Spurs lost record scorer Harry Kane to Bayern Munich on the eve of the new season but have started life under their Australian manager with four points out of a possible six ahead of Saturday's trip to Bournemouth.

A 2-2 draw at Brentford was backed up with an excellent 2-0 victory over Manchester United last weekend but forwards Son Heung-min, Richarlison and Dejan Kulusevski are yet to get off the mark.

There is plenty of scrutiny on Richarlison, who scored only three times last season after his £60 million move and went 24 matches without a goal.

But Postecoglou insisted: "We needed to be strong as a team to get a result last week and I thought Richy was an important part of that.

"If he has gone 20 games without a goal, yeah for sure I will have a discussion, but not after two games! There is always a point but usually there is reasoning behind it.

"If Richy was playing for another Premier League team and scored between 10 to 15 goals last season, like he did at Everton, people would say, ˜Why don't you go and sign Richarlison? He is a proven Premier League player'.

"But he is here and I don't look at it through the lens of last season, I just look at it through the lens of now.

"We are two games into a season where he has helped us, when our football is not where we need to be, to get a couple of promising results and hopefully that continues.

"Of course there is always a point but we are nowhere near that at the moment.

"I think everyone at the club has got to grips that Harry has gone and he's gone off to a new challenge. I'm sure he'll do very well over there.

"We've got our own challenge now. I don't think there's any usefulness in comparing yourself to something that is no longer here and is not really relevant anymore."

Tottenham are set to have James Maddison available for the lunchtime kick-off at Bournemouth after he recovered from a "sore ankle" to train on Friday.

It will give the summer recruit another opportunity to further develop his partnership with Richarlison, which has produced plenty of encouraging signs in training.

"That is where I know we still have a long way to go because there isn't that understanding yet. Madders has been with us for a month and two Premier League games," Postecoglou explained.

"When you are talking about both the attacking and defensive side of the game, a lot of it is about understanding.

"Our training has been really good. The coaching staff are putting on some brilliant sessions where you see it come to life but it is not natural at the moment, and it can't be.

"It will take, I don't know how long but it will take a while before it becomes natural, but I have certainly seen it.

"I think our attacking play is the area where we have much more improvement to do but I have seen some really good signs early on."

That extends to Son and Kulusevski after both looked closer to their best against United following a sub-par last season for the duo.

Postecoglou, who also revealed Son, Maddison and Richarlison would step up to take on penalty duties after Kane's departure, added: "I thought last week both of Sonny and Kulusevski had some really good moments.

"I think as a team that is where we are at. We are going to have good moments.

"I would love for us to have a really good compelling performance this early on in the season, but I think if we can grasp onto those moments individually and collectively and grow from there, then we'll be in good shape."

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