@SpursOfficial
Friday, August 18, 2023, 5:10 p. m|Tottenham Hotspur
Ange Postecoglou the importance of focusing on our game ahead of Saturday’s match against Manchester United (kick-off at 5. 30pm).
After starting our Premier League crusade with a 2-2 draw at Brentford, we face the Red Devils in what will be the first Premier League action at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for our new manager.
While Ange was inspired by his team’s determination at Gtech Community Stadium, the Australian reiterated his willingness to continue the way we play and impose our new football logo on opponents rather than get bogged down in cancelling his threats.
In his pre-match press conference on Friday, August 18, Ange said: “It’s a big challenge for us, but the maximum thing is that this is our first home game in the Premier League this season.
Ange Postecoglou on the United clash
“Last week we showed very clever characteristics in terms of resilience, but it’s about showing a bit more of our football and hopefully imposing our taste in the game against a very smart opponent. That has to be our goal every week now: to see if we can improve the way we play football and make an impact on the teams opposite the most productive ones.
“We’re at that level where we have to focus only on ourselves and improving our football, so if we concentrate too much on getting rid of the opponent, we don’t build. That will have to be our ambition tomorrow, which is where we will turn rather than focusing too much on what the opposition potentially has to offer us or on the spaces in which it can harm us. I’m sure our enthusiasts will be willing to do it, so I’m looking ahead for it.
Erik ten Hag’s side began the crusade with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers at Old Trafford on Monday night. The break was over, but a header from Raphael Varane in the 76th minute earned them 3 points even though they were not at their best.
Although the big objective of this weekend is to impose our game on the opponent, Ange has not neglected his style of play and has been inspired by the progress made under the guidance of a Dutch coach to whom he has the greatest respect.
“The first thing you look at in an opponent is the way they play,” explained our coach. “Now it’s the same with Erik, the players perceive his concepts and there is consistency in his way of doing things. It will be another challenge [for Brentford] but no less complicated because they have a team that has been working on it for some time now.
When asked about the challenge of facing Ten Hag, Ange said, “I give [Ten Hag] a very high rating. I followed his days at Ajax – and his last days – where he built a wonderful team. He had an impact at a club where it has been difficult to do so since Sir Alex Ferguson retired, so I have great respect for him. He earned the right to coach one of the biggest clubs in the world and did a smart job. .