs fans will be keen to see more in games. But we see it in training. He’s got bags of ability and it looks to me as if he loves the game, loves playing, gets tackled and sometimes falls on the floor and jumps up as if nothing’s happened and he wants the ball again. So I’m really excited to see how his journey goes and try to help him as much as I can."

He added: "I always try to have a little chat to him because I think ‘what would a 16-year-old James Maddison want?’ and he would want one of the senior first team players to put an arm round him and one, treat him like a man, but also give him to advice to try and help him, and accelerate that success and living the journey he is going to have. He has got to go and do it when he gets the opportunity and I’m sure he will, and I’m sure he’s keen and eager to get going and get more minutes. I look forward to it."

Moore's captain Son Heung-min told football.london last week: "He's a fantastic boy and in coming from the academy, you as a club, you look after him even more. He's such a lovely kid and working hard every single day, coming with the first team with that age it's not easy, you know, like sometimes you're very shy.

"But he's showing good personality and working hard, which is very important to me. When you see the young players working hard in the first team you just want to help. You just want to help him.

"Just having him around me and just talking about things, because we are playing in a similar position that if I can help him a little bit with advice, then I'm always open to it. Mikey is also coming to me most of the times and asking questions, which is very fun. I enjoy talking to him. He's a fantastic boy and I'm definitely sure that he can be a fantastic player. There's no doubt because he has such amazing quality.

"As we always say about young players, let's don't give him too much pressure on his shoulders. Just let's enjoy how he develops, how he improves every single day, every single season and as a fan, as supporters, we should just enjoy watching him and he will be, I think, one of the top players."

All eyes were Moore's full debut on Thursday night. Postecoglou has been careful with him because he didn't want to stunt his progress by starting him in the wrong game at the wrong time.

The pouring rain of Budapest and the noise of the home crowd might seem like a difficult backdrop to finally do it, but the Tottenham head coach knew that none of that would faze Moore.

So it proved to be as every single time he got the ball, he drove forward and caused Ferencvaros left-back Cristian Ramirez a constant headache. The Ecuadorian's shirt number was 99. Add another nine to that and it would have made the phone number he would have rung back in the UK, so frequent were the emergencies he was dealing with on the pitch as the teenager in green flew at him again and again.

If you want the perfect statistic to sum up how much Moore's senior team-mates trust him, it's the amount of times he touched the ball during the encounter in Hungary. The 17-year-old touched the ball a remarkable 70 times, just six times fewer than Yves Bissouma, the man in the centre of Spurs' midfield hub.

The goalscoring Sarr for context touched the ball 56 times, Lucas Bergvall 48 and Moore's academy team-mate Will Lankshear's battling, scrapping display ultimately only saw him touch the ball 18 times up top.

Moore's fellow winger Timo Werner had less than half of the teenager's touches of the ball with 31. Two or three of those came when the German really should have handed Moore an assist after the youngster picked him out perfectly in front of goal.

There was some criticism of one of Werner's big misses at Old Trafford that he should have rounded Andre Onana and he seemed to have taken that to heart on Thursday night. He attempted to round Dibusz but with a heavy touch it did not fit the keeper's momentum and the experienced Hungarian simply moved with him, forced him wide and the German's shot sailed into the side-netting.

Moore though had shown exactly what he can produce. He had two shots at goal, one a low volleyed effort from outside the box that showed his technique, and he had a hand in both Tottenham goals with his progressive play and dribbling.

He showed unpredictability to his play, able to get to the byline and pulled the ball low across the six-yard box as Postecoglou drills but also able to drift inside and cause chaos. The first Spurs goal came from the latter, the second from the former as he got high and wide after switching to the left after Werner's exit.

Moore can play on either wing and his partnership with Pedro Porro was starting to form nicely, the Spaniard leading the way on the pitch with 120 touches and he kept trying to get the ball to the 17-year-old.

After the game, Moore had to undertake his first post-match television interview as he spoke to TNT Sports alongside the experienced Ben Davies. He spoke well and admitted that he had no idea he was starting until a couple of hours before the game.

"To be fair I only knew about 4pm today, so yeah it came quick but I was ready to take it," he said. "It is what you work for. Obviously there are a bit of nerves coming into it, but once you get on the pitch you are all right.

"It's a big step but it is one I am ready to take. It's been all right, all the boys have helped me and it's been perfect really so far."

On Postecoglou's input, the teenager added: "He is giving me little tips all the time really. To be fair, him putting me in the team, you get the trust straight away so I am thankful for him starting me and putting his trust in me. He is helping me all the time but so are all the coaching staff."

The youngster also said in his club interview about how, despite his age, he shuts out the noise of the bellowing visiting fans and doesn't allow them to get in his head. He also called it a "special feeling" to be playing alongside academy team-mate Lankshear in the starting XI.

Davies, almost twice Moore's age, said alongside him: "Look this is nothing new to us. We see it every day in training. Mikey works so hard every single day to get these opportunities so when they come, we had no doubts [the young players] would be ready and I thought he was very good tonight."

Moore played for the entire 95 minutes or so and despite tiring slightly towards the end, he showed remarkable fitness for someone who has only played 90 minutes this season once last month for England U19s and once in August for Spurs' U21s.

Postecoglou was delighted with Moore's contribution and had no qualms about keeping him on until the very end.

"I thought he was outstanding. It's brilliant for a 17-year-old to play 90 plus minutes in a European away tie," he told football.london.

"He just handled it superbly, I kind of knew he would and I think it'll help his growth as a footballer once you get through a sort of experience like that. I think he'll grow and evolve and I didn't feel like I needed to take him off. He still looked strong at the end and was still contributing.

"It's just his ability to deal with pressure and keeping the ball in really tight areas and making really good clean decisions for a young guy. It's not easy today, out there you can see the conditions, it always suits defenders because they can fly in with tackles and he got one in the first 30 seconds.

"He kept his feet well and he takes the responsibility of driving inside or taking his man on. He makes good decisions with the ball. He's got so much growth still, but the good thing is he wants to learn, he wants to develop and I couldn't be happier for him but also pretty pleased that he's part of our football club."

There's an excitement among all football fans to rush nowadays to throw any talented academy into the senior starting line-up with a feeling that they must surely be better than what is out there already.

