Ange Postecoglou admits he has been encouraging young players like Lucas Bergvall, Archie Gray and Djed Spence to become leaders off the pitch as well as on it while calling on his senior stars to help Tottenham through their tough run.

In recent weeks it has been Spurs' 18-year-olds Gray and Bergvall who have stepped up and impressed along with 24-year-old Spence, also a relative newcomer to the Premier League, in trying to fight to get Tottenham out of their current rut in terms of league results. During Wednesday's north London derby defeat, the trio were Spurs' best players by a distance.

In contrast, Spurs' more senior players have been a bit more hit and miss with their contributions and some outside the club have pointed towards stronger leadership being required among the squad.

READ MORE: Every word Ange Postecoglou said on Randal Kolo Muani, transfers, new injuries and Bergvall

READ MORE: Arsenal and Tottenham watch on as Randal Kolo Muani loan falls into doubt despite confirmation

When it was put to Postecoglou that he needs more from his senior experienced players with the young ones stepping up, he said: "I agree that our young players are certainly standing up. Do we need more from the experienced players? I think whenever you’re in a situation like ours, my experience tells me you do need the ones who’ve maybe been through the tougher times to lead you through it.

"There’s no doubt about it. So that’s what we’re looking at. Now we don’t have a lot in that bracket to be fair. If you look at the other night especially, but the ones who do, whether that’s Sonny or Madders, or Ben who’s back now and Dom to a certain extent, although it’s his first year at the club. Maybe a Bissouma, we don’t have a great deal of experience to lean on in these times, but, certainly, for us to get through it, it’s going to need some leadership.

"Now, leadership can come in all forms and maybe it will be the young ones that do get us through, there’s no reason why they can’t. That’s the message I’ve been giving back to them - whatever it takes and whoever stands up in these moments, don’t wait for somebody else if you feel like it’s going to be you, then you take that moment."

He added: "A few of the younger ones have stood up and done a good job. Whether that’s Archie or Lucas or Djed who’s been thrown in. Dom Solanke has a done a really good job. All these guys have embraced the challenge of us being in a tough spot and not shied away from it.

"The reason I mention age is because they’re all new in terms of the team and I think that’s important moving forward. That growth that they’ve shown will make us a stronger team.

"They're leading in both aspects, by example and also their voices. I try to encourage that as much as I can. Sometimes when you’re a young player or a new player you feel like it isn’t your place. I always think that in the best environments, people feel comfortable enough about speaking up that they just do it. They don’t worry about whether they’re the youngest or they’ve just arrived. They just feel like it’s the right thing to do. We need everyone to step up."

Postecoglou admits that he has naturally been slightly changing up the way he has been doing things around the club in order to provoke different reactions.

"It's nothing by design, but whenever I’ve been in these situations, there are always things you try to change up, and we’ve tried to do things a little bit differently, certainly in my messaging the last few weeks. In the way we’re dealing with certain aspects," he said.

"You’ll find most people in these positions are always trying to find a way to change the course of events and we’re all staying up late at night trying to figure out 'is there something I can do', but the one thing I do know is that there’s no miracle cure. Part of it is just turning up and fighting for what you believe in.

"So that stays consistent, but how you deliver that and how you prepare that can change at times, but you try to get as creative as you can to see if you can make an impact and that’s certainly the mode we’ve been in for the last month or so, how can we get this group through this tough time and how can we help them getting there."

So with a lack of experience to call upon, it's difficult to understand why Tottenham continue to pursue a policy of mostly buying young players. Aside from Solanke, Postecoglou's five other signings for this season have arrived with an average age of 18.8. The Australian simply said that this January transfer window is about bringing in some fit players regardless of their age.

"What we need right now is some able bodies who can help us get through this period," he said. "That’s more important because every game we have close to double digit absences and we need to try and get some help to get through that."

One returning player with plenty of experience is Brazil international Richarlison and after an injury-laden tenure at Tottenham so far since his £60million move from Everton - where Spurs travel to on Sunday - the key is simply to keep the 27-year-old fit after his return against Arsenal in midweek.

