‘Bring it on’ – Postecoglou says Spurs will not change style against Man City
Ange Postecoglou has said that Tottenham Hotspur will not abandon their front-foot, attacking approach just because they are coming up against Manchester City. Playing City at the Etihad Stadium is not the sort of fixture that any team would want when they are trying to get out of a slump. To make matters, Tottenham are […]
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Ange Postecoglou has said that Tottenham Hotspur will not abandon their front-foot, attacking approach just because they are coming up against Manchester City.
Playing City at the Etihad Stadium is not the sort of fixture that any team would want when they are trying to get out of a slump.
To make matters, Tottenham are without an entire team full of players due to suspensions and injuries, with many of their key men currently on the treatment table.
Spurs have a decent record against City but most of their success against Pep Guardiola’s men has come when the likes of Antonio Conte, Nuno Espirito Santo and Jose Mourinho have set the team up to defend deep and play on the counter-attack.
Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images
Tottenham will stay true to their style vs Man City
However, Postecoglou insisted that Tottenham would not have appointed him if they wanted him to employ such an approach.
When asked about Spurs sides of the past having joy against City on the counter-attack, the Australian told Football.London: “I think there’s a reason I’m sitting here and the reason is the end game is not to beat City. If that’s the end game, that’s been done. So no is the short answer. Not that I’m dismissive of that, because it’s a hell of an achievement to knock them off absolutely, but it’s not why I’m here.
“It’s not the end-game. I’m not trying to set up a team to beat Manchester City, I’m trying to set up a team to be successful. If that was enough [beating City], I wouldn’t be sitting here. It would be somebody else sitting here.
“So I take that as a pointer to me, and look, I understand why people would think that way and it’s a legitimate question: ‘Why wouldn’t you do it if you know it’s going to be successful?’
“But I don’t think I was appointed or I’d be surprised if was appointed and people would expect me to go down that route, knowing who I am as a manager.”
Following three straight losses, some pundits have accused Postecoglou of naivety, claiming that he should be more pragmatic, given the players that Spurs are currently missing (BBC Sport).
However, the 58-year-old remarked that he is not going to change just to please his critics,
When asked if he is aware of the scrutiny he is getting, Postecoglou responded: “Yeah, absolutely and that’s not a bad thing. That’s a good thing. We need to be scrutinised. I need to be scrutinised, I need to be questioned. That’s what tests my resolve. I ain’t going to change but bring it on.
“It doesn’t just test me, it tests the players, it tests the club. How resolved are we about doing this? Look at all the top teams, they’ve all been through the process through the tough times.
“They’ve all got questioned, they’ve all got scrutinised, they’ve all had criticism. How did they handle it, the ones that are through the other side?
“The ones who handled it differently, where are they now? There’s always indicators there but it’s maybe not as exciting to kind of not buckle at this time.
“It might seem boring to say ‘why didn’t he change?’ But I have a real strong belief in what I do and where the team is heading and I’m just not going to waver from it.”
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The reality is that our chances of beating City at the Etihad are always going to be slim, no matter how we set up tactically.
However, as a fan, I am much more excited about the game, knowing we will take the attack to City rather than sitting with ten men behind the ball and hanging on for dear life for much of it.
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