Ange Postecoglou fighting back against adversity at Tottenham Hotspur - 'That makes you stronger'
Published 20/09/2024 at 17:45 GMT+1
Ange Postecoglou came out fighting against the critics after Tottenham Hotspur's sluggish start to the season, and is taking little notice of growing fan discontent after back-to-back Premier League defeats. Spurs were beaten 1-0 by Arsenal in the north London derby last Sunday, and will be eager to bounce back when they host Brentford on Saturday.
Highlights: Inter stifle Man City as spoils shared
Video credit: TNT Sports
Ange Postecoglou insisted he is not concerned by outside noise following the negative fallout from Tottenham Hotspur’s north London derby defeat to Arsenal.
That 1-0 defeat to their bitter rivals was a second consecutive loss after Spurs were beaten 2-1 by Newcastle United before the international break.
The results have Spurs on four points from their opening four Premier League games, but the Australian is not raising any alarm bells at this point in the season.
When quizzed about being the first Tottenham manager to last a full season at the club since Mauricio Pochettino in the 2018/19 campaign, he sarcastically quipped: "Yes, they had a cake for me.
"It [the negativity] doesn't seep into my environment.
“The fans are free to feel how they want to feel, and it doesn't impact me or what we are trying to achieve.
"For me, you can get overly impacted in both ways, we just have to stay clear-eyed and focused on what we want to achieve and what kind of team we want to be.
"If you're swimming against the tide, that's alright, that makes you stronger. I think a big part of it [is change], when there is real change, it unsettles people and they want comfort and security, but I came in here to try to do something that hasn't been done for a while.
"You can't just think me walking in will change things, you've got to change things and it can be unsettling, but it is necessary for us to achieve what we want to."
/origin-imgresizer.tntsports.io/2024/08/19/4028896-81715568-2560-1440.jpg)
Postecoglou impressed with Solanke's 'motivation' in battling back from struggles
Video credit: SNTV
Much of the scrutiny amidst Tottenham's slow start to the season has been on Dominic Solanke, following the 27-year-old's £65 million move from Bournemouth in the summer.
Solanke is yet to find the net for his new club, but the Spurs boss reiterated his faith in the ex-Cherries forward and revealed that he was pursued for a transfer ahead of Ivan Toney - now plying his trade for Al Ahli in Saudi Arabia.
"We did look at him [Toney], but Dom was the one we wanted that fitted the profile we were looking for at the time," he revealed.
- Exclusive: 'Adopted West Ham boy' Bowen excited to 'enjoy best years' at the club
- Exclusive: 'She has everything' – Fox on Caldentey, Arsenal aims and Olympic gold
- 'Saturday will be different' - Ten Hag rules out another 4-0 defeat at Palace
When addressing the criticism of Solanke, Postecoglou added: "Just take a breath, do a little bit of yoga, think about the world for a second and then make an assessment after.
"We don't have to rush to make judgements all the time because the alternative is he may have got off to a great start, he is fit, scored in all four games, is flying and then he goes through a patch like all strikers where he doesn't score.
"I just don't look at those things. What I look at is he has come in, fitted really well and quite logically has picked up an injury that has disrupted the way he wanted to start his career, but he's still got plenty of time for that."
TNT Sports will show over 500 matches from the UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Europa League and the UEFA Conference League across the 2024-25 season. The streaming home for TNT Sports in the UK is discovery+, where fans can enjoy a subscription that includes TNT Sports, Eurosport and entertainment in one destination.
Related Topics
Thoughts?