Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou has urged his charges to play without fear as the Australian attempts to usher in a new era of attacking football at the high-profile EPL club.
Postecoglou's debut in the Tottenham hotseat ended in a 3-2 loss to West Ham in front of 46,266 fans at Perth's Optus Stadium on Tuesday night.
Although Postecoglou didn't walk away with a win, the manner in which his side played was a huge positive.
Tottenham unleashed 30 shots to four, enjoyed 72 per cent possession and won the corner count 14-3.
The dominant, attacking display was exactly what Postecoglou wanted to see as he attempts to mould his team to become an attractive unit to watch.
Part of that mantra is to back yourself in and not be fearful of consequences.
Postecoglou feels his team took an important step forward against West Ham.
"You kind of know there's consequences if we don't get that right," Postecoglou said of taking risks.
"But I'm trying to provide a structure and a security to the players to encourage them to release that fear and play that football.
"That's the kind of team you want to be.
"There's going to be missteps along the way. It's only natural.
"But we're trying to make sure that the players understand that veering away or shying away from that will just mean that we end up playing the football I don't want us to play.
"So we've just got to be all in on this stuff."
Defensive lapses - especially from set pieces - cost Tottenham dearly against West Ham.
But their bravery in trying to play their way out from the heart of defence created numerous attacking chances throughout the night.
That's exactly what Postecoglou wants to see as he attempts to turn Tottenham into a serious title contender after last season's disappointing eighth-placed finish.
"There was enough in that game for me to show back to the players and give us the foundation to work on," Postecoglou said.
"I mean, we could have played this game and won 1-0 and not shown any of that
"That would be hard for me, because then that means we haven't made any impression as a coaching staff in the first sort of 10 days.
"But the fact that you're seeing some of it, which is what I was hoping for tonight, (is good)."
Star striker Son Heung-min was a surprise omission from Tuesday's friendly, but Postecoglou said it was merely due to the fact the South Korean was slightly underdone.
England captain Harry Kane, who has been linked with a move to Bayern Munich, was quiet in the first half against West Ham before being among 11 changes at the break.
Postecoglou's side will now travel to Bangkok for a friendly against Leicester on July 23.
