Ang Postecoglou praised the contributions of his players experienced after Tottenham won a crucial 3-2 victory over Hoffenheim in the Europa League.
The result brings the Spurs to a position in the elimination phase, with the guaranteed progression if they defeat Elfsborg at home next Thursday.
Despite having to deal with a very diminished squad, in which 14 players are not available, 10 of them for injury, the Posttecoglou team managed to achieve a victory in Germany.
The game ended with five teenagers in the field of the Spurs, including the debutant Callum olusesi.
Tottenham had a good start with Maddison finding the network just four minutes later. They are added two more goals, one in each time, interspersing a shot by Antonin Stach of the Hoffenheim.
The late drama occurred when David Mokba went home for the hosts, but the Spurs remained firm to claim the three points.
Speaking to TNT Sports, Postecoglou praised the leadership of his veteran players and said: “Sonny was brilliant. I thought the boys of the last year today – Benny (Ben Davies), Madders, Rodri (Rodrigo Bentancur), Sonny – all really stood up.
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“We needed to do so. Playing away from home in Europe, with such a young and inexperienced team, you need your leaders to give their faces, and they did it tonight.
“We wanted to be a bit more aggressive and I think that is when Madders is at his best. In the context of the game, we knew that if we could score early and press them, it would allow us to strengthen ourselves very well in the game. It was fine all night; He tired a little in the second half, but caused problems throughout the game.
“It is not easy to win away from home in Europe. Thanks to the boys, I think we were outstanding in the first half, we played very well. We seemed a bit tired in the second half, but we endured and Sonny scored a great goal to give us that extra margin. We had the schoolchildren there at the end and it was a great victory. ”
A result in the top eight in the Europa League classification would allow the Spurs to avoid the play-offs for the qualifiers, avoiding two additional matches in an already full calendar.
For Postecoglou, the opportunity to earn a rare rest during the week is an important motivation for your team affected by injuries.
“I just told them to enjoy it,” Posttecoglou added. “Regardless of the situation in which we are, winning away from home in Europe is an important victory for us. It gives us a great base to reach those first eight positions, which will give us a week off, which is almost as good as to happen.
“We have a game at home (against Elfsborg) and it is a great position to be. We want to finish in the top eight; It gives us an extra week of respite from the calendar we have had, and I will probably need it. ”
