Tottenham Hotspur find renewed belief after thumping Everton 4-0 in Premier League

LONDON – Tottenham Hotspur have banished any self-doubt they may have had going into the season after a dominant 4-0 home English Premier League victory over Everton on Aug 24, said manager Ange Postecoglou, who believes there is more to come from his side.

Tottenham were held to a 1-1 draw by Leicester City in their season opener on Aug 19, much to the frustration of the Australian and his players, but were creative and clinical to ease past Everton with an accomplished performance.

“I always have hope and I am optimistic at heart. You need to be in our game, there is plenty that can bring you down,” Postecoglou said.

“The performance (at Leicester) was really good but, when you don’t get the result, there is always a bit of doubt there.

“We played well last (match) and dominated the game. Today was a bit different. The lads had a strong mindset and we got a really good goal early on and didn’t let off after that. The performance was good. It’s really encouraging for us. There is more (improvement). We want to keep performing.”

Yves Bissouma netted his first Tottenham goal on his 52nd appearance to open the scoring against Everton, after he had been suspended by the club for the trip to Leicester having been caught on video inhaling nitrous oxide.

“You know what it’s like when you punish your child and they do everything right for the next two days?” Postecoglou had said of the Mali midfielder’s return.

“It is a good start (to the season for Bissouma). He has still got work to do. I’m not doubting his footballing quality. We want to make him the best version of himself. That starts off the field as much as on it.”

Son Heung-min doubled Spurs’ lead in the 25th minute, forcing Jordan Pickford into an embarrassing mistake as the Everton goalkeeper was robbed by the South Korean for a simple finish. Cristian Romero headed in the third goal in the 71st minute, before Son bagged his second with a clinical finish six minutes later.

With under a week remaining in the transfer window before it closes on Aug 30, Postecoglou suggested there may still be players arriving and leaving the club.

Tottenham have already spent a club-record £65 million (S$111.7 million) to sign striker Dominic Solanke from Bournemouth in this window. Midfielders Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall have also arrived, to the tune of almost £40 million.

“We have spent wisely. The players we have brought in are going to be fantastic for this club. We will see. There are still a couple of players we will look to move on. We’ll stay alert,” Postecoglou said.

With seven goals conceded and none scored in their opening two matches, Everton have to forget the two games and start afresh, said manager Sean Dyche.

“I said look, we’ll knock the first two games of the season, there are many reasons why – players missing, pre-season injuries and all the rest of it, but remind ourselves that this has been around before,” the Englishman told Sky Sports.

“It’s not our first rodeo, so let’s take it on, let’s grow with that mentality. And yet again, we’re written off immediately, so I said in a weird way, we seem to be good at that, we get written off and then everyone pulls together and we start changing the story again. I mean, it’s a head-scratcher, but it’s tough.”
REUTERS, AFP