Jan Paul van Hecke believes Tottenham Hotspur are finally clicking after their derby victory at Chelsea, a result he says reflected the quality within the squad.
Tottenham endured a frustrating start to the season, going winless through their first five league games, but have now taken seven points from their last three matches. Saturday's rare win at Stamford Bridge, sealed by an own goal from Mike Penders and Mathys Tel's stunning solo effort, stands as the club's finest result of the campaign.
A Manager Loved by the Squad
Spurs manager Roberto De Zerbi led the club's summer pursuit of Van Hecke, whom he has previously described as being "like my son". The Dutch defender says the feeling is mutual and runs through the entire squad.
"I think he is loved," Van Hecke said of his team-mates' feelings towards De Zerbi. "I love him as well! He is a top manager, we are all really happy."
"I know his ideas and how we wants to play, what he wants from me," he added. "In the first games we did this as well, but [on Saturday] we get better because it needs time, but we did great."
Quality Finally Rewarded
Tottenham's poor start to the campaign was not representative of their performances, having often dominated periods of games only to pay the price for profligacy in front of goal.
"The results were not what we wanted," Van Hecke continued. "We played some really good football in the first games of the season, but the results didn't come. It all went well [against Chelsea], I think you could see our quality."
Saturday's victory was Tottenham's first at Stamford Bridge since 2018, a record that has hung over the club. Van Hecke acknowledged the squad were aware of their west London struggles and said he was pleased to give the supporters something to celebrate.
Extra Motivation for Fans
"In football there are always good records and bad records," he said. "(We didn't think about it) too much, but of course we knew. You see it everywhere. It gave us extra motivation."
"For the fans it is a great day. They were loud and proud and we felt it on the pitch. It makes you give a little more," he added. "Everyone is buzzing, fully deserved, we worked really hard so we are really happy."
