Ange Postecoglou has said that he will not abandon his philosophy no matter what, insisting that he remains convinced that this is the way to achieve success at Tottenham.
Over the last couple of months, there are some clear signs that opposition teams have learnt the weaknesses of Spurs’ system and how to counter it.
Not only are the Lilywhites struggling to break teams down and create chances but they also look increasingly susceptible at the back.
Ange Postecoglou will not change his style at Spurs
However, Postecoglou has remarked that he has not seen anything that has convinced him to abandon his approach.
He told Football.London: “Put it this way I haven’t had anything that’s come along my path that has shown me that I need to change. It’s like anything in life, once you feel like something is working for you, something you believe in, brings success – and it does – you take that forward.
“Maybe the Premier League is a step too far, mate. Who knows? Maybe, maybe – but I will still be on that hill, wounded, my dying breath ‘saying ‘I believe, I do believe’. But I do, I really do mate. And as long as I’m here that’s what you will see. You will see this team playing the way I want it to.”
The Tottenham boss has made it clear on multiple occasions that he wants his side to challenge for the Premier League title next season (The Standard).
However, on the evidence of their recent performances, Spurs still have a long way to go in order to push the likes of Manchester City and Arsenal.
When asked what success will look like for Tottenham next season, he responded: “The way you frame the question… success is a funny term. Success is winning things, right? That’s how I see success. There’s success and there’s progress. If you ask me what success looks like, success looks like trophies. That’s what that looks like to me. That would be success.
“Progress for me would be that we play the football I want on a more consistent basis, and with a lot more conviction, consistently, across the board, against the best opposition. We’ve done it at times this year. But obviously not enough.
“And development of our players, because I still think some of them have enormous potential in this group. Some of them are in their first year in the Premier League. This period has been great for them because they have to fight through and understand what it looks like when things aren’t going well.
“Micky van de Ven, [Guglielmo] Vicario, Destiny [Udogie]… even [Cristian] Romero, the way he’s grown through the toughest period we’ve had. He’s been unbelievable. That’s a great sign for me. Because down the line we’re going to have more tough times for more significant things, and he’s going to be there, so I think it’s great for them. So success always means one thing for me – but we’ve got to have progress. I separate the two.”
However, the 58-year-old reiterated that he is not hiding behind the excuse of a long-term project and wants to see Tottenham win things as early as possible.
He added: “It’s obvious we’re not right now because we haven’t. Will we be ready in 12 months’ time? That’s the challenge I’ve got. What I keep trying to emphasise is that for a club like this, wherever you think you are in your rebuilding cycle, you have to try and win something every year. That’s part of the responsibility.
“I can’t sit here and say we’re going to finish fourth, fifth, sixth and then in the third or fourth year we’re going to win something. I’m not built that way. I want to win things all the time. We start next year trying to have success. But the underlying thing is growth. We’ve got to have growth.”
Spurs Web Opinion
One cannot help but admire Postecoglou as a man and a leader as he is more than willing to put himself under pressure by voicing his ambitions publicly.
It does not mean that he is guaranteed to achieve what he has set out to but after hearing Conte repeatedly make excuses, it is certainly refreshing to hear the Australian accept responsibility.
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