Wayne Rooney as a 16-year-old and now Barcelona's Lamine Yamal are always pointed to as examples of why you have to trust even the youngest players. Postecoglou made it clear though that such young superstars are exceptions to the rule rather than the norm.

As someone who has given plenty of young players their introduction to senior life over the years, the 59-year-old spoke urged some caution while also allowing his own excitement about Moore to seep through.

"I still wouldn't say that [the game has shifted to being one of wonderkids]. I mean how many 17-year-olds are playing in the Premier League?" he asked. "Yeah, Yamal is brilliant but it's not a common thing. It's still pretty rare because you have to take into account, not just their physical maturity at 17 of being able to handle it, their emotional maturity, you've got to be really careful.

"There are always exceptions to the rule and Yamal is certainly one of them, but like I said, if you look at the Premier League, how many 17-year-olds are actually contributing and Mikey is already, which shows that he's got something special, but we've just got to be really careful about how we develop that.

"I think because it's too easy just to say, oh, you know, he's a great young player just throw him in there, especially in the Premier League because of all the leagues probably in Europe, it's the most physically challenging. So young players, the first thing I want to see is can they handle it and to be fair, Mike handles it pretty well, and certainly Archie and Lucas have that, but we've got to be careful with them.

"But at the same time, we've brought some really talented young players to the club and part of my pitch to them was that we will develop them and they will play and it's my responsibility to make sure they do that. I can't shy away from that because the next 18 or 17-year-old who I sign will point to recent experience. So it's important we give them the game time they deserve."

The Tottenham fans will want Moore thrown straight in again against Brighton on Sunday afternoon at the Amex Stadium, but that's a big ask for the youngster after such an intense and draining 95 minutes in the rain on a heavy pitch to then be chucked in against an energetic Seagulls side who have had a week off.

The likelihood is that if Son is not available, which seems to be the case, then Werner, despite that miss, will be trusted again after playing only 64 minutes on Thursday night.

Moore and the Tottenham fans need not worry though. This was a match that showed he's ready and that his team-mates and Postecoglou trust him. The little cameos in the final minutes of games will get longer and longer as the Spurs boss knows he can come on against experienced professionals and cause havoc and create opportunities, while he will also continue to learn the defensive side of the game.

Sunday could start to show that as Werner will also tire and Moore will likely be introduced, if Postecoglou does not start him.

There will also be a healthy rivalry between Spurs and Arsenal fans over who has the better 17-year-old, with Moore's talented England U19 team-mate Ethan Nwaneri breaking through down the road.

Moore will likely start most of Tottenham's European games now after showing his comfort on the continental stage and the first Premier League start won't be too far away either.

Postecoglou will continue to be careful with him and not push his teenage body into his ferocious system too much, too soon, but he will be as proud as the Tottenham supporters were in the Groupama Stadium to have been there on the night when Mikey Moore made his full debut for the club. It felt like the start of something special.

Ange's Angels

Ange Postecoglou laughed when it was put to him that with the Busby Babes and the Fergie Fledglings, could it be time for Ange's Angels?

"Nah, nah, nah, nah, you've got to do better than that. No, no chance," he said with a grin.

For it wasn't just about Mikey Moore. Postecoglou started three other teenagers on the night in Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall and Will Lankshear, while the goalscoring Pape Matar Sarr is hardly ancient at 22. Even Spurs' in-form second goalscorer Brennan Johnson is only 23.

On the bench, Postecoglou had also named academy defenders Alfie Dorrington and Dante Cassanova, 19 and 20 respectively, as well as 18-year-old winger Damola Ajayi - a great experience for all three of them.

Lankshear came into the starting line-up and handled himself well on his debut. He did not look out of place and gave the Ferencvaros centre-backs plenty of problems. The 19-year-old's physical stature and his movement mark him out as being potentially better suited to the rigours of Premier League football than those striking prospects who have come before him in recent years at Spurs.

He might have only had 18 touches of the ball but Lankshear's performance was as much about his off the ball work as it was about what he did with it at his feet. His movement could have brought him two goals had he connected with Werner's cross with his head rather than his shoulder and then got a slightly better connection to a scuffed volley from Porro's ball into the box which bounced up and inches over the crossbar.

He got a key touch in the build-up to Spurs' opening goal and also teed up Sarr for a first half effort with good hold-up play. The forward was also inches away from touching home Porro's effort that struck the foot of the post, while also being denied by a last-gasp challenge in the Ferencvaros box after a swift second half Spurs counter attack.

Postecoglou said Lankshear "led the line well" during his 65 minutes and the Australian could be seen applauding much of what the young striker did throughout the game and shouting words of encouragement to him.

A goal would have been the icing on the cake but the teenager proved to the Tottenham boss that, following on from his goalscoring pre-season exploits, he can be trusted to come on, or start matches, and he will cause problems for the opposition defence as well as holding up the ball as a focal point.

With Richarlison still out, Lankshear has a chance to establish himself as a deputy for Solanke in the immediate future and grab that Premier League debut that is surely on the horizon.

Behind him, Sarr was excellent on the night and started Tottenham off on so many different attacks, as well as showing composure for his own goal. On the other side of the midfield trio, Lucas Bergvall provided moments of good play and others where he held on to the ball for too long.

The 18-year-old Swede was paying the price for Radu Dragusin's red card and his own withdrawal moments later a week ago because he could have benefited from an hour at least in his legs that night.

Instead he only got around eight minutes and it showed a week later on the heavy, wet pitch in Budapest as he tired, took a couple of whacks and struggled as the game wore on to get back in position defensively as a Postecoglou number eight needs to.

The star of the teenagers beyond Moore was Archie Gray. The former Leeds man came with a £40million price tag so it's easy to overlook just how young he is.

Yet he's something special and it's clear in not only his technical ability with the ball and his supreme confidence with it but also his tactical intelligence. The 18-year-old started at centre-back and as Davies struggled in the Postecoglou inverted left-back role, leaving his younger team-mate exposed occasionally, so Gray moved out there for the second half and did the job as if it had always been his position.

There was one moment in the second half when Gray received the ball in a tight position in the right-hand corner next to the Spurs penalty box. He had two Ferencvaros attackers pushing him back towards the byline. There was no panic though, the teenager took one glance up, drew them in and shifted the ball to his right so he could backheel it away from them both and to a team-mate.

The move ended with Bissouma racing up the pitch and playing in Lankshear who was tackled in the other box at the last second.

