Ange Postecoglou previews Everton clash (Full Presser)
Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglu previews their Premier League clash with Everton
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00:00 What's the latest team news ahead of the game tomorrow?
00:09 In terms of the other night, everyone got through that okay, so no issues from the other
00:13 night. Obviously a short turnaround, so the lads still sort of recovering from that, so
00:19 we haven't really done too much training wise, but we'll feel good. And Pepe Sarr's back
00:23 as well, obviously. Yeah, he had a long trip back, so we'll just assess him after training,
00:28 but fair to say he'll be involved. I'm not sure to what extent. And then, yeah, that's
00:35 it from Wednesday night.
00:37 And January window done, Radu Dragosin in, Timo Werner, I understand Lucas Bergvall having
00:42 a medical this afternoon. If that gets done, all in all, happy with that window?
00:47 Yeah, look, it's been, I think I said last week, I think from our perspective, we had
00:53 some clear objectives in there. One was, we obviously, we had a real sort of gap at centre-back,
01:01 particularly after letting Davison Sanchez go after the window closed last time. And
01:06 yeah, getting Radu in early was great. Obviously getting Timo in early was also excellent for
01:13 us with the kind of injuries we've had at the moment and absences, particularly with
01:17 Sonny away. And the beauty of getting them in early is they've already made a contribution,
01:21 you know, if you leave it to the last day, which would have been yesterday, then it still
01:26 takes guys time to settle, but they've both settled in really well. And even in terms
01:31 of outgoings, I think, you know, we got some good loans. Alejo left yesterday and he was
01:39 developing well with us, but obviously got the injury, but great for him to get some
01:42 game time now, in a good league, at a good club. Ashley Phillips, Salfie Devine. So,
01:48 from all those aspects, probably the only disappointing one was yesterday. I thought
01:53 there was a really good opportunity for us and, you know, the club just didn't feel,
01:58 yeah, you know, they didn't feel it was the right move for us. So, disappointed with that,
02:04 but he ended up at Ferrari, so we just have to cop it.
02:07 Oh, look at you all. You were ready to type away. I was going to pause just to let his
02:13 phone blow up.
02:14 You threw me though.
02:15 No, it was a good one, mate.
02:16 You threw me though.
02:17 Sorry. Right, Dragosin.
02:18 You had a flat day yesterday, so I'm trying to spark it.
02:24 I would love to spark it. Dragosin, Werner, Maddison, they all had options with big club.
02:31 Bayern Munich, Dragosin. Bergwold, Barcelona. This is great for Spurs fans. What are you
02:37 and the recruitment team saying to these players and what do you see this club, where do you
02:42 see it going under your management?
02:44 Yeah, look, I don't think it's so much what we're saying. I think it's more what people
02:49 are saying. That's the important thing, because, I mean, it's like anything in life. You can
02:53 try and sell a vision or sell something to someone, but if there's tangible physical
03:00 evidence of it, and I think anyone who's watched us sort of in the first half of the year or
03:06 since I've joined, have seen the aspirations we have to be the kind of football team that
03:13 we want to be. So that's not just me saying it, we're actually doing it. Okay, we're not
03:17 the finished product by any stretch. We're giving young players an opportunity. Guys
03:22 like Destiny and Pape and Miki and all guys in their early 20s who have played already
03:28 significant roles. So we're building a team. So I guess from our perspective, it's pleasing
03:35 that hopefully we become a club that's a preferred destination, particularly for talented young
03:41 players. As I said the other day, that there aren't too many hidden gems around. Everyone
03:45 kind of knows who the talents are. I really want our sort of, hopefully our point of difference
03:51 is that I've always felt that your football is your biggest sort of selling point beyond
04:00 anything else. And hopefully we're showing evidence of that, which is helping us.
04:05 Finally, not a transfer one, but could be a toughie. Australia vs South Korea. Sonny,
04:12 your captain here. Who do you want to win?
04:15 It's kind of a win-win for me. Obviously being Australian, I'd love for them to get through
04:20 and then we get Sonny back. But part of me would love Sonny to win an Asian Cup because
04:25 I know what it would mean to him. I know what it would mean to his country. They put great
04:33 stock in that competition. For Sonny and everything he's done for the game, for his country, for
04:40 his nation, as disappointed as I will be, if Australia go out, I'd love Sonny to go
04:47 all the way. Don't mind if he misses a couple more games for us.
