Ange Postecoglou has revealed that the challenge of achieving success at a big club, which has been starved of glory lately was what attracted him to N17.
Postecoglou has won trophies everywhere he has been in his career but he undoubtedly faces the biggest challenge of his managerial life at Tottenham.
Not only is the Premier League a considerable step up in quality compared to the leagues he has managed in but it is arguably the most competitive division in the world, and he is taking over a club which has not tasted any silverware for 15 years.
However, the Australian explained that he loves big challenges and the prospect of writing his name into Spurs folklore by winning trophies is what excited him about the job.
Postecoglou wants to make an impact at Tottenham
When asked why he picked the Tottenham challenge, the 58-year-old told talkSPORT: “Exactly that. I love a challenge. I’ve done that through my whole career. Every step along the way, I’ve usually moved on the back of success, wherever I’ve been.
“It’s because there’s a challenge out there that really stirs me. Firstly, you’ve got to get asked. That’s the first thing; you’re not always asked.
“Secondly, you look at what you’re going into. The fact that it is — for all intents and purposes — one of the biggest clubs in the world but hasn’t had success for a very long time was probably the key driver for me.
“When you go into a challenge like that, you know that — should you be able to implement the things you want to and it goes well — you can make an impact and leave a mark on the club you’ve worked for. That’s what I’m trying to do.
“That was the biggest attraction for me: the fact that the club hasn’t had a lot of success, it was coming off the back of a particularly poor season even by its own standards. The opportunity there to create something.”
Tottenham Hotspur’s South Korean striker #07 Son Heung-Min (L) shakes hands with Tottenham Hotspur’s Greek-Australian Head Coach Ange Postecoglou (R) as he leaves the game, substituted during the English Premier League football match between Burnley and Tottenham Hotspur at Turf Moor in Burnley, north-west England on September 2, 2023. (Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or ‘live’ services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. / (Photo by PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images)
The Spurs head coach explained that his priority is to put the systems in place for achieving medium to long-term success, which he sees as implementing the right style of play, which gets everyone around the club excited.
When asked to spell out his challenge at Tottenham, Postecoglou responded: “The challenge is, for me, the same everywhere: to get the team to play a certain kind of football that gives its own fans and punters something to get excited about on a weekly basis and brings success to the club.
“There’s no other reason I do what I do. I want to bring success to this football club and play in a certain way. That never changes — I’m uncompromising in that.
“Success, for me, is winning things. But it’s not a desperation around just winning something, because I just don’t think that gets you a sustainable opportunity to be successful. The foundation is just to play the game a certain way, which I believe brings success but also excites the punters.”
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The problem with coaches who see winning silverware as the be-all and end-all, and thus believe that the end always justifies the means, is that they will start to lose support from the players and the fans as soon as results dip a little.
In contrast, someone like Postecoglou is likely to get a much bigger rope from the players and fans, simply because of the exciting football that Tottenham play.
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