Ange Postecoglou was enthusiastic about the determination of Tottenham while they defeated Hoffenheim 3-2 to leave themselves on the edge of the last 16 of the Europa League.
Postecoglou has had to deal with an almighty injury list in recent weeks, but his side did the company in Germany, son Heung-Min scored a brace after James Maddison scored within two minutes.
Spurs were forced to hold after Hoffenheim came into parity twice and Postecoglou was happy with the spirit who showed his exhausted side.
He said to TNT Sports: “I thought the senior boys all really got up today. You need your leaders to get up and they did tonight.
“I said they had to enjoy it. Winning in Europe, it is an important victory for us and gives us a good position to get in those top eight places. They enjoyed tonight, we will recover and prepare for Sunday.
“It is a great position to be in, we want to finish top eight because it gives us an extra week of rest and we probably need it around that time.”
Three points secured pic.twitter.com/WZQeB3ZZA4
– Tottenham Hotspur (@spursofficial) January 23, 2025
Postecoglou noted that Maddison's early opener was the key to the victory.
He said: “It's not easy to get away in Europe. I watched the Champions League last night and there was only one way victory, so it's hard. Credit to the boys, I thought they were excellent first half and really played well.
“We looked a bit tired in the second half, but hung further. Sonny scored a great goal to give us that extra buffer. We finally had the school boys.
“We wanted to be a little more aggressive and that is when Madders [James Maddison] Is at its best. In the context of the game we knew a bit if we could score early and put some pressure on them, it would give us a good position in the game.
“He was good all night. He got a little tired in the second half, but he caused many problems.”
Postecoglou also revealed that striker Dominic Solanke will be missing for another six weeks after a knee injury.
Comments