Ange Postecoglou is not concerned by Tottenham Hotspur's set-piece woes this season, simply stating that he doesn't 'see it as an issue'. 

Postecoglou, 58, has helped Spurs embark on a new philosophy this season since Antonio Conte left the club. They are on course to qualify for the Europa League — and the Australian clearly stated he has seen progress in this campaign. 

"Absolutely. Clearly. As clear as you want it to be. 20/20. Definitely. 100%," he said. 

"Because of what I see. Playing our football. Measuring ourselves against the best. The players have a real belief in what we're doing. That's all I need to see."

During his pre-match press conference, the Australian also confirmed both Ben Davies (calf) and Timo Werner (hamstring) will miss the rest of the season.

  • "I don't see it as an issue"

Tottenham lost 3-2 to bitter rivals Arsenal on Sunday, with the struggles around set-pieces becoming prominent once again. The Gunners' opening strike saw Pierre-Emile Højbjerg guide the ball into his own net, whilst their third goal saw Kai Havertz take advantage of weak zonal marking.

Guglielmo Vicario, who has struggled to command his area all season, failed to deal with the same issues throughout, but Postecoglou remained consistent with his answer; he's not concerned. 

"I think I've answered this question and I don't think it satisfies people, but I don't see it as an issue," he stated. 

"It's something we'll work on alongside everything else. There are far more things we need to concentrate on at the moment, in terms of the team we're building.

"People want to believe that football is (and it can be) very prescriptive. We've got an illness, here's a tablet, you feel better. I've never believed that.

"I've always been about trying to create an environment, style of football and squad that can win things. I've never done it in a prescriptive manner and I certainly won't be doing it now."

  • Postecoglou's dislike for VAR

This week, Sweden's top flight announced that they had rejected implementing VAR for the next campaign. Postecoglou has consistently stated his dislike for the technology because it has changed the game fundamentally.

Spurs were on the wrong end of a few decisions against Arsenal, with a tight VAR offside call and a penalty not given in the first half, which could have drastically changed the match. The Australian continued to highlight his discontent with it today.

"I'm moving there [to Sweden]," he joked. "I won't have a job but I'm just moving there."

"It's here to stay. It's not going away. I would change a lot of it and I've said before that it's changed the game materially that I don't think was the intention when it was brought in.

"I watched the Champions League last night and if you hadn't told me VAR was part of that game, I wouldn't have known. I'm sure they had decisions to make, but it seemed to run seamlessly. We're trying to pick the bones out of everything in a football game at the moment.

"I don't like it; I've said that before. It's changed the game. It's changed the experience. It's a different game, whether you're involved or not involved. Hopefully, they'll find the right ground to make it work."

  • Romero and his 'improved' discipline

Romero was given praise from across the sport on Sunday, as he helped install a belief that Spurs were not finished, even if they were 3-0 down at half-time. 

His first goal showcased his tendency to push forward, taking advantage of David Raya's mistake and slotting it past him. The Argentine consistently pressed, made Arsenal nervous and epitomised the idea of 'to dare is to do'. 

Postecoglou stated post-match that he wanted more players to be like the World Cup winner — and he maintained that idea today.

"We've only got one World Cup winner in the building, so it takes time. It's not about hunger or fight; it's about self-belief. Cuti has [it] because of who he is and his journey up to now," the Australian said. 

"A lot of the others are just beginning that. Cuti's had his painful moments in his career and he's learned to get through that. He showed the way forward. For some, it's just growth as individuals and people. You can't fast-track. He's been great for us all year, but on Sunday, he really led by example."

In the previous fixture against Chelsea, Spurs lost 4-1, with Romero himself and Destiny Udogie both sent off. It was chaos in a nutshell and Postecoglou provided his thoughts on the Argentine's red card that day. 

"He's definitely [improved his discipline]. Upon reflection, when you look at the challenge he got sent off for, I've seen half a dozen since then so they've obviously changed their [thoughts]. He paid the price for maybe being who he is on that day," said the 58-year-old. 

"I haven't had an issue with his discipline all year. That game, we started really well. We were flying. We had an unfortunate moment; Cuti paid the price for that. I haven't had an issue with him since I've been here. He's been outstanding this year.

"I knew he was a fantastic player, but working with him, seeing how competitive he is, how much he wants to win and then his qualities as a footballer, he's a brilliant centre-back but also an outstanding person."