Ange Postecoglou admits that he “purposefully made it difficult” for Djed Spence earlier this season after deciding he wanted to keep the right-back at Tottenham and the 24-year-old came through the test with flying colours.
Brought to the club from Middlesbrough during Antonio Conte’s era at Spurs, Spence never got much of a look-in under the Italian, who labelled him a “signing the club wanted to make”. The full-back was sent on loans to Rennes and then Leeds and Genoa during Postecoglou’s first season, none of which really were a success, especially under Daniel Farke at Leeds, until he gradually started to settle during his time in Italy.
Then last summer, with Tottenham assistant boss Matt Wells believed to have championed Spence’s cause, Postecoglou agreed that something in the player had matured and he wanted to test that theory in the months ahead to ensure someone finally tapped into the undoubted potential Spence has, even if the Australian admits the full-back has surprised him by just how consistent his displays have been since he handed him his first start at the club.
“To a certain extent [I’ve been surprised], but I’ve always kept an open mind about these things. There’s obviously a player there, there was never any doubt about that. Why it hadn’t worked out, you always try to figure out, there must be a reason,” he said “So I don’t know if it’s a surprise but it’s a credit to him.
“I made it difficult for him, to be fair. I didn’t make it easy for him, it’s not like I said to him ‘Djed, you’re here, we love you, stay’. I purposefully made it difficult for him because I thought that was going to be the test. To see, earlier in the year when he wasn’t playing or part of squads, how he was training, he was reacting to things, and he never got disengaged.
“He was always engaged and that made an impression on everyone – me, the coaches, his teammates – and from then on, it’s just been all about him. All I did was say ‘you’ve earned a shot at it, here it is’ and he’s been brilliant. You know there’s a player there and sometimes you just need certain things to click into gear.
“The penny drops at different times for different players. For some of them it drops at 18, for some it drops a bit later when they realise this is what I have to do to get the most out of my career, and it’s a credit to him. He’s an outstanding player, I’m super pleased we’ve still got him in the building. It would have been super easy for him to be playing elsewhere.”
He added: “You try different things, you want to try to get the best out of players or at least get them to be the best version of themselves. It wasn’t just tough love. That probably doesn’t work with Djed either because he’s probably had that at some of his previous experiences and it hasn’t worked out well.
“Me and the other guys were certainly very encouraging for him, but I wasn’t going to give him the opportunity to play, that was the bit I was going to hold back for as long as possible to really test how much he really wanted it and what he was prepared to do to get that opportunity.”
Some of Postecoglou’s critics have suggested that the Spurs boss only started playing Spence because he had no choice because of the injuries in the squad and he believes that explaining the plan behind it all will make no difference.
“That won’t change their mind, mate. Every right decision I made is an accident and every mistake I make is deliberate,” he said. “Of course there has [been a method with Spence] and I’m proud of that, not for me but for us as a club and for the coaching group that we thought there was something there.
“Because there was plenty of evidence for us not to go down that track. We’re in the Premier League here, we can’t take too many gambles with what we do. So you’ve got to have a clear understanding over what the road ahead was. Look, 99.9 per cent of it was Djed. All I can do is open that door and give him the opportunity, so that’s him.
“But that 0.1 per cent is us getting him to that opportunity where he feels like ‘OK, I can give the best version of myself and prove that I belong here’. The credit lies with him and the beneficiaries are us, the football club, but for him, the challenge now is ‘don’t settle for that now. Push on’. There’s no reason why he can’t. He can be a top, top player.
“He’s already at a great level but don’t settle for that. My role and for all of us here is to keep pushing him on.”
Spence is a bubbly character behind the scenes and it was put to Postecoglou that he was a laid back person who seemed unfazed by the biggest challenges and occasions.
“They all are, mate. I’ve come to understand that. They’re all different cats and you’ve got to roll with it…Jesus, some terminology I’m using now, I’ve gone back to the 60s, showing my age!” said the 59-year-old. “It’s just the way of the world. I’ve learnt to embrace that side. Definitely when I was a younger manager, you wanted your cookie cutter model of players. This is how they are, they come in they do their business, they’re got the right attitude, they dress really well, they speak really well, they’re all prim and proper.
“You go through that phase, but life teaches you that people are different and they should be allowed to be different and as long as they’re contributing and they’ve got good values and respect the environment and the people around them, then let them be who they are. It’s liberating, it’s less stress for me. I’m much less judgemental than I used to be when I was a younger manager.”
He went on: “It is important [to try to maintain a human connection with young players] but I’m never going to be able to connect with somebody that’s a couple of generations away, not in terms of a relationship as a manager and a player, because in my experience it hasn’t just been different personalities but different cultures.
“I’ve had to go to different cultures and understand that people live their lives differently. I’ve found it’s really important to embrace that side, understand that side of it, go with it in many respects. The bane of my existence at the moment is I hate to go into Premier League grounds where I have to sit in the dressing room, because the music they play mate just drives me nuts so if I can’t find a quiet corner, it drives me bananas that I have to listen to that stuff.
“So I’m never going to be on their level but in terms of that human connection, once players feel comfortable that they can be themselves, I think it helps.”
Some have begun to tip Spence for an England call-up and Postecoglou admitted that there are few full-backs playing better than him right now.
“I don’t like talking about national team representation but fair to say in terms of full-backs in recent times, his form is as good as anybody’s,” said the Tottenham head coach. “And don’t forget, he’s not really a left-back, he’s a right-back. The ability of him to play on the left is very useful but in terms of full-backs and form in the league over the last two or three months, I think he’d be up there.
“I don’t think [he’d be fazed by international football]. He’s got a really laid-back personality. Sometimes that can work against him when people’s perception is laid-back, does that mean he’s not driven or he’s not that committed to things and I think sometimes that gives a false impression.
“That laid-back nature also means he won’t be fazed by anything that will be thrown at him. It works both ways. What some people see as maybe a weakness in him that he looks a bit too casual, not on game-day but in his general demeanour, I think come game-day he’s not fazed by any challenges thrown to him. I think that’s partly why he’s done really well since he’s been thrown in.
“Even for him, he’s had some difficult experiences, but that’s what life is about. Those difficult experiences can actually help you. He’s played in Italy, in France, in the Championship. I’m sure he’s taken those things along, even if they haven’t been positive, and said ‘OK, there’s nothing really to fear, here’. I think he takes that into games.”
Another player who excites Postecoglou is Wilson Odobert. The 20-year-old’s time at the club since his £30million summer arrival from Burnley has been ravaged by hamstring problems which led to surgery, but the winger is now back in training and came on late in the 1-0 win against Manchester United on Sunday.
“[His absence] was disappointing because I am genuinely excited about Wilson’s potential as a footballer. He’s got really unique qualities that are exciting to see how they develop,” said Postecoglou. “And particularly to the way we want to play. He’s the one player that is a bit different to the others in terms of our attacking players. The dribbling capacity that he has, it’s hard to find.
“And he has that and enjoys that part of the game. He was a new signing but we haven’t really seen him yet. But with him, there’s still an opportunity there to make an impact this year.
“We’ll be careful with him in terms of how we reintegrate him, but there’s a good chunk of the season there with some important games so hopefully he finishes the season strong and then next year I think he’ll make a real big impact, not just with us but in the league.”
Discussing the future of Tottenham’s bright young stars & what changes Ange Postecoglou should make for Ipswich. Click here to listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham
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