Another pitch-long run from Gray in the second half down the touchline had hints of Gareth Bale about it and showed just what he's going to be like when the time comes for him to take his place in Tottenham's midfield. He's got the ability to become a Steven Gerrard-esque figure in the Spurs engine room.

"I wouldn't say I chucked [the youngsters] in. With all these things, you've got to be really careful with young players. I certainly am," said Postecoglou. "The first thing is that they're part of our first team squad, not because I want some young players, it's because they've earned that spot and then it's about how to help them develop and the moments we need to put them in there, the moments we need to hold off. And we can't discount the fact that Archie is 18, Lucas is 18.

"I thought Archie was brilliant today, we asked him to play in two different positions and it's incredible how he just adjusts and he's able to bring his game to wherever he put him.

"Lucas worked hard and Will was unlucky with a couple of moments when we could have got a goal. These guys are there because they've earned their spot, but they're an important part of our development because whilst we want to be a team that has an impact this year, it's important we're developing players along the way so that whatever sort of period of potential for success or opportunity for success exists, it's elongated because of the young players you got through.

"I just think tonight all those boys will come to me and go 'ok that was tough, it was different, but we got through it and we won'. "

On Gray's switch from centre-back to left-back in the second half, Postecoglou explained: "I felt like we were starting to get on top and stronger. Archie has got a great capacity to run, and I thought putting him at left-back he would be able to get forward for us more, and Ben with his ability to defend and his left-foot meant he could get the ball out to the left side.

"I just wanted to use Archie’s energy, as much as anything. He did a good job for us first half but I just felt in the second half we could put them under more pressure if we had somebody on the left-hand side in the same way as the right-hand side who could get forward and get back. I thought he did that really well. In his first run he ran the whole pitch. It helped us balance our attacks on both sides."

Call them what you want - Ange's Angels, Ange's Adolescents or even just the Tottenham Teens - there's something being built in N17 with the number of talented youngsters knocking on Postecoglou's door and, as the Australian says, Spurs are set up very nicely for an exciting present and future.

Brilliant Brennan Johnson

The Brennan Johnson freight train just keeps rolling on. When he struck the crossbar after coming on in the second half, the stats were already being tweaked to 'four goals in four starts'.

The 23-year-old soon dispensed with the need for that as he stepped inside with a lovely touch to control a lofted Maddison pass and squeezed a left-footed shot between a defender's legs and in off the left-hand post.

That meant Johnson has scored in five consecutive games and he's become such a key figure in Tottenham's uptick in results. He steps up when needed and has scored important goals in important moments, three of them ending up being the match-winning goals.

Postecoglou grinned after the game when a reporter had to apologise for asking about Johnson yet again, suggesting that it was not coincidence that the Wales international is constantly putting the ball inside that left-hand post after hours upon hours on the training ground.

"No, [it's not a coincidence] and I thought he was unlucky with the one that hit the bar as well. Look, he is in a great vein of form and obviously feels good about himself at the moment, really confident," said the Spurs boss.

"I guess with all attacking players, goals and assists, they kind of thrive on that stuff, but I've said before he has been fantastic for us. Even if you look at his figures last year. He moved to a big club and still got a decent return of goals [and assists].

"It was always curious to me why people were singling him out because if you compare him to other wingers in the league, his numbers always stacked up anyway and now he has probably bypassed all of them. I had no doubt he would make a massive impact for us. Now he is making not just an impact but changing games for us. Again, still a young guy, still working hard and wants to learn, so that's great for us."

Spurs shared on social media after Johnson's goal an image that Maddison had already posted a couple of days before, with Johnson's face overlaid on to an image of the Brazilian Ronaldo - a hybrid the Tottenham fans have labelled 'Brennaldo'.

Johnson's exit from social media means he will not have seen the club's post but he is making a powerful case for footballers stepping away entirely from the toxic unpleasantness that can exist online.

Maddison told football.london before the game that he believes more was made of Johnson's Instagram deactivation that there actually was to it, but that he certainly wouldn't be advising his friend to rush back to it.

"Brennan is first and foremost a very good friend, I’m close with him. I think a lot has made of him coming off social media which to him was probably not such a big thing," he said. "He’s the type of guy to have a break from that stuff anyway. People have maybe read too much into it too much but since then he's gone four in four so I don’t think I’ll be telling him to redownload anytime soon!

"He’s a great kid, a brilliant player. No-one has every doubted that but he’s really showing it at the minute consistently. It’s not easy to score four games in a row. He's a brilliant lad and a great friend of mine so I’m always there for him.

"That [Brennaldo] picture was a bit tongue-in-cheek, we found it funny when it was put in our group chat. But hopefully he can continue this form because he’s a real threat for us. He can do damage to a lot of oppositions in the Premier League and Europe so I like to see him in that rich vein of form."

As Postecoglou said, Johnson is one of the in-form wingers in the Premier League right now and he has confidence running through him. Every defence will be watching him closely, trying to end his remarkable run and in doing so they will allow space for Tottenham's other attackers to profit.

One of those will be Dominic Solanke who received his first call-up to the England squad on Thursday in almost seven years. Ivan Toney's move to the Saudi Pro League has taken him out of the England picture and Tottenham's striker has grabbed the advantage like a true poacher should.

"Credit to Dom, it’s reward for his hard work," said Postecoglou. "I’ve got no doubt that he will be a fantastic player for us and if he continues as I know he can, he’ll be a great asset for the England team."

With three goals in his past three starts for Spurs, Solanke is also in fine form right now and that he only came on for the final 10 minutes in Budapest will leave him fresh and ready for the trip to Brighton this weekend.

Once again Postecoglou's decision to rest players paid off. Micky van de Ven and Rodrigo Bentancur will be rested up and ready to step out at the Amex Stadium as will Destiny Udogie, who Postecoglou believes could be fit to return if his involvement in training on Friday and Saturday goes to plan.

He also has Djed Spence, who was left at home to prepare for the game in case he had to fill in for Udogie or potentially Porro, who played the full match on Thursday night. Radu Dragusin is also ready if called upon.

Solanke barely got on the pitch, while Johnson, Maddison and Kulusevski all played a little over 25 minutes each, Johnson of course only further boosting his confidence.

That's seven players who will be fit and fresh to face the energetic Brighton side that will be waiting for them in what will be a battle of the high line on Sunday.

