Asked if Tottenham are in the title race, Ange Postecoglou said his team is “fine”, saying he sees “more growth” in the direction of where he wants them to be.
If we took about a month out of Spurs’ season, they would be doing fantastic. In fact, in the five games between November and December, Postecoglou’s men lost four games and drew one.
All of these came after two of their most influential players – Micky van de Ven and James Maddison – were injured in the same match. Otherwise, Tottenham lost only once and are working their way back up the table.
Without this month, they might still be at the top, where they were after ten games. Unfortunately for Spurs, things are not going that way, although a run of four wins in their last five games has helped them get back to within a point of the top four.
Postecoglou was reticent when asked after the latest win – 3-1 against Bournemouth – whether his players were back in the title race.
“We are doing well. Not according to everyone, but we are three points off the top, so we are doing well,” he told the BBC.
He also believes that his team is moving in the right direction and is getting closer to what he wants it to be, whether or not that ultimately translates into a good season.
“We are trying to build something. I’m not going to repeat myself, but we are trying to build a team that plays a little bit differently and is resilient, and you can only get that in difficult times,” Postecoglou said.
“We have caused some of it ourselves with suspensions, but we have also had a lot of injuries. We didn’t want to make excuses and we are still in the game and fighting.
“We’re three points away from the top, so if that’s the difference between a great season and where we are, I’ll take it. When you’re trying to build something, you definitely face some challenges.
“I see progress. Sometimes it’s not tangible and it’s not about football or results, sometimes it’s simply about the growth of the team. Today there was more growth.”
Arsenal lost on the same day as Spurs and Liverpool will now lose Mohamed Salah to the African Cup of Nations. Tottenham are also losing Heung-min Son at the Asian Cup, but with other sides struggling, this could allow them to take their chances.