27 October 2023 , 11:59
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Ange Postecoglou has reset the culture at Tottenham but in order to do so he's had to make examples of individuals - Yves Bissouma among them.
The Australian was by no means the favourite to take over from Antonio Conte back in the summer, but after a successful spell with Celtic made the move down south and has enjoyed a record-breaking start in north London with Tottenham sat top.
Postecoglou's standard driving began in pre-season with Bissouma, a major signing last summer who was barely used by Conte, turning up late for a training session. The Tottenham boss made it known that he expected far better from a player whom he saw as a potential leader.
That wasn't the first time he'd made a public point. The Evening Standard reports that one player spoke disrespectfully towards a member of the medical staff. That didn't sit well with Postecoglou who, as a result, ripped into the player in front of the squad.
He is also a strict timekeeper and resents lateness. However, in a change from previous regimes, players are not required to stay at the training ground the night before matches, instead meeting on the day of a game.
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All these values have helped make Tottenham look like an entirely different outfit with their playing style and mentality, at least in the opening weeks of the season, a million miles from what fans have been used to in recent seasons. That said, Postecoglou still sees huge room for growth on the pitch.
Yves Bissouma copped huge criticism for being late during pre-season (Ryan Browne/Tottenham Hotspur FC/REX/Shutterstock)He said earlier this week: "We still have to grow in every area. There are areas where we are already very good, particularly around the defensive side of the game. I think we've been excellent there, really consistent.
"I said after the game on Monday night [a 2-0 win over Fulham] that that's what won us the game. To work really hard and press the opposition and be really disciplined and committed to forcing the opposition into mistakes. That's been really good and really pleasing for me.
"I still think our main growth will come in the attacking side of the game. I still think particularly in the front third, a lot of our movements are still not natural and fluent like we want them to be, which isn't surprising. But what is getting us the goals is that we have great quality up there, which is contributing to that. But I still think the biggest growth for us will be in our attacking side of the game."