Maddison's own England snub despite his fine form will be tough for him to take but could benefit Tottenham as that fire will continue to burn brightly within the midfielder to fight his way back into the national team.

"Whenever in life you have setbacks, it can go one of two ways, and the gaffer has said that before," said Maddison ahead of the squad announcement. "It is how you deal with that. You can either let it swallow you up a little bit and feel sorry for yourself and go down that route, or you can respond in the right way or the only way to get back to being successful and getting back in the England squad and playing at the top level for Spurs again.

"It wasn’t a massive thing [missing out on the last squad]. I feel like I actually finished the back end of last season quite well. I always want to prove people wrong. Any sort of doubters, people who question, I always want to prove them wrong.

"That is where I get some of my hunger from, wanting to be the best version of myself for Tottenham, my team-mates and people close to me, but also to prove people wrong who doubt me. I get satisfaction from that. I feel really good at the minute and I feel sharp. Hopefully that can continue."

It will be Postecoglou's 50th game in charge of Spurs already this weekend. The Australian is getting a great version of his Tottenham Hotspur right now, with spirit, style and goals and thrilling youngsters bursting on to the scene, all the while with an exciting feeling that it can all still get even better.

Listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham on Spurs' emphatic Man Utd victory! Click here for in depth Spurs chat on your preferred podcast platform.

min and Destiny Udogie Tottenham injury update

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Ange Postecoglou has provided an injury update on Son Heung-min andDestiny Udogie ahead of the clash against Brighton & Hove Albion at the weekend.

Spurs captain Son was subbed off in the 3-0 win over Qarabag last week due to a suspected hamstring issue. He then missed the weekend clash against Manchester United as well as Thursday's win against Ferencvarosi. Udogie also missed the match in Hungary after only playing the first half against Man Utd on Sunday.

Speaking to the media at Hotspur Way on Friday morning, Postecoglou said: "Fairly tired but physically no issues from last night's game. Destiny we think will be okay, training today and tomorrow.

"Sonny is unlikely, he's pushing hard but it is too soon." On Son playing for South Korea next week, the Australian head coach added: "If he doesn't play for us, it doesn't seem like he's close, it makes sense [to not too]."

Postecoglou was also asked about Dominic Solanke and the striker's England call-up this week. The former Bournemouth man last appeared for his country seven years ago but could feature under Lee Carsley against Greece and Finland.

"I don't know about surprised, with Dom he's had to work awfully hard in his career," Postecoglou said. "It's important to all young players that the trajectory doesn't always go in a linear fashion.

"He was at big clubs, didn't get started but didn't deter him went to Bournemouth and did well. It's all down to him. I've had him for a month, I've had zero to do with his call-up, it's down to him."

Listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham on Spurs' emphatic Man Utd victory! Click here for in depth Spurs chat on your preferred podcast platform.

Tottenham boss on Brighton, Son and Udogie injury news

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On Kulusevski

Yeah [he] has been brilliant, in many respects, as in what he's able to do in that central role. We used him more as a wide player last year as we didn't have too many options.

When we started using him inside, it unshackled him a little bit. He has an unbelievable capacity to run with the ball. The numbers are ridiculous.

On the mood shifting

It doesn't mean you ignore everything, there are some astute observations as to how things are going. What some people see is important to us.

You have to rely on something different to where the spotlight is at the moment.

Archie Gray playing youth football

I guess it depends. I think these things you should treat on an individual basis. Footballers are at different levels in their careers.

I think Archie will really benefit from under-21 football. He's only really had one year of senior football.

There could be another player that already has that experience. I can understand that u21 at international football, you ask is there a benefit. I am a fan of international football as I have seen how much it helps young players develop.

Solanke England call-up surprise?

I don't know about surprised, with Dom he's had to work awfuklly hard in his career. It's important to all young players that the trajectory doesn't always go in a linear fashion.

He was at big clubs, didn't get started but didn't deter him went to Bournemouth and did well.

It's all down to him. I've had him for a month, I've had zero to do with his call-up, it's down to him.

On Fabian Hurzeler

Yeah, great!. 31 it is crazy but I think that is about the age I started but at a novice level.

When he was coaching St Pauli, [a former player of mine] reached out to us and recommended him.

You can tell he is just a real student of the game, so much knowledge.

You can tell when someone has got that curiosity and that's key for all young managers.

The player Edu stopped Tottenham from signing

Tottenham have been linked with plenty of strikers in the past. The reality is that very few of the transfer rumours translate into anything concrete though.

One name that may have been quickly forgotten though is that of Paolo Guerrero. The Peruvian striker, now 40, was heavily linked with a move to Spurs in 2013.

But a deal failed to materialise. That was not for the want of trying on the player's part though, who seemed determined to make the move to north London.

Read the full story here.

Tottenham made it two wins from two in the Europa League after recording a 2-1 victory over Ferencvaros on Thursday evening. Fresh from last Sunday's 3-0 win against Manchester United at Old Trafford, Ange Postecoglou made seven changes to his Spurs team in order to give those on the periphery of the starting XI some much-needed pitch time.

Starting with Will Lankshear leading the line and Mikey Moore and Timo Werner either side of him in attack, the Spurs striker had a good chance inside the first ten minutes but he could only head the German's cross over from close range. Ferencvaros did give Spurs a few scares in the opening exchanges, including when Barnabas Varga headed home at the back post only for VAR to disallow it for offside.

Following that early worry, Spurs responded in the best way possible with Pape Matar Sarr making it back-to-back goals in Europe with a neat finish inside the six-yard box. The visitors went agonisingly close to doubling their lead on 32 minutes as Pedro Porro struck the post after some lovely footwork to fashion a yard of space.

Read the full story here.

Player ratings vs Ferencvaros

Tottenham Hotspur came away with a 2-1 victory with a much-changed side at Ferencvaros in the Europa League on Thursday night and here are our Spurs player ratings.

Spurs had travelled to Hungary without the injured Son Heung-min, Destiny Udogie, Wilson Odobert and Richarlison, the suspended Radu Dragusin and also left Djed Spence and Sergio Reguilon, who flew over to train with the team, out of the club's Europa League squad.

