Fulham boss Marco Silva is full of praise for the ‘big, big difference’ Ange Postecoglou has made at Tottenham Hotspur with six players singled out as major threats ahead of the Premier League clash at Craven Cottage.
Back in October, when James Maddison and Heung-Min Son fired Tottenham Hotspur to a 2-0 win over their London neighbours, Postecoglou’s side were two points clear of Manchester City at the top of the table.
Now fifth, and following a 12-point swing between City and themselves, Spurs travel to Craven Cottage not as potential title challengers but as a team looking to keep pace in the top-four charge.
Still, Marco Silva cannot speak highly enough of a man who has the sun shining in North London again, banishing the black clouds that gathered above during the energy-sapping spells of Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte.
Fulham boss full of praise for Tottenham Hotspur
“A great job from Ange, no doubts about it. Big, big transformation,” Silva says, via Hammy End. “I’m not talking about the club, but the way the team plays.
“I can tell there is a big, big change in the way they play. The approach and the way they have been brave, the quality as well. They started so, so strong. Of course, during the season you can have some ups and downs, but they’ve been really brave.
“Difficult to play against, and credit to him. The players have to understand, and they understood clearly what was the idea. They bought into it for sure, And you can see that on the pitch.”
Silva, who has not given up hope of securing European qualification himself with Fulham, knows that The Cottagers cannot afford to caugh up possession in dangerous areas, as Aston Villa did frequently during last week’s eye-catching 4-0 win in the Midlands.
Not with the likes of Maddison, Yves Bissouma, Ismaila Sarr and Rodrigo Bentancur pulling the strings, and full-backs Pedro Porro and Destiny Udogie doubling up as roving number tens at times.
Marco Silva hails Ange Postecoglou impact
“Any time that you make a mistake, they can punish you with the threat that they have in the attack line,” Silva adds. “Maddison, Bissouma and Sarr, or Bentancur, ready to provide for the attacking players.
“(It is a) different setup from the two full-backs, but full-backs that can really make a difference in the attacking line as well. Because of that, they can create all these problems for the opposition sides.
“It’s up to us to have a good and very strong approach. On the ball, I know that we are going to create problems for them.”
Fulham did knock Tottenham out of the EFL Cup in August, but it was a much changed Spurs side that day. Silva’s side can take some confidence, however, out of the fact that they have defeated both Arsenal and Manchester United in the Premier League over the last three months, with Tottenham looking to avoid another shock reverse against The Cottagers.
HITC Football, meanwhile, understands that Spurs are looking at two Fenerbahce stars ahead of Postecoglou’s second summer at the helm. Midfielder Ismail Yuksek and full-back Ferdi Kadioglu are under consideration.
The post 'Really brave': Fulham boss hails six Tottenham players, says they 'can punish you' appeared first on HITC.
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