04:52 James Madison spoke after the game on Wednesday about how great the freedom that you allow
05:00 him but it's still within a structure. How would you describe it from your perspective,
05:04 please?
05:05 Yeah, look, I think part of our end goal is to create a fairly fluid team and a team that,
05:16 like all the great teams, I guess, has many avenues to success. So that if a team's trying
05:24 to stop us, there are multiple ways we can get through that. And I think you can only
05:28 do that if there is a certain sense of freedom within the way that the players approach it.
05:33 But like everything in life, I think you do need structure. I think you do need discipline.
05:37 I thought, as I said, that's why I was disappointed with our first 45 minutes, sort of our last
05:44 15, 20 minutes of the first half the other night is that we went away from those principles.
05:50 And when you do that, even if you have that freedom and even if you have the talent, it's
05:54 still very hard to impose yourself on the game. So, yeah, like I said, that's still
05:58 a work in progress, but that's kind of where we want to get to.
06:02 You're back in the top four. How satisfied are you that despite the injuries, missing
06:06 some key players for a while, you still managed to keep momentum throughout most of the parts
06:12 and stay true to your game principles?
06:16 Yeah, look, I think that's a testament to the players more than anything else and the
06:22 character of the players because we have had some real challenges. We're not the only club,
06:26 obviously, with injuries, but we've had some fairly significant ones. And that on the back
06:31 of sort of pretty much changing everything about the environment hasn't exactly been,
06:39 for want of a better word, stable for the players to really have a launching pad for
06:44 consistency. And I think this group of players has really sort of banded together really
06:51 well in terms of the spirit they have, the togetherness they have to overcome these things
06:56 where even in days where we've had difficulties, our football level hasn't dropped too much
07:02 and our results, apart from obviously we had a spell, we lost a few games, but even then
07:07 we were right in those games. And I think we are where we are today mainly because of
07:12 that, because I think of the players and their character. And that's important because you
07:17 can't have just the football, you need the other stuff as well. And sometimes that's
07:21 more important, particularly when you're trying to build something.
07:24 Everton this weekend, Goodison Park can be a challenging place. How are you hoping to
07:27 see the same mindset from your players to apply the game plan properly despite the atmosphere
07:34 that can be overwhelming sometimes?
07:35 Yeah, it can. And it's a tough venue. The supporters there really give you a hug on
07:39 their team. And even though the results have dropped off a little bit now, when we played
07:45 them even here, it was a really tough game for us. It's going to be a physical game.
07:50 We're going to have to be up for those kind of things. We've got a short turnaround, obviously,
07:54 with a lunchtime kick-off after Wednesday night. So all those kind of things are potential
07:59 impediments for us performing. But again, going back to my earlier answer is that that's
08:05 the kind of things that the players have really risen to those challenges in terms of showing
08:10 the character and belief. We've gone to some pretty tough venues away from home this year
08:15 and I think we've performed really well. We're going to have to again on Saturday because
08:20 it's going to be a tough game.
08:21 You mentioned the young players. I think you've got the third or fourth youngest squad in
08:26 the Premier League. Obviously, a lot of talented players come through the academy as well.
08:30 How do you and the club, I guess, as a whole, ensure that that becomes a bit of a golden
08:34 generation rather than just anything else?
08:36 I think it's a bad opportunity. I'm not too sure about your reference to the academy.
08:41 I think we've got a lot of work to do in our academy. I think Simon Davies is certainly
08:45 one that's put a lot of emphasis and priority there that we need to be doing better. I don't
08:52 think we have the production line other top clubs have. Certainly not, and even currently.
08:58 It's why we're investing in some younger players, even for the first team. But for us as a football
09:03 club, that's definitely the way forward. Obviously, my brief at the moment is still very much
09:09 around first team and building a first team. I think you can do that whilst giving opportunities
09:17 to young players. If anything, I think for sustainable success, it's the best way to
09:20 go because the team sort of grows together when they're guys of similar ages, as long
09:24 as you've got good experience around them. That's what we're trying to do at first team
09:27 level. We've still got a lot of work to do at academy level. Like I said, we've got a
09:32 great man there, Simon, who's worked at some of the best academies there are going around.
09:37 He knows what's needed. We've got some good coaches in there now. This year's been better,
09:42 but in terms of a production line of young players, I think we're still well behind other
09:46 clubs.