With Tottenham playing again in two-and-a-half days' time with a trip to Brighton on Sunday afternoon, Postecoglou named only four players who started in the win at Old Trafford and teenage academy players Mikey Moore and Will Lankshear came into the starting line-up. Archie Gray started at centre-back with Ben Davies at left-back with Lucas Bergvall in the midfield making it four teenagers in the starting XI.

Read the full story here.

Ange Postecoglou immediately proven right on huge Tottenham call after £10m decision made

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Ange Postecoglou has made a number of huge Tottenham decisions since his managerial tenure began with the latest one very quickly being justified. Since his arrival in the summer of 2022, Postecoglou has overseen four transfer windows with well over £200million spent.

James Maddison, Micky van de Ven, Guglielmo Vicario quickly become part of Tottenham's core group with Dominic Solanke and Archie Gray the two players brought in during the most recent summer window. After a mixed start to the season, Spurs have won their last five games in all competitions.

Rotation has understandably been conducted in the Europa League and Carabao Cup, but limited alterations have been made in league action. That has resulted in Brennan Johnson, Rodrigo Bentancur, Dejan Kulusevski and Solanke all stepping up to the plate.

Solanke is the only brand new arrival in that group with three goals to his name already following a £65million switch from Bournemouth. His form since returning from injury has not gone unnoticed with Lee Carsley calling him up to the England squad for Nations League fixtures against Finland and Greece.

That taking place just a few months into his Spurs career is perhaps no surprise to Postecoglou with the Spurs boss making it clear on numerous occasions that signing Solanke over the summer was his priority. Ahead of the Europa League clash against Ferencvaros, Postecoglou gave his thoughts on his start to life in north London.

"He got injured really early in the game at Leicester and then proceeded to miss a couple, so for him it's probably been a little bit frustrating, but I knew what we were bringing to the football club," Postecoglou admitted. "I was really confident that the way we play and his attributes that he was going to be a great fit."

"I could see that from the first day of training, but we had to be patient. He's getting up there now in terms of physical fitness, I think every game he looks like he's getting stronger. It's a demanding role up front for us, it's not just about goals, it’s about his link-up play and pressing."

As evidenced by his role in Kulusevski's strike against Manchester United, alongside his recent run of goals, Solanke is showing exactly why Spurs have already paid £55million for his services. The remaining £10million is available as add-ons and some of those could be on the way to the Cherries very soon.

Qualifying for the Champions League or goals are often incentives included by buying clubs to reduce the initial fee paid. Appearances on the international stage, particularly for players that don't feature for their country regularly with it very plausible that was one of the achievable add-ons.

If that does turn out to be the case, Bournemouth will be in for a nice windfall and though Tottenham will have lost out on funds, it certainly proves that Postecoglou was right to sign him with others recognising his ability.

Listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham on Spurs' emphatic Man Utd victory! Click here for in depth Spurs chat on your preferred podcast platform.

Every word Ange Postecoglou said on 'outstanding' Mikey Moore and one 'brilliant' Tottenham player

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Ange Postecoglou held his press conference after Tottenham Hotspur came away with a 2-1 win with a much-changed side at Ferencvaros in the Europa League on Thursday evening.

With Spurs missing a lot of players and playing again in two-and-a-half days' time with a trip to Brighton on Sunday afternoon, Postecoglou named only four players who started in the win at Old Trafford with teenage academy players Mikey Moore and Will Lankshear coming into the starting line-up. Archie Gray started at centre-back with Ben Davies at left-back with Lucas Bergvall in the midfield making it four teenagers in the starting XI.

Spurs took the lead on 23 minutes when Moore ran through the middle, knocked a pass through and the battling Lankshear got a touch before the ball bounced off the falling Bergvall into the path of Pape Matar Sarr, who hit a composed shot into the bottom left corner.

Tottenham had further chances but their second goal did not arrive until late in the game when substitute Brennan Johnson made it five goals in five consecutive matches with a finish in off the left-hand post. Barnabas Varga netted a late consolation for the hosts but it was the visitors who went home with the points.

Here's every single word Postecoglou said as the assembled media, including football.london's Tottenham correspondent Alasdair Gold put the questions to him.

You put out a team with four teenagers in the starting line-up and you've won a potentially tricky away European tie, you must be delighted?

Yeah, I am. Irrespective of who you play in Europe away, it's always a challenge. You saw with the atmosphere the crowd create, they get really behind their team and the conditions as well. So there's a whole range of things you need to deal with.

Obviously made quite a number of changes to the team, including putting the young boys in, but I thought they handled it really, really well.

We needed to defend and defend well, we played some good football and created some good chances, maybe could have had a couple more and most importantly win an away European tie which I think is a credit to the lads.

You kept Mikey Moore on the full 90 minutes tonight, what did you make of his performance?

I thought he was outstanding. It's brilliant for a 17-year-old to play 90 plus minutes in a European away tie. He just handled it superbly, I kind of knew he would and I think it'll help his growth as a footballer once you get through a sort of experience like that. I think he'll grow and evolve and I didn't feel like I needed to take him off. He still looked strong at the end and was still contributing.

We've had the Busby Babes, the Fergie Fledglings, you've now got Ange's Angels...

Nah, nah, nah, nah, you've got to do better than that. No, no chance.

You've chucked them in and a lot of teenager might not be able to handle that?

I wouldn't say I chucked them in. With all these things, you've got to be really careful with young players. I certainly am. The first thing is that they're part of our first team squad, not because I want some young players, it's because they've earned that spot and then it's about how to help them develop and the moments we need to put them in there, the moments we need to hold off. And we can't discount the fact that Archie is 18, Lucas is 18.

I thought Archie was brilliant today, we asked him to play in two different positions and it's incredible how he just adjusts and he's able to bring his game to wherever he put him. Lucas worked hard and Will was unlucky with a couple of moments when we could have got a goal. These guys are there because they've earned their spot, but they're an important part of our development because whilst we want to be a team that has an impact this year, it's like I said before, it's important we're developing players along the way so that whatever sort of period of potential for success or opportunity for success exists, it's elongated because of the young players you got through. I just think tonight all those boys will come to me and go 'ok that was tough, it was different, but we got through it and we won'.

Are these teenagers particularly special or...

Yes, they are. They're 18. What were you doing when you were 18? (laughs)

Not this, but my point is that football seems to have got a bit younger, we saw Yamal at the Euros, has the game changed a bit or are these guys just so good?

