Ange Postecoglou reiterated his desire for Tottenham to play entertaining football, saying he is “not interested” in pragmatism.
Spurs conceded a last-minute goal to draw 2-2 with Roma in the Europa League last night after maintaining a front-foot approach in the closing stages rather than attempting to hold on to their advantage.
It was a mindset that worked in their 4-0 win at Manchester City last week and Postecoglou won’t be changing his methods.
Speaking ahead of Sunday’s home game with Fulham, the Australian said: “I said last night, we set out and I set out to make the team one that is always looking to be on the front foot, score goals, be exciting to watch.
“That means we’re not as controlled at times, but that’s okay. It’s part of our identity. That’s the road we started on. We want to stick to it.
“From our perspective, that’s the kind of team we want to be.”
“Hugely frustrating not to see the game out.”
Ange reacts to our 2-2 draw with Roma. pic.twitter.com/uTyyARFWaU
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) November 28, 2024
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Critics claim Postecoglou’s tactics won’t result in silverware but the former Celtic boss says he is not interested in conforming.
“There’s plenty of room for pragmatism in all walks of life, and football as well,” he said.
“But I’m just not interested in it. I don’t know why I need to change my approach to be like everyone else wants me to be.
“I’ll continue to push this team to be a little bit different, play football in a different way.
“Maybe when I’m long gone you’ll all pine for my entertainment! You’ll have had your fill of pragmatism. But if we were pragmatic, I’d say at 2-0 up at City away we would’ve probably settled for that.
“We wouldn’t have made it a special moment for our club. I always think of the possibilities of what could be over holding on to what we’ve got.
“We’ve not achieved anything yet, so if I start being pragmatic now then we might never get there.”
No team is unbeatable – Ange
Fulham full-back Antonee Robinson stoked the fire this week by claiming Spurs were “not unbeatable” and that the Cottagers should approach the game with confidence.
Postecoglou partially agreed with the USA international, adding: “We’re not unbeatable. No team is! Not Fulham either. Even Liverpool have lost this year.
“What other teams think is not really relevant to us. On our day we can beat anyone, and that’s what we try to continue to be.
“When we are that, we’re a compelling side and are growing into the team we want to be.
“Sunday’s game is no different to any other for us. It’s about continuing to grow, develop and when we put all the elements of our game together, we’re a very good side.
“We’ve struggled in a few games this year, for sure. But that’s part of our growth, to make sure our levels don’t drop to that they did where we haven’t played to our identity.”
Postecoglou discusses January additions
Tottenham are dealing with several injuries at the moment with Guglielmo Vicario, Micky van de Ven and Richarlison all absent tomorrow while Cristian Romero is doubtful and Rodrigo Bentancur suspended.
Postecoglou hinted the club may be active in the January window in a bid to bolster the squad.
“We’re always planning for every scenario. A lot of it will depend on where we are squad-wise,” he said.
“Between now and then Romero, Van de Ven will hopefully be back in that timeframe. Richarlison will hopefully be back early in the New Year, and we’ll then assess where we are squad-wise.
“Certainly, we’ve already had a number of meetings about a strategy in January. We ended up doing a little bit last year, which helped us.
“But again, there’s nothing concrete now. January’s always tricky, and a lot will depend on where we are squad-wise.”
