“Normally in my season I win things. “
Ange Postecoglou’s lyrics will be music to the ears of Tottenham fans, deprived of titles for more than years.
The Australian’s hopes of winning Spurs’ first trophy since 2008 appear to have risen following the club’s record signing of Dominic Solanke.
After all, his £65m arrival from Bournemouth fills Harry Kane’s void and gives Postecoglou the number 9 he was looking for to move the team forward.
Speaking exclusively to Sky Sports two days before Solanke’s signing, Postecoglou was already in good spirits ahead of his second season in the rankings as he discussed how his team can advance from fifth place, James Maddison’s form and the window of summer movements
What do you have left from this preseason?
“It’s definitely an expansion in the players. Their understanding and acceptance of how we work out and how we do things. It’s very new for them last year, it’s fair to say. It’s a pretty drastic replacement of what they were doing. I was used to it.
“Any time there’s this change, there’s a little bit of uncertainty. They seem more comfortable this year accepting what we’re going to do and what we’ve done. Again, it’s smart for me and the other coaches because it allows it. “
What do you think of your second season as a coach?
“I guess I’m already the new brilliant guy, so there are other new managers. People can pass away and notice them and their formative years without having to talk about mine.
“Usually in my second season I win things. That’s the general idea. The first year is about building principles and creating a foundation. Hopefully the second year I win things. Of course, it’s less difficult said than done, especially in the Premier League and the festival we are in. That’s how I saw it, is that in the second year you deserve to be in a position where you can continue, depending on how the first year went.
“Last year we had some smart moments, obviously we had some difficult moments. I think we learned as much from the hard times as we learned from the smart things and I hope that means we’re in a smart position. We are definitely better prepared team than we were last year.
What’s in it for this team?
“What we saw last year, and it wasn’t a surprise, was that every time we had interruptions, whether it was injuries or suspensions, we were missing some field. We struggled to maintain the levels of football we had established when each and every one was in operation.
“Invariably, every year you will encounter demanding situations. It is a matter of managing it better. We hope that having a larger team will help to achieve this. This time, a greater understanding of what we want to focus on. To me, this means that we are more prepared to deal with the demanding situations that still exist.
“No matter what team you are or how you did last year, each and every team will go through this season knowing that it will be a difficult time for them. And hopefully with what we went through last year, what I’ve learned and the progression of the players. . . because we’re still a very young organisation and a lot of them were their first year in the Premier League or their first year at Tottenham. When you look at a benchmark, I think the most “Last year was pretty decent, so if we can do it, we’ll put ourselves in a pretty smart situation. “
What facets do you think want to be refined?
“I think about all aspects. The first thing is: do I have an organization of players that fit what we want to do?Actually, that’s what I do. That is the first component of any process. We accept how we should play because it’s a challenge. You have to be brave. You have to be able to do things a little differently, in your position or in the way we play with an open brain. The first year is about making other people. in what.
“Probably because we had such a smart start, there wasn’t too much resistance. The players bought in, enjoyed it and looked for more. But now it’s about doing it more consistently and not more. Allow, whether it’s opposition or outside influences, to get us out of the way “We had injuries and we had to reorganize the team. We haven’t been as consistent in our approach. But I think for the most part, the players still tried to do what we asked them to do. ”
After James Maddison’s absence from England for Euro 2024, did you have a chance to talk to him about it?
“I haven’t had a deep conversation with him. But, I repeat, I think it’s part of a footballer’s journey. I’ve said I think we rarely see things in such a linear way where we think everything happens wonderfully. “and it never is. You may be the most productive at something, but there will be challenges, there will be stumbles along the way, and that’s how you react to them, what you do about it. Happens.
“For Madders, I’m sure he’s incredibly disappointed to miss this opportunity because he’s part of the team that made this journey. But he still has a lot of football in him and there are still demanding situations for him. Here’s how to handle it: Do you delete it or use it as motivation to keep going?Honestly with yourself and asking yourself those questions, you’ll probably find out that no, actually, I’m still on the right track, but you have to do it and use it. to move forward.
“It’s been wonderful since we came back. His season last year was a reflection of ours. It was amazing when he was fit and then he suffered injuries. It was a little tricky when he came back and it was a little tricky. “We as a team, so the way we learned as a team, he learned as an individual, because he’s an important component of our team. We have a very young team and he has this experience, he has that. that we are going to look for to consult us through this.
To what extent does it depend on signings to visualize a new season?
“It’s a vital component of the procedure and I think it goes back to what I’ve said: a component of recruitment is understanding that you’re not recruiting footballers, you’re recruiting other people. What kind of people are they? Why do they need to come to Tottenham?Are they ambitious? Are they open-minded? Are they in a position to take on the enormous challenge of creating something special at the club that has this kind of success and hopefully what do they do?Let everyone know a position so that when they come here they feel that it is the right position for them.
“I hope they walk into a locker room of like-minded Americans and everyone has that type of mentality. That will help them visualize what we’re looking to build. That’s probably a less difficult procedure for the guys, the new players coming in. This year because they walk into the locker room and the guys will have absolute clarity and give them absolute clarity on what everyone is looking to do, whereas last year it was more about me looking to create that environment, looking to paint the shots for everyone, not just the players. and the staff, but also everyone within the football club.
“Hopefully, this year, the guys we’ve recruited so far will walk into the locker room and be able to feel precisely what we’re looking to do. “
Technically, what are you particularly in an attacking player for?
“Whether it’s an attacking player or any other player, I think other people have understood, I hope, that we have a genuine identity in the way we play football. You know that when Tottenham play we will have two wingers. “, we’re going to be very, very smart to oppose the players, be competitive in their game and be able to press.
“If I’m looking for a left winger, those are the kind of pretty obvious attributes we have to see in him, because at the end of the day, there are footballers all over the world. You can decide on any of them and they will do it. It’s incredible, but I have to see them on my team the way we need to play. They will have to have those attributes.
“In a way, it makes the procedure easier, but it’s also a challenge because you’re looking for a much smaller box. In the current market, it’s not easy to get that team of players when it’s so difficult. “competitive. For me, whether it’s an attacking player or any player, do I see them in our team with the attributes that they have?Obviously we have to exercise them and help them through the procedure. Do they have the qualities I see? Do they play on our team?” If they check that box, then it’s a big component of us saying, ‘Well, okay, I think you’re going to be a smart candidate. ‘”
What can you say to those enthusiasts worried about the summer moving window?(Speaking before Spurs announced the signings of Dominic Solanke and Wilson Odobert)
“I sense that anxiety because every window of movement is your only chance for your playing staff and your team.
“I like to think that in each and every one of the windows we have become more powerful so far. Last year we brought in some players. In January we brought in Radu Dragusin and Timo Werner. We brought Radu Dragusin and Timo Werner. Two young guys are coming: Archie Gray, who is a talented young man and Lucas (Bergvall) who joins us, although we hired him in January, we still have work to do.
“For me, I have the same anxiety because this is the component of the year that I have finished the least. It would be wonderful if I had everything complete, adding what other clubs are doing, but it’s not happening.
“I understand where the fans are. My role is to try to stay calm, be disciplined and make sure that at the end of the window, which is the most important time, there is some other positive window in this period. We have done our team and our team are stronger. “