No, no, I still wouldn't say that. I mean how many 17-year-olds are playing in the Premier League? Yeah, Yamal is brilliant but it's not a common thing. It's still pretty rare because you have to take into account, not just their physical maturity at 17 of being able to handle it, their emotional maturity, you've got to be really careful.

There are always exceptions to the rule and Yamal is certainly one of them, but like I said, if you look at the Premier League, how many 17-year-olds are actually contributing and Mikey is already to is, which shows that he's got something special, but we've just got to be really careful about how we develop that.

I think because it's too easy just to say, oh, you know, he's a great young player just throw him in there, especially in the Premier League because of all the leagues probably in Europe, it's the most physically challenging. So young players, the first thing I want to see is can they handle it and to be fair, Mike handles it pretty well, and certainly Archie and Lucas have that, but we've got to be careful with them.

But at the same time, we've brought some really talented young players to the club and part of my pitch to them was that we will develop them and they will play and it's my responsibility to make sure they do that. I can't shy away from that because the next 18 or 17-year-old who I sign will point to recent experience. So it's important we give them the game time they deserve.

What is it you really like about Mikey?

It's just his ability to deal with pressure and keeping the ball in really tight areas and making really good clean decisions for a young guy. It's not easy today, out there you can see the conditions, it always suit defenders because they can fly in with tackles and he got one in the first 30 seconds I think it was.

He kept his feet well and he takes the responsibility of driving inside or taking his man on. He makes good decisions with the ball. He's got so much growth still, but the good thing is he wants to learn, he wants to develop and I couldn't be happier for him but also pretty pleased that he's part of our football club.

Can I ask you again about Brennan Johnson, another goal and he keeps finding the bottom corner, it's not a coincidence is it?

No, [it's not] and I thought he was unlucky with the one that hit the bar as well. Look, he is in a great vein of form and obviously feels good about himself at the moment, really confident. I guess with all attacking players, goals and assists, they kind of thrive on that stuff, but I've said before he has been fantastic for us. Even if you look at his figures last year. He moved to a big club and still got a decent return of goals. It was always curious to me why people were singling him out because if you compare him to other wingers in the league, his numbers always stacked up anyway and now he has probably bypassed all of them. I had no doubt he would make a massive impact for us. Now he is making not just an impact but changing games for us. Again, still a young guy, still working hard and wants to learn, so that's great for us.

Are Ferencvaros stronger now compared to when you faced them with Celtic in 2021?

Hard to say. I do remember both with Celtic and today, I knew today the supporters create a fantastic atmosphere here. You can see why Ferencvaros have such a strong home record and not just domestically but in Europe. They're hard to beat here because the supporters create a great atmosphere, I remember that from when we played them with Celtic and we had to work hard that day to get a win, 2-1 I think if I remember correctly. It was a tight game today as well and similar to today. I played against AZ when Pascal was coach there and similar they try to play a high-tempo, high-energy game which is what we want to do. We knew it would be a difficult challenge, but I think for the rest of this Europa League campaign at home they are going to be a challenge for any team.

Did Ferencvaros surprise you in the first 20 minutes?

To a certain extent. I knew what to expect because the supporters create a great energy and the players have energy at the start. But we always know that no team is fitter than us and we will always finish strong. They had a couple of chances but we were still in the game, still controlling the game. We created a couple of opportunities ourselves. After that 20 minutes I knew we would get stronger and stronger. It didn’t surprise me. We spoke about it before the game. Every time we play away in Europe, that first 20 minutes is pretty important because the crowd is excited and all the players have energy. It is inevitable that the home team are going to have some period of dominance and you have to be strong. I thought we were strong and we eventually broke them down and got our goal.

You changed Archie Gray and Ben Davies in the second half, why was that?

I felt like we were starting to get on top and stronger. Archie has got a great capacity to run, and I thought putting him at left-back he would be able to get forward for us more, and Ben with his ability to defend and his left-foot meant he could get the ball out to the left side. I just wanted to use Archie’s energy, as much as anything. He did a good job for us first half but I just felt in the second half we could put them under more pressure if we had somebody on the left-hand side in the same way as the right-hand side who could get forward and get back. I thought he did that really well. In his first run he ran the whole pitch. It helped us balance our attacks on both sides.

Listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham on Spurs' emphatic Man Utd victory! Click here for in depth Spurs chat on your preferred podcast platform.

Tottenham boss on Mikey Moore, Will Lankshear and Johnson

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I mean how many 17-year-olds are playing in the Premier League? Yeah, Yamal is brilliant but it's not a common thing. It's still pretty rare because you have to take into account, not just their physical maturity at 17 of being able to handle it, their emotional maturity, you've got to be really careful.

There are always exceptions to the rule and Yamal is certainly one of them, but like I said, if you look at the Premier League, how many 17-year-olds are actually contributing and Mikey is already to is, which shows that he's got something special, but we've just got to be really careful about how we develop that.

I think because it's too easy just to say, oh, you know, he's a great young player just throw him in there, especially in the Premier League because of all the leagues probably in Europe, it's the most physically challenging. So young players, the first thing I want to see is can they handle it and to be fair, Mike handles it pretty well, and certainly Archie and Lucas have that, but we've got to be careful with them.

But at the same time, we've brought some really talented young players to the club and part of my pitch to them was that we will develop them and they will play and it's my responsibility to make sure they do that. I can't shy away from that because the next 18 or 17-year-old who I sign will point to recent experience. So it's important we give them the game time they deserve.

Yeah, I am. Irrespective of who you play in Europe away, it's always a challenge. You saw with the atmosphere the crowd create, they get really behind their team and the conditions as well. So there's a whole range of things you need to deal with.

Obviously made quite a number of changes to the team, including putting the young boys in, but I thought they handled it really, really well.

We needed to defend and defend well, we played some good football and created some good chances, maybe could have had a couple more and most importantly win an away European tie which I think is a credit to the lads.

Tottenham next five games in all competitions compared with Man United, Aston Villa and Chelsea

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Tottenham continued their fine form and made it five successive wins in all competitions with a 2-1 triumph over Hungarian side Ferencvaros in the Europa League.

Ange Postecoglou's men, who had beaten Coventry, Brentford, Qarabag and Manchester United before their trip to Budapest, started off slowly but took the lead in the 23rd minute through Pape Matar Sarr. A tough second half followed for Spurs as their hosts attempted to peg the north Londoners back.

