Postecoglou praises Spurs duo for stepping up to become ‘leaders’ ahead of Arsenal clash | OneFootball

Ange Postecoglou says he is delighted by the role of responsibility Dejan Kulusevski and Dominic Solanke have taken on this season.

Tottenham take on Arsenal on Wednesday in the north London derby with both set to start again.

Solanke joined Spurs from Bournemouth this summer in a deal worth £65 million and has recorded 11 goals and six assists already this season.

Kulusevski has also been a shining light in what has been an otherwise disappointing season, recording five goals and four assists in the Premier League.

And in a campaign which has seen Postecoglou missing several experienced and key players through injury, the Tottenham boss praised the duo for stepping up.

“I love what he (Solanke) brings to us as a team from a football perspective and from a cultural perspective,” he said. “Him and Deki (Kulusevski) have become on field leaders. He’s been great for us but there’s more to him and his game and we’ll be able to get more out of him if we can get him some help.”

“Dom’s been outstanding in the way he’s carried the front line. We put a lot of demands on that position. It’s not just him standing up there and scoring goals, it’s about working really hard for the team.

“If Richarlison was available I think he would have been able to contribute even more for us in terms of his output and goals.”

Arsenal are in a tough spot with injuries, similar to Spurs, but they still pose a key threat even with some of their best attacking players out.

Their set-piece threat has been evident all season, and Tottenham suffered from it in the reverse fixture in September when Gabriel scored the only goal of the game from a corner.

And Postecoglou was fully aware of what his side will face: “When we played them at home they scored a set piece and that was the difference. But they’ve done that to a lot of teams.

“We’ll have to handle set pieces well tomorrow because they’ve got good delivery which is always difficult. Declan Rice delivers a great corner in and they’ve got some big guys in there so we’re going to have to be ready for it.”