Ange Postecoglou unique: Tottenham boss focusing on silverware in his second season in cost

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“Often in my second season I win issues.”

Ange Postecoglou’s phrases will likely be music to the ears of Tottenham followers, who’ve been starved of silverware for greater than 16 years.

The Australian’s hopes of profitable Spurs’ first trophy since 2008 seem to have been considerably heightened following the club-record signing of Dominic Solanke.

His £65m arrival from Bournemouth lastly fills the Harry Kane void and provides Postecoglou the No 9 he sought to maneuver the group ahead.

Talking completely to Sky Sports activities two days earlier than Solanke’s signing, Postecoglou was already in an optimistic temper forward of his second season in cost as he mentioned how his group can enhance from their fifth-placed end, James Maddison’s kind and the summer season switch window…

What did you get from this pre-season?

“Positively a progress within the gamers. Their understanding and their embracing of the best way we prepare and the best way we do issues. It was all very new to them final 12 months, it is honest to say. It was a reasonably drastic departure from what they’d been used to.

“At any time when you might have that change, there’s at all times somewhat little bit of uncertainty. They give the impression of being extra comfy this 12 months in embracing what we’ll do and what we’ve been doing. Once more, that is good for me and the opposite coaches as a result of it permits us to say we have now acquired to problem them and ourselves to verify what we’re delivering is at an even bigger degree than it was final 12 months.”

How do you are feeling about your second season in cost?

“I assume I am not the shiny new factor anymore, so there’s different new managers. Folks can go off and uncover them and their childhood and never have to discuss mine anymore.

“Often in my second season I win issues. That is the entire thought. First 12 months is about establishing rules and making a basis. Hopefully the second 12 months goes onto win issues. In fact it is simpler stated than accomplished, significantly within the Premier League and the competitors we’re in. That is at all times the best way I’ve checked out it, is that the second 12 months you have to be ready the place you’ll be able to push on, relying on how the primary 12 months has gone.

“Final 12 months we had some actually good moments, clearly we had some powerful moments. I feel we learnt as a lot from the powerful moments as we did from the great things and hopefully meaning we’re in a great place. We’re undoubtedly a better-prepared group than we had been final 12 months.”

What is the subsequent step for this group?

“What we actually discovered final 12 months, and it was no shock, was that each time we had disruptions, whether or not that was accidents or suspensions, we lacked some self-discipline, we actually struggled to take care of the degrees of soccer that we established when everybody was up and working.

“Invariably in any 12 months you are going to have some challenges. It is about dealing with that higher. Having a greater squad hopefully copes with that. A greater understanding of, by means of that point, what we have to give attention to. Meaning to me that we’re higher ready for the challenges which can be at all times there.

“It would not matter which group you’re or how you probably did final 12 months, each group will go into this season understanding there’s going to be a difficult interval for them. And hopefully with what we went by means of final 12 months, what we learnt and the event of gamers… as a result of we’re nonetheless a really younger group and a variety of them it was their first 12 months within the Premier League or their first 12 months at Tottenham. If you’re a benchmark I feel most of them left a reasonably respectable one final 12 months, so if we are able to enhance on that that may put us in a reasonably good house.”

Which particular points do you suppose want some sharpening?

“I feel in all points. The very first thing is, have I acquired a bunch of gamers who consider in what we’re making an attempt to do? I actually do consider that. That is the primary a part of any type of course of. We have purchased into the best way we need to play as a result of it is difficult. You have to be courageous. You have acquired to have the ability to do issues somewhat bit in a different way, positionally, or in the best way we strategy video games. You have to have an open thoughts about that. The primary 12 months is about making an attempt to get individuals to consider in that.

“In all probability as a result of we acquired off to such an incredible begin, that there wasn’t an excessive amount of resistance. The gamers purchased into it, they loved it they usually needed extra of it. However now it is about doing that on a extra constant foundation and never permitting, whether or not that is oppositions or outdoors influences, to take us off the street we’re on. I assumed it occurred too typically final 12 months the place there was an opposition tactic, or one thing we did self-inflicted – whether or not that was a scarcity of self-discipline or we had accidents and we needed to shuffle the group round. We did not keep as constant in our strategy. However I feel for probably the most half, the gamers nonetheless tried to do what we needed them to do. Hopefully we execute higher.”

After James Maddison’s England omission for Euro 2024, did you might have an opportunity to talk to him about it?

“I have not had an in depth chat with him. However once more, I feel that is a part of a footballer’s journey. I’ve typically stated that I feel generally we see issues in such a linear type of means the place we expect that all the pieces goes to be nice and it by no means is. You could possibly be the best at one thing however there’s going to be challenges, there’s going to be stumbles alongside the best way and it is the way you react to them, what you do about them. The way you embrace the following problem that comes alongside.