They managed to ride that wave of pressure, though, and looked to have wrapped the game up with five minutes of normal time remaining. In-form Brennan Johnson continued his scoring streak with a neat finish.

But it was a nervy stoppage time as Barnabas Varga headed home shortly afterwards. Thankfully for Postecoglou's team, though, they were able to hold on.

With Tottenham sitting in a comfortable position in the new league phase of the competition and up to eighth in the Premier League, football.london have taken a closer look at how their next five fixtures compares with those also competing for a top-four place this season. You can find them below;

Tottenham's next five fixtures

Brighton (A) - October 6 - Premier League

West Ham (H) - October 19 - Premier League

AZ Alkmaar (H) - October 24 - Europa League

Crystal Palace (A) - October 27 - Premier League

Man City (H) - October 30 - Carabao Cup

football.london's verdict: Spurs have had a mixed start on paper and that theme is set to continue after the trip to Ferencvaros. A trip to an inconsistent Brighton side is next up on Sunday, before games against West Ham and Crystal Palace in the Premier League - either side of a home game with AZ Alkmaar in their Europa League assault.

There is no doubt Spurs fans will be expecting at least six or seven points from their next three top-flight matches considering the form they're in and where those three sides are in the table. Yes, the Carabao Cup fourth round tie against Manchester City does feel like the toughest of the bunch, but why can't Tottenham beat them in the form they are in right now? If they do beat City, supporters will be dreaming of winning a first trophy since 2008.

Aston Villa's next five fixtures

Manchester United (H) - October 6 - Premier League

Fulham (A) - October 19 - Premier League

Bologna (H) - October 22 - Champions League

Bournemouth (H) - October 26 - Premier League

Crystal Palace (H) - October 30 - Carabao Cup

Manchester United's next five fixtures

FC Porto (A) - October 3 - Europa League

Aston Villa (A) - October 6 - Premier League

Brentford (H) - October 19 - Premier League

Fenerbahce (A) - October 24 - Europa League

West Ham (A) - October 27 - Premier League

Chelsea's next five fixtures

KAA Gent (H) - October 3 - Conference League

Nottingham Forest (H) - October 6 - Premier League

Liverpool (A) - October 20 - Premier League

Panathinaikos (A) - October 24 - Conference League

Newcastle (H) - October 27 - Premier League

Newcastle's next five fixtures

Everton (A) - October 5 - Premier League

Brighton (H) - October 19 - Premier League

Chelsea (A) - October 27 - Premier League

Chelsea (H) - October 30 - Carabao Cup

Arsenal (H) - November 2 - Premier League

Mikey Moore thrills as Brennan Johnson scores again

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Tottenham Hotspur came away with a 2-1 victory with a much-changed side at Ferencvaros in the Europa League on Thursday night and here are our Spurs player ratings.

Spurs had travelled to Hungary without the injured Son Heung-min, Destiny Udogie, Wilson Odobert and Richarlison, the suspended Radu Dragusin and also left Djed Spence and Sergio Reguilon, who flew over to train with the team, out of the club's Europa League squad.

With Tottenham playing again in two-and-a-half days' time with a trip to Brighton on Sunday afternoon, Postecoglou named only four players who started in the win at Old Trafford and teenage academy players Mikey Moore and Will Lankshear came into the starting line-up. Archie Gray started at centre-back with Ben Davies at left-back with Lucas Bergvall in the midfield making it four teenagers in the starting XI.

After an early scare when Barnabas Varga had a header into the net ruled off for offside, Guglielmo Vicario then made a superb save from the same player, although the ball was later deemed to have already gone out.

Spurs took the lead on 23 minutes when Moore ran through the middle, knocked a pass through and the battling Lankshear got a touch before the ball broke off the falling Bergvall into the path of Pape Matar Sarr, who hit a composed shot into the bottom left corner.

Tottenham had further chances but their second goal did not arrive until late in the game when substitute Brennan Johnson made it five goals in five consecutive matches with a finish in off the left-hand post. Varga netted a late consolation for the hosts but it was the visitors who went home with the points.

Here are our Spurs player ratings after the game:

Guglielmo Vicario

Made an unbelievable save from Varga only for the ball to have already gone out of play. Made another full length save to deny Saldanha. Couldn't stop Varga's close range goal. 8

Pedro Porro

Formed a good partnership with Moore in the first half and sent one effort across the face of goal and against the foot of the left-hand post. Was very good until allowing too much space for the late cross that led to the hosts' consolation goal. 7

Cristian Romero

A real leader in the reshuffled backline and always used the ball with real intent and purpose. Varga did get in between him and Davies to score the late goal for the home side. 7

Ben Davies

Left Gray exposed for the offside 'goal' the hosts scored in the first half. Looked better when he switched to centre-back for the second but Varga got in front of him for the late Ferencvaros goal. 6

Archie Gray

Spent the first half as central defender and the second as a left-back. The 18-year-old is going to be a fantastic player for the club. Playing completely out of position but he showed so many great touches, including one backheel that sent Spurs away on a big counter attack. Worked so hard throughout. 8

Pape Matar Sarr

A bundle of energy and a composed finish to score. He never stopped running, kept getting the ball back and was good in possession before coming off with 10 minutes to go. 8

Yves Bissouma

Had some good moments in the game, mixed with some sloppy ones, which seems to be the way for him at times this season. 7

Lucas Bergvall

Saw plenty of the ball but began to tire as the game wore on, the consequence of missing out on the required game time last week. 6

Mikey Moore

A thrilling full debut and he gave the Hungarian side real problems every time he had the ball at his feet. He was involved in the first goal with a driving run and pass before sending a low shot that the keeper saved towards the end of the first half. Should have had an assist when he pulled the ball across for the German in front of goal but Werner took it wide around the keeper and fired off target. He was also involved in Spurs' second goal and got an entire 90 minutes under his belt. What a night for him. 8

Will Lankshear

His first senior competitive minutes as a Tottenham player and he battled away up front, with one attempted header that came off his shoulder in front of goal. He also got a touch in the scramble before Sarr's goal. Sent a volley into the ground and over from Porro's cross before the hour mark. Really hardworking debut. 7

Timo Werner

Set up Lankshear for a chance midway through the first half. Put in the work but had another big chance when Moore played the ball across to him on the break but he took too big a touch around the keeper and could only fire into the side-netting. 5

Subs

Dejan Kulusevski

Always a creative presence and a handful for the opposition and he barely allowed the hosts the ball when it came near him. 7

Brennan Johnson

Struck the crossbar with a powerful effort soon after coming on. Made it five goals in five consecutive games with what proved to be the winner, a shot in off the left-hand post. 7

James Maddison

Tried to probe and make things happen when he came on. 6

Dominic Solanke

Came on for the final 15 minutes or so and tried to keep the ball high up the pitch. N/A

Listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham on Spurs' emphatic Man Utd victory! Click here for in depth Spurs chat on your preferred podcast platform.

