Ange Postecoglou insists players didn't need 'warm fuzzy cuddles'

08/13/2023

Ange Postecoglou insists his Tottenham players didn’t need any ‘warm fuzzy cuddles’ before Brentford draw following Harry Kane’s departure

Kane joined Bayern Munich after 19 years at Tottenham for £100m on Saturday
Tottenham impressed as they drew 2-2 against Brentford on the opening day
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Ange Postecoglou says Tottenham’s players did not need any ‘warm fuzzy cuddles’ from their manager and that they proved they are ready to embrace life without Harry Kane.

Though they did not win, Spurs turned on the style at times as the Premier League got its first taste of ‘Ange-ball’. Postecoglou was pleased with the performance and was asked about the aftermath of Kane’s sale: ‘Football clubs move on pretty quickly. I haven’t needed to address it. I haven’t needed to give them a warm fuzzy cuddle just to see how they are.

‘We had a game to prepare for and they knew that. If it felt like we were distracted, or I was distracted, you would have seen evidence of it today. But we showed a real resilience. It’s going to be a challenging year. We’re going to need that.

‘Harry Kane was a massive figure for this club for a long time and will continue to be whether he is in the building or not. We wanted to go out and give our supporters some hope and belief in the team. I thought they did that.’

Tottenham led 1-0 but lost their most influential defender Cristian Romero to a head injury. They then fell 2-1 down before coming back with debutant James Maddison managing two assists.

Ange Postecoglu has said his players didn’t need ‘warm fuzzy cuddles’ after Harry Kane’s exit

Tottenham drew 2-2 with Brentford in their first Premier League game without Kane

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Captain Heung-min Son and his team-mates made sure to go to the away end before kick-off in a show of togetherness. ‘That was driven by the players,’ Postecoglou continued. ‘I thought the supporters were outstanding. It’s fair to say we’ve put them through a fair bit this pre-season.

‘All we could try to do was give them some hope and belief. They want to see a team that is growing and representing the football club in the best possible way.

‘They leave the ground maybe disappointed we weren’t able to get the win, but at least seeing the players are fully committed to us trying to be a football team that makes an impact.’

Kane is now a Bayern Munich player, making his debut on Sunday after signing on Saturday

Spurs’ Yves Bissouma admitted Tottenham will look to be stronger than they were on Saturday

Richarlison struggled to replace Kane, though Postecoglou said Tottenham’s players needed to feed him better. ‘I thought he worked hard,’ he said. ‘We didn’t use him enough.’

Tottenham midfielder Yves Bissouma added: ‘We know it is not easy but we tried to win. We have to work hard to try to come back stronger than today. It is the Premier League, you never know what is going to happen. But if you don’t win, don’t lose the game.’

While Tottenham were without Kane, Brentford were missing Ivan Toney, their striker who is banned until January. Thomas Frank was pleased to kickstart the season with a point but said he had never heard of a game being delayed due to the stadium having no running water.

‘It’s crazy,’ Frank said. ‘The first time in the Premier League? Well, we’re making history! It was very entertaining, that first half. Tottenham were more offensive-minded (than in the past).’

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