“Could have done better” – Ange calls out Spurs youngster for West Ham goal but praises his performance

Ange Postecoglou has expressed disappointment with Destiny Udogie‘s role in West Ham’s goal against Spurs on Saturday, but believes the full-back contributed to a better overall performance.

The Lilywhites cruised to a comfortable 4-1 victory over their London rivals, bouncing back from their 3-2 defeat at Brighton before the international break.

Goals from Dejan Kulusevski, Yves Bissouma and Heung-min Son – as well as an own goal from Alphonse Areola – did the job for Tottenham.

However, this attack only came after Mohammed Kudus gave West Ham the lead in the 18th minute, firing after excellent work from Jarrod Bowen.

The England international sped up to beat Udogie on the Spurs left, slotting the ball across the box where Kudus was on hand to find the back of the net.

Udogie improved quickly after finishing second to Bowen.

The Italy international – still just 21 – made three tackles, four clearances, an interception and a goal-line clearance in his 88 minutes on the pitch, while also contributing at the other end of the pitch with three chances created, including the decisive pass. on Bissouma’s goal.

Ange assesses Destiny Udogie’s performance against West Ham

Overall, Postecoglou was pleased with Udogie’s performance against a talent like Bowen.

That said, he still criticized the defender for his role in the opening goal; a sign of how much work still needs to be done to make him a regular player.

“It was better. I still think for the goal it could have been done better,” Postecoglou told reporters (via Tottenham’s official website).

“We have to work continuously with Destiny because he is still a young player, this is his second year in the Premier League but I have no doubt he will be a great player for us.

“The only way we’re going to be a great player is to keep showing him, playing him and letting him learn from his mistakes. That is part of the process for young players: you have to expect that everything will not go smoothly, but you know that one day you will have a great footballer. I have no doubts about it with Destiny. I have no doubts about it.

“We are always working on his game, on areas where he can improve and how good he is, he wants it and he accepts it. »

Perhaps Udogie’s best sign is his ability to quickly leave the West Ham goal behind, finding himself battling one of the most dangerous players in the Premier League.

“​​​​​​​I thought after the goal he bounced back well,” continued Postecoglou. “Bowen is not an easy player to play against at all and their front three is difficult for the everyone because they have the quality to beat you on the dribble, they are quick and they are all very strong.

“It was a big challenge for our backs today and I thought, as I said, I was disappointed with the goal. but they handled it very well.