Ange Postecoglou says his Tottenham side lacked “clarity” in the final-third after they were held to a 1-1 draw in Tuesday night’s London derby against West Ham.
Spurs raced into an early lead inside five minutes at the London Stadium, when Brennan Johnson guided home from Timo Werner’s low cross.
However, the visitors then struggled to create clear-cut chances against an improved West Ham defence.
Postecoglou’s men enjoyed 68 per cent of the possession but were pegged back by Kurt Zouma’s header and it was the Hammers who made the best of the opportunities after the break, with Michail Antonio guilty of spurning a fine chance to win it.
"I thought for the most part we controlled the game pretty well,” Postecoglou said. “They are a big strong team. They sit deep and make it difficult for you.
"You have to be fairly calm in your approach but also really disciplined because they are a threat from the counter-attack.
“In the front third we lacked a bit of clarity of thought. Our general play was really good, I was really happy with.
"For all the guys in the front-third area, it is about trying to show them they don’t need to be so rushed in their decision-making.”
Heung-min Son endured a rare quiet night, only once testing Lukasz Fabianski in the home goal, while James Maddison struggled to make an impact and was withdrawn as the search for a winner continued late on.
Asked why his players appeared rushed in their decision-making, Postecoglou added: “They are human beings, it is just football.
“I would love to have a joystick and put them where I want them, but it does not work like that. Our role is to try and help them through that. It is not easy, when you're facing a team like West Ham, physically they are a big side and sit deep so it feels constricting anyway.
“Sometimes we have more time than we think. We scored a great goal but there were times when the ball was flashed across the box when we should have been in those areas.
“They are the things we're working on.”