09:47 Was that something you noticed straight away when you came in, or was it something that
09:49 was already a process in staff?
09:51 Yeah, there was already a process in place before I came in, obviously. Like I said,
09:56 some of that is just around the kind of methodology we use, but also a little bit of opportunity
10:02 because I guess if young players don't feel there's an opportunity here, maybe we don't
10:06 get the best ones or we don't provide the opportunity for the best ones. My role in
10:10 that is to make sure that the good ones we have do get an opportunity. And secondly,
10:17 other good young players around the country, not just around the world, see this as a club
10:21 where if you're talented, you'll get an opportunity.
10:24 Brian Hill, obviously still part of your squad. There were some suggestions that he had options
10:27 that he maybe could have gone and perhaps played more regular football, but he wanted
10:31 to stay and play under yourself. What did you make of that decision?
10:34 It's not an issue with me. I mean, yeah, there was obviously a bit of interest in Brian,
10:39 there was a bit of interest in a lot of our players. But again, I've never, I've said
10:43 this before, it's not my role to kind of push people out in that kind of situation. I still
10:51 very much regard them as our players. And Brian's, look, he's a fantastic young player
10:56 and he works so hard to improve every day. He had a difficult first half of the year
11:02 with a couple of injuries. And people shouldn't underestimate that, especially in a set up
11:08 like ours where most of the guys had a strong pre-season are the ones who have kind of hit
11:14 the ground running. He kind of missed out on all that. But he wants to improve. He loves
11:18 the environment here. We love having him part of the group. He's still a young player with
11:22 plenty of time to develop and happy to have him around for this second half of the year.
11:28 Very quick one on James Madison. Obviously, less than 72 hours between the games, he had
11:33 cramped towards the end of the first game. Is he in a position where he could start again
11:36 this quickly?
11:37 He's a professional footballer, mate, I hope so. Unless he, because if we're going to be
11:43 playing in Europe, unless he wants to sort of pick and choose which games to play, I'd
11:47 suggest that matters will be right for tomorrow.
11:49 I just wanted to ask you about Richarlison. I know you spoke about how he kind of feels
12:01 freer since that surgery, but he's got seven in seven in the Premier League now. And that
12:06 started with Sonny in the team. But do you kind of sense that he's kind of relished the
12:11 opportunity to be the main man since Sonny stepped away and to kind of help the team
12:14 as much as possible?
12:15 Yeah, I mean, it's probably one for Richie to answer more, but I think it's helped that
12:22 he's kind of had a consistent run in the team. For sure, I think any player feels that confidence
12:27 in himself. And I think, I mean, the goal is obviously important because that's kind
12:32 of everyone's measure, but I just think his general game's improving. And that's the main
12:35 thing for me. That's where I've seen, because the way we play and the kind of player Richie
12:42 is, I was always confident he scored goals, but we need more than that. And I just think
12:47 his work right now defensively, which was really important when we had Sonny up there
12:52 at the start of the year, hasn't dropped off with Richie there. He's working really hard
12:54 for the team. I think the case he did the other night was right up there. And then his
13:00 link up and hold up play is improving all the time. And see, I love that. I love when
13:06 players still want to improve and still do improve, rather than just say, well, he's
13:13 playing for his national team. He's been at this level for quite a while, but I can actually
13:17 see him developing further. And that's what you want as a manager and as a coach. And
13:25 for us, he's becoming a really important player.
13:29 And sort of looking at the team as a whole, do you know what your, I know you've not really
13:34 had a chance to pick your best team, but do you know what your best team would be? Or
13:38 has that changed actually from what you thought at the start of the season?
13:41 The best team is the one I put out there tomorrow because it's never worked that way in my 26
13:47 years of football. It just doesn't. You never have everything in place. There's always something
13:54 that will... And if you think that way, I think you box yourself into a little bit of
13:58 a corner. The only reason I made two changes at half-time wasn't because Rodri and Skippy
14:04 weren't playing well. If anything, I thought they were playing well. We needed a circuit
14:08 breaker for what we were doing and change things up. So it doesn't mean that those two
14:12 weren't in my starting 11 or they were disappointing or any of those kind of things.
14:17 I've always kind of, as much as people have always thought in those terms of what's your
14:23 strongest or best 11, every time, every week, I try and put out what I think is our best
14:29 11 and then you go from there and you reassess it post-game, going to the next one.
14:35 Okay, we'll end the broadcast section there.