Ange Postecoglou has indicated that Lucas Bergvall "is definitely in the picture" when it comes to a potential starting role against Southampton on Sunday evening. The Swede has impressed in his last few cameo appearances off the bench, notably on Thursday night as he played his part in Tottenham registering a point at Rangers following a 1-1 draw.
Postecoglou did have Yves Bissouma and Rodrigo Bentancur to choose from at Ibrox but both are ineligible for this weekend's trip to St Mary's due to suspension. That opens up the door for someone to come in and start at No.6, with Bergvall catching the eye in the role in the Europa League tie against Rangers.
Struggling in an extremely hostile atmosphere when he started at Galatasaray at the beginning of November, Bergvall has bounced back from his poor performance to give his head coach something to really think about this weekend. The Australian is very pleased with how Bergvall and Archie Gray are handling things amid Tottenham's current struggles and labelled their development as "exciting".
"Yeah, look and that’s not unusual. He’s 18. You throw any 18-year-old into Galatasaray away and I would be very surprised if they take to it like a duck to water, but that is part of the process. Exposing them to that and you see how they react," explained the 59-year-old.
"He has reacted really well and understood, 'it is a big game, big atmosphere, I need to do things a little bit differently,' and he's adjusted, worked hard at training and I think he's made a real impact in the last two games; he has come on with his calmness and better understanding of the way we want to play.
"That is what you want in 18-year-olds - progress. It is not going to all be perfect, he is still going to have difficult moments because he is 18, the same with Archie; but I still think when you see within that process, how they tackle those challenges and how they then use them to improve, it’s exciting.
"He has done really well and obviously with Biss and Rodri out, he is definitely in the picture for us to use at the weekend. He will definitely play, whether he starts or comes on. Yeah, really pleased for him that with him and Archie, we have got two 18-year-olds who feel like they can contribute in a meaningful way, which as I said before is exciting."
On a night when Bergvall impressed in Glasgow, Timo Werner found himself in the headlines in the aftermath of the draw after Postecoglou stated his performance "wasn't acceptable". At a time when a number of experienced players are struggling to make a big impact on the pitch in Tottenham's hour of need, the boss was asked if his message was inadvertently aimed at other senior players too.
"Yeah, there’s no doubt about that," he said after seeing Tottenham's teenagers step up to the plate at a time when others didn't perform. "It’s not just about Timo, it’s about the whole group and the situation we’re in. I took Timo off at half-time, and I don’t think I should have been in that position when we’re so low on numbers that I’ve had to make a tactical decision with a senior player. That goes for all of them; it’s no different. That’s the situation we’re in.
"I understand why the focus is around Timo, but it’s us as a group right now. At the end of the game when we required that something extra, we got it. But we need that consistently now. When we get to the new year, we need to make sure we get some players back. We need to have that mindset from everybody. If the 18-year-olds can do it, there’s no excuse for no one else to do it."
This Sunday will very likely see Werner relegated to the substitutes' bench after not taking his opportunity at Ibrox. However, he's unlikely to drop out of the squad altogether as Postecoglou is now at the point where he's "pulling kids out of school".
"I’ve got no choice. Who else am I going to play? I’m pulling kids out of school. I literally am. Getting notes from their teachers," said the ex-Celtic boss. "That was the reasoning for my pointing it out last night. We need Timo. We need all of them.
"In normal times if you have a poor game, there’s a price to pay. It doesn’t exist right now. We need everybody we’ve got. We need him. What I need from him is the best version of himself. When he’s the best version of himself, he helps us. I need everybody to feel that way, to have that mindset. He’s going to play. Of course he’s going to play."
Not having the impact in north London that he may have liked this season after rejoining Spurs on a season-long loan deal in the summer, there was talk in Germany previously that Werner could be recalled to parent club RB Leipzig in January. However, that is something that has not even crossed Postecoglou's mind given what is on his plate at present.
"Right now that is the furthest thing from my mind. I’m just not interested in what happens next. I’m interested in what happens now," he admitted. "Now is the time we have an opportunity. In these next five games between now and New Year we can set up our season.
"Last night was a great point for us because it sets us up for Europe, so we know we’re going to make the knockout stages. Now we have four league games to get ourselves back up the ladder and make an impact. We’ve got a massive Carabao Cup quarter-final to get to a semi-final. I’m not interested in anything else beyond that."
Postecoglou's intense style of play on both the pitch and in training has been questioned recently due to the amount of injuries the team are picking up. While there may be a short-term benefit to easing things up slightly, the Tottenham boss believes if he does that then players can lose belief and conviction in what they have been trying to do since he was appointed in the hotseat.
"It’s a fine line. How much do you dilute for the situation you’re in? I always think about these things, what’s the long-term effect of it? It may relieve some short-term pain but if that means that people lose belief and conviction in what we’re trying to do because we have found an alternative path that alleviates that short-term stuff, I don’t think that’s healthy and get us where we want to," he revealed.
"I have always in difficult moments thought that if you stick true to everything you’ve said from the first day and you get through it then there is nothing holding you back. If you change paths, what’s to say players or even staff won’t then question further down the track? 'Well that worked back then let’s change, this doesn’t work, let’s change again', and then you get into that cycle again. It’s a fine line.
"You are always trying to adjust it with your current circumstances and certainly with us we’ve got some challenges but I always try to maintain that fine line to where you’re not searching for something that’s going to alleviate something short-term but going to affect you long term."
Postecoglou's answer very much indicates that he is going to stick to his guns.
"That is kind of where I sit. If you’re asking which end of the spectrum I sit, that’s the end of the spectrum I sit," he responded. "That doesn’t mean I’m inflexible and you don’t make slight adjustments but in tough times you double down on your principles because if you get through there’s nothing to fear ahead of you."
Tottenham will make their first trip to St Mary's since Antonio Conte's infamous post-match rant back in March 2023. Conte was seething that his team had let a 3-1 lead slip late on to draw 3-3 and he duly let fly at his players and the club.
Something that dominated the headlines at the time, Postecoglou remembers it well.
"I was on Planet Earth at that time, and yes I was well aware of it," said the experienced boss. "I think you know when a manager gets to that point that there’s obviously some underlying issues.
"Antonio is a top manager - he’s a world-class manager - and I think most of the time when managers do that they’re trying to get a reaction, trying to get some sort of impact on the team. In difficult moments, what you want from your leaders is action rather than inaction of just letting things drift along. He did it to try and get a positive impact on the group, one way or another. We’ve all been in that situation as a manager where you feel: 'This is time to send a message'."
It was then put to Postecoglou if he would say those comments and depart the club rather than remain in place and try and guide the ship through choppy waters. Not wanting to discuss the Italian's outburst and what happened next too much, the former Australia boss did state that he is "in for the fight" at Tottenham as he looks to find an answer to their current predicament.
"Look, I don’t think it’s fair to comment," he replied. "Antonio, like I said, is a world-class manager and has his own way of doing things, his own reasons for doing that. I am here, I am in for the fight. I am in a fight, for sure. For better or worse I am not going anywhere at the moment because everything is still in my power and my responsibility.
"I still have a real desire to get us through this stage so that people see what is on the other side. My resolve and determination hasn’t wavered one little bit. I love a fight, I love a scrape, I love being in the middle of a storm when everyone doubts because I know what it is on the other side if you get through it. My job is to get through it."
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