“For Madders I am certain he was enormously dissatisfied in lacking out as a result of he’d been part of that group that went on that journey. However he is nonetheless acquired loads of soccer in him and there is nonetheless challenges there for him. It is the way you take care of that. Do you form of simply write it off or do you utilize it as motivation shifting ahead? Do you utilize it as possibly a time of self-reflection to say, nicely, might I’ve accomplished something higher? If you’re trustworthy with your self and ask these questions, you would possibly discover that, no, truly I am nonetheless on the suitable path. However it’s worthwhile to try this and use that shifting ahead.

“He is been nice since we acquired again. His season final 12 months form of mirrored ours. He was unbelievable when he was up and going after which he had accidents. It was a little bit of a grind when he did get again and that was form of us as a group, so hopefully the best way we have discovered as a group he is discovered about as a person – as a result of he is a giant a part of our facet. We have a really younger group and he is one which has that have, has that high quality and one we’ll be searching for to information us by means of it.”

How a lot do you depend on signings to visualise a brand new season?

“It is an essential a part of the method and I feel it comes again to what I’ve typically stated – a part of recruiting is knowing you are not recruiting footballers, you are recruiting individuals. What sort of individual are they? Why do they need to come to Tottenham? Are they formidable? Have they got an open thoughts? Are they ready to tackle the large problem of making one thing particular on the membership that has that success? All these sorts of issues, and hopefully the stuff that they’ve already recognized in order that after they come right here they really feel prefer it’s the suitable place for them.

“Hopefully they stroll right into a dressing room of like-minded people who all have that form of mindset. That helps them then visualise what we’re making an attempt to construct. It is in all probability a better course of for guys, new gamers coming on this 12 months as a result of they stroll right into a dressing room and the blokes could have absolute readability and provides them absolute readability of what they’re all making an attempt to do. Whereas final 12 months it was extra about me making an attempt to create that surroundings, me making an attempt to color these photos to everybody, not simply the gamers and employees, however everybody on the soccer membership.

“Hopefully this 12 months, for the blokes we have introduced in up to now, they stroll right into a dressing room they usually can really feel precisely what we’re making an attempt to do.”

In technical phrases, what do you look particularly at in an attacking participant?

“Whether or not it is an attacking participant or any participant, what I feel individuals have hopefully understood is that we’ve an actual id to how we play our soccer. You form of know when Tottenham performs, we’ll have two wingers on the market, we’ll be very, excellent at taking gamers on, being actually aggressive with their play, with the ability to press.

“If I am searching for a left winger, they’re the form of attributes which can be fairly clear that we have to see in them as a result of in the end there’s incredible footballers everywhere in the world. You’ll be able to choose any one among them they usually’d be unbelievable, however I’ve acquired to see them in my group in the best way we need to play. They have to have these attributes.

“In a method that makes the method simpler, however it’s additionally difficult as a result of it is a a lot smaller subject that you are looking at. In at this time’s market, it isn’t straightforward to get that squad of gamers when it is so aggressive. For me, whether or not that is an attacking participant or any participant, it is do I see them in our group tomorrow with the attributes they’ve? Clearly we have got to educate them and assist them by means of the method. Have they got these qualities that I see them taking part in in our group? In the event that they tick that field, then that is a giant a part of us saying, ‘Properly okay, I feel you may be a great match’.”

What are you able to say to these followers who’re anxious throughout the summer season switch window? (Talking earlier than Spurs introduced the signings of Dominic Solanke and Wilson Odobert)

“I perceive that anxiousness as a result of each switch window is your solely alternative to enhance your taking part in personnel and your squad.

“I prefer to suppose in each window up to now we’ve strengthened. Actually final 12 months we introduced in some incredible footballers. In January, we introduced in Radu Dragusin and Timo Werner. We have introduced in two younger guys – Archie Grey, who’s a incredible younger expertise, and Lucas (Bergvall) joins us, though we signed him in January, however we nonetheless have work to do. There is no doubt about that. That is the character of the switch market.

“For me, I’ve simply as a lot anxiousness as a result of it is the a part of the 12 months I’ve least management over. It could be nice if I had complete management over all the pieces, together with what different golf equipment did, however that does not occur.

“I perceive the place the followers sit with it. My position inside that’s to try to keep calm, keep disciplined and ensure that come the tip of the window, which is crucial time, we have had one other optimistic window in that we have made our squad and our group stronger.”

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