5 things spotted in Ferencvaros vs Tottenham

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Tottenham made it two wins from two in the Europa League after recording a 2-1 victory over Ferencvaros on Thursday evening. Fresh from last Sunday's 3-0 win against Manchester United at Old Trafford, Ange Postecoglou made seven changes to his Spurs team in order to give those on the periphery of the starting XI some much-needed pitch time.

Starting with Will Lankshear leading the line and Mikey Moore and Timo Werner either side of him in attack, the Spurs striker had a good chance inside the first ten minutes but he could only head the German's cross over from close range. Ferencvaros did give Spurs a few scares in the opening exchanges, including when Barnabas Varga headed home at the back post only for VAR to disallow it for offside.

Following that early worry, Spurs responded in the best way possible with Pape Matar Sarr making it back-to-back goals in Europe with a neat finish inside the six-yard box. The visitors went agonisingly close to doubling their lead on 32 minutes as Pedro Porro struck the post after some lovely footwork to fashion a yard of space.

Lankshear was also a matter of inches away from scoring his first Tottenham goal after his volley into the ground from Porro's cross just dropped over the crossbar prior to the hour mark. The second goal Spurs needed arrived in the final five minutes as substitute Brennan Johnson made it five goals in five games with a wonderful finish that went in off the post.

Varga did get his name on the scoresheet for Ferencvaros in the last minute but it proved to be a consolation goal as Spurs hung on for all three points. Here are five things we spotted in the game in Budapest:

Youthful Spurs

Tottenham fans finally got their wish on Thursday evening as Moore was handed his full debut by Postecoglou for the game in Hungary. Not only that, the head coach opted for Lankshear to start up front rather than going with Dominic Solanke, who received an England call-up on Thursday afternoon for October's internationals, playing through the middle.

That wasn't it in terms of the teenagers in the Spurs team to face Ferencvaros as Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall were once again selected after getting the nod at home to Qarabag one week ago. Gray this time lined up at centre-back with Micky van de Ven handed a rest and Radu Dragusin banned, while Bergvall got quite a bit more match time this time around after his 12th-minute exit in the Qarabag game due to the Romanian's red card.

It was the first time Tottenham had lined up with four teenagers in their team in a European match since facing Shakhtar Donetsk in the UEFA Cup back in February 2009. On that day, the four youngsters starting were Chris Gunter, Giovani dos Santos, Jonathan Obika and a certain Gareth Bale.

Kit question

Tottenham's brand new Nike third kit got another outing after previously donning the green jersey in the late Carabao Cup win at Coventry City last month. With Ferencvaros playing in green and white stripes, it meant that Tottenham's white home shirt was never an option for the game in Budapest.

Tottenham did request to play in their blue away kit against Ferencvaros (as reported by Tom Barclay), only for UEFA to rule it would be too much of a kit clash due to the green and white of the home team. Quite how it was deemed as too much of a clash remains to be seen.

So, in the end, it was the green of Tottenham coming up against the green and white of Ferencvaros. The amount of white on the Ferencvaros kit did mean that there wasn't too much of an issue across the 90 minutes despite both teams having green on their jerseys.

Moore impact

Tottenham fans have had to be incredibly patient when it has come to Moore making his full debut for the club. Impressing in his cameo appearances and also wowing for the team in pre-season, the attacker was finally handed his first start in the match against Ferencvaros.

Tottenham do have an incredible talent on their hands, with James Maddison waxing lyrical about him in his pre-match press conference, and Moore showed exactly why there has been so much clamour surrounding him with a really positive display in Europe. Fizzing a low cross across the face of goal early on with nobody on hand to convert, the 17-year-old embarked on a couple of impressive runs, most notably the one that lead to Sarr's strike in the 23rd minute.

Moore should have had an assist to his name in the second half after putting the ball on a plate for Werner following a swift Spurs attack. As was the case at Old Trafford four days ago, the German had plenty of time on the ball to make up his mind but this time he tried to go around the goalkeeper and forced himself too wide as he had the side-netting.

Positional change

Gray's versatility is proving to be incredibly helpful to Postecoglou at present when it comes to his Tottenham team. A midfielder by trade but having plenty of experience playing as a right-back due to his role in Daniel Farke's Leeds team, the Durham-born ace went on to play a number of games at centre-back for Tottenham in pre-season.

Always looking like a game that Gray and Davies would come into the team in place of Van de Ven and Destiny Udogie, their exact roles in the side due to their versatility was a talking point ahead of the game. Gray was the player who started at centre-back to begin with as the Spurs' long-serving defender operated in his natural left-back berth.

However, there was to be a change immediately after the break as Gray and Davies switched roles. The former made an immediate impact at left-back with a really strong run down the left flank past a couple of players before he was tackled on the edge of the Ferencvaros box.

Fresh for Brighton

Postecoglou was always going to rotate his team in Europe after a busy start to the 2024/25 campaign. Indicating after last weekend's game against Manchester United that a couple of the squad have played more than he would have liked in recent weeks, players such as Van de Ven, Rodrigo Bentancur, Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski, Johnson and Solanke dropped out of the starting XI.

Not only did it give those on the edge of the first XI a really good opportunity to catch Postecoglou's eye ahead of Sunday's game at Brighton, it also allowed the first-team regulars to have a rare breather prior to the trip to the south coast. Johnson, Kulusevski and Maddison were introduced off the bench just after the hour mark and Solanke entered the fray inside the final ten minutes of the contest.

All should still be relatively fresh and ready to go at Brighton this weekend, with Van de Ven and Bentancur certainly benefitting from a rest.

Listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham on Spurs' emphatic Man Utd victory! Click here for in depth Spurs chat on your preferred podcast platform.