Ange Postecoglou has seemingly ruled out Yves Bissouma from penalty duty, joking that the midfielder has missed 495 out of the 500 penalties he has taken in training.
Tottenham had one of the best penalty-takers in the world in Harry Kane for the best part of a decade, with the striker rarely missing from the spot.
With the 30-year-old now gone, Postecoglou will have to hand over the responsibility to someone else, and he admitted that there are a few in the running at the moment.
BRENTFORD, ENGLAND – AUGUST 13: James Maddison of Tottenham Hotspur looks dejected after teammate Heung-Min Son (not pictured) concedes a penalty following a VAR check during the Premier League match between Brentford FC and Tottenham Hotspur at Gtech Community Stadium on August 13, 2023 in Brentford, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
When asked who will be on spot-kicks, the Australian told Football.London: “I saw a few of them trying today. Sonny is up there, I think Madders and Richy are all sort of in there.
“Bissouma I have seen take about 500 and miss about 495 but he is still out there practising, so I don’t know but it is somewhere in that order.”
Postecoglou also spoke about how it can sometimes be difficult to get experienced players to buy into a new way of playing, but he admitted that Son has fully committed to his methods from day one.
Speaking about his captain and the other senior members of the Tottenham squad, the 57-year-old said: “I think they are growing into it and again they are being asked to play differently to the past.
“Even though they are experienced and really accomplished players, especially in Sonny’s case, sometimes they are the hardest ones to work with.
“If they are not open-minded because they will say, ‘I’ve made a career playing this way, why do I need to change?’. So, that can be a real difficult task but Sonny has been really good at understanding the role and the way it is different from last year.”
Postecoglou wants Spurs to get better and better
While Tottenham have shown some promising signs at the start of the season, Postecoglou insisted that there is still a lot of room for improvement and that the players need time to get adjusted to each others’ games.
When asked if he has started to see evidence of growing link-ups between his attacking players in training, the Spurs head coach responded: “Yeah I am [seeing that] and that is where I know we still have a long way to go because there isn’t that understanding yet.
“Madders has been with us for like a month and two Premier League games so when you are talking about both the attacking and defensive side of the game, a lot of it is about understanding,” explained Postecoglou.
“Two centre-halves need a good understanding and we have Micky and Romero who have played two games together, the midfield set-up needs an understanding and the front third, the reading of how people play and their own idiosyncrasies within that like when to make a run, those things take time.
“Obviously you work on it in training and our training has been really good. The coaching staff are putting on some brilliant sessions where you see it come to life but it is not natural at the moment and it can’t be. It will take I don’t know how long but it will take a while before it becomes natural but I have certainly seen it.
“If you are the creative player like Madders, you want to read Sonny’s runs, which are different to Kulusevski’s runs, which are different to Richy’s runs, and if you are those players, you are looking for the cue when Madders is going to turn or Bissouma or Pape Sarr is going to make a run so that you are involved.
“All those things and those relationships take time but I have been pleased. I think our attacking play is the area where we have much more improvement to do but I have seen some really good signs early on.”
Spurs Web Opinion
Taking penalties is not just about the quality of a player’s ball striking but also about his temperament and ability to handle pressure. While Son can certainly handle the pressure of the limelight, Maddison seems to me like a safer bet owing to his calmness.
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