"That’s a challenge. We’ve tried different ways, and Richy is trying different ways," said Postecoglou. "We’ve been really careful in the way we’ve brought him back this time. He’s probably been ready to go for a couple of weeks. We’ve given him extra work. I thought he was really good when he came on the other night, you could see his quality.

"He is one of these guys that does lead by example, particularly when he plays. It’s great to have him back. With Richy, it’s about him gaining confidence in his body as well. We can do that in the next few weeks.

"He’ll certainly play a part in the Everton game. Hopefully get him some more minutes than the other night, because if we can keep him fit, I’ve got no doubt he’ll be a really important player for us. I’ve got no doubt about that. I know you mentioned the Everton game [the 2-2 draw when Richarlison scored twice last season], but when he played last year, that run of games, he was really good for us.

"I think he’s a really good fit for the way we play, in a couple of positions, centrally or out wide. If we can keep him fit between now and the end of the season, I’m sure he’s going to make an impact."

Postecoglou was the oldest Premier League manager at 59 before the return of 61-year-old David Moyes to Everton and the Tottenham head coach was asked whether this tough season at the club has aged him.

"Aged me? No. I understand how, externally, it may look and feel for somebody like me, but part of what I love about what I do is that there is this constant search for solutions and how to overcome challenges. I enjoy that bit," he said.

"I always reflect on the alternative, which is me not being involved. OK, maybe I look a bit younger and a bit more handsome, but I would be pretty bored. If I was sitting at home, I would be saying, ‘I wish I was there’. Knowing me, I probably would be saying, ‘I wish I was at Tottenham right now, I would love to see how we can get out of that situation’.

"I understand that, externally, you’re probably going, ‘God, he must be living a nightmare at the moment’, but it’s not my existence. It’s a big challenge, I get it. I’ve said before that the responsibility weighs heavily on me, I feel it. I feel the pain of it. I feel the disappointment of it, but I’m a fighter and this is where I want to be.

"I want to find a way to get us out of this so we can reap the rewards of the tough battles we’ve had, because of that context, it doesn’t affect me in the way that people may assume."

So is football management a young man's game on the whole now?

"It depends on the way you approach it. I think I’m better equipped to handle this now at my age than when I was younger," said the Australian. "I feel like I have the energy still definitely to do the task. It’s not like I’m weighed down by it. It helps me in these kinds of situation.

"For younger managers that is the challenge. There is such a short-term outlook on most things in life and particularly football these days. How do you withstand all these assertions on how you’re supposed to be doing your job, which is a constant now. You’re never given any breathing room to say, ‘oh well, let’s just see how this pans out’, it’s kind of more like, ‘no, this is not working there’s got to be change’. Again, it comes down to individuals and upbringing.

"David [Moyes] is probably in a similar mould to me and our upbringing was that if you’re going through a tough time roll your sleeves up and work hard. There’s a basic premise there that’s still quite effective. Young people today and younger managers probably work a bit differently, maybe they work a bit smarter and find ways of avoiding the issues older managers tackle head on."

The key for Postecoglou is that managers have a clear idea of how they want their teams to play which will get them through different situations.

"I'd be very surprised if there were any managers who don't have a real clear sort of idea of how they want their teams to play. There might be some flexibility in there but most of them. People tend to focus on the extremes of it," he said. "Obviously with David he's got a whole body of work that people can look at and say 'OK this is what he's done and he hasn't changed his approach and it's been quite effective'. He's done a great job.

"Along the way people probably said he should change but he's survived for so long and thrived for so long because he believes in something and I think you do need to. For every manager, whether you're young, there's something you've got to cling on to when the inevitable tough times come and they come for everybody.

"There is not one person, one manager who won't go through tough times, who won't lose his job at some point. That happens to everyone. You've got to have something to cling on. What do you believe in?

"If you don't and if you're just changing along the way all the time because of pressures then eventually what happens is you disappear. The ones who have never had anything to cling on may have a small presence in the game but then they quickly disappear if they've tried to chase something that they don't believe in."

Listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham by clicking here for in-depth Spurs chat on your preferred podcast platform.

Want breaking and top Tottenham stories sent straight to you? Join our Spurs WhatsApp community by clicking this link. If you're curious you can check out our privacy policy here.