Tottenham Hotspurs manager Ange Postecoglou says Dominic Solanke is out for Everton match after getting an ankle injury
23/08/2024
Tottenham Hotspurs Training Ground, London, UK
23/08/2024
Tottenham Hotspurs Training Ground, London, UK
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00:00Hi Gary.
00:01How are you?
00:02Good.
00:03There was some footage put out yesterday by the club of the first team squad training,
00:07and Dominic Slanke didn't appear to be featuring, is there an issue with him?
00:13Yeah, Dom picked up a knock in the last game,
00:17so he got through the game, but it kind of flared up the day after,
00:22and yeah, he'll miss tomorrow.
00:25A blow, obviously, because he played well in Potsdam in his debut.
00:31And in terms of Rodrigo Benton-Kerr, I guess concussion protocols mean he can't be involved?
00:37Absolutely not, no.
00:39Irrespective of concussion protocols, I think any head injury,
00:42we're always going to be a little bit more conservative from our perspective,
00:46so the good thing is he's bounced back really well,
00:50he's done all the tests and he feels good,
00:56but we'll take our time with Rodrigo and make sure he's absolutely 100%
01:01before we put him out there again.
01:03And the obvious football decision would be, that means that his pursuer would play.
01:08Is he reintegrated?
01:09Are you picking a team for me?
01:11No, that's why I ask the questions and you answer them.
01:14It sounded like it, though.
01:16I'm trying to use my very poor football knowledge.
01:19No, you're right.
01:20Obviously, Biss is available, but we've got some options there.
01:24I guess the whole idea of trying to bulk up the squad this off-season
01:29was about these kind of scenarios.
01:33Unfortunately for Rodrigo, again, because he also had a good game on Monday night,
01:38but Biss is available, but we've got some midfield options.
01:42Just to clarify, he has built bridges, as you were referring to last week,
01:46and he is available for selection, in your opinion?
01:48He's available for selection.
01:49The bridge-building continues, though, mate.
01:52Michelle.
01:54Hi, Ant.
01:55Just looking back on the game against Leicester,
01:57obviously a really good performance in terms of possession, chances created,
02:00but of course, just the point.
02:02What have you told your players since that match
02:04and what would you like to see from them tomorrow?
02:07Look, I think with all these things, there's the outcome,
02:11which was disappointing for us.
02:13As you said, it's a game we should have really won.
02:17But you can't take away from the fact that the performance was strong.
02:20First game of the year, I thought there were some really positive aspects
02:24to our football.
02:25We controlled the game really well, created chances,
02:28minimised the opposition's threats.
02:31But we know in football that's not necessarily going to guarantee you an outcome.
02:35You've still got to be, as I said,
02:37I thought we were a little bit wasteful in front of goal
02:39and should have put the game to bed.
02:43For the most part, I thought it was positive.
02:45For us, if we can replicate those kind of performances regularly,
02:50then the outcomes will change.
02:52Sean Dyche has said that he's down to 14 recognised first team players
02:56for tomorrow's game.
02:57So what can you expect from Everton tomorrow?
03:01Yeah, look, tough game.
03:03I think anyone who plays against Everton or a Sean Dyche team
03:07expects it not to be anything less than very, very competitive.
03:12Obviously, they have got a few injuries,
03:14but the players they have out there are very good players
03:17and they can make things difficult for any opponent.
03:19So we've got to be ready for that.
03:21It's our first home game, so I'm sure the lads are excited
03:25to play in front of our crowd and get the atmosphere going
03:29and hopefully put on a good performance for it.
03:32And finally for me, if he plays tomorrow, which we assume he will,
03:35Christian Romero will make his 100th appearance for the Spurs.
03:39Can you just describe the sort of player he's been for you,
03:42what he means to you in terms of leadership,
03:44in terms of his qualities on the pitch?
03:46Outstanding.
03:48I mean, obviously, with all these kind of things,
03:51you have sort of an image of a player from afar.
03:55And before I got here, I thought, you know,
03:57he's going to be really important to me.
03:59He's such a fantastic centre-back for club and country.
04:03But being here now and watching him, the way he trains,
04:08the way he plays, unbelievably strong mindset,
04:12absolute winner in everything he does.
04:16He's been really important, he was important last year
04:18and he will be really important moving forward
04:20because he is one of the players within this group
04:24that has achieved things from a team perspective.
04:28I've always said those kind of things are transferable.
04:31He's won a World Cup, they won the Cup of America.
04:34So he's been part of a successful team
04:36and I think he's a real strong influence in the group.
04:41It's great he plays his 100th game tomorrow
04:43and hopefully, I know he'll perform at the level he always does,
04:46he's very consistent,
04:47but hopefully we make it a special day for him.
04:50Ian.
04:51Hi, Antonio.
04:52I'm good, mate.
04:53Always important to start the season well,
04:55but especially your first home game.
04:58Is that how you see things?
05:00Because if you're going to have a good season,
05:02like last year where you started well,
05:04make sure tomorrow is a good performance, a good result.
05:07Yeah, it certainly helps
05:11and you want to start off with a good performance.
05:13Like I said, it's the first game at home
05:15and we had a good performance last week,
05:17but we've got to turn a good performance also into a victory.
05:21We were really good at home early last year
05:24and we really set a real good standard
05:27in terms of the kind of football we played here.
05:32Yeah, looking forward to tomorrow.
05:34We want to get off to a good start at home.
05:36Throughout last season you were telling us,
05:38especially away from match days in training,
05:41it was about getting the team to get to know
05:43what you want from them,
05:45imprinting your philosophy, as it were.
05:49How close to, not the finished article are they,
05:52but how close to really understanding now
05:55when they go out on the pitch
05:56what you want them to do, are they?
05:59Well, we're definitely further down the track
06:01and I think for the most part the players,
06:04particularly the ones who were here from last year,
06:06have got a pretty good understanding.
06:08But even that, that's constantly evolving
06:12in terms of the way we want to play
06:14depending on the sort of players we have
06:16and how we're progressing as a team.
06:19It's nothing that's absolutely fixed in stone
06:21as to this is exactly how we're going to go about our football.
06:25But the basic principles, I think, are there.
06:28That was a pleasing thing about last week.
06:29We want to dominate games, we want to create chances.
06:31We did that.
06:32We want to minimise the opposition's chances.
06:34We did that.
06:35So I think a lot of it is embedded in there
06:37but it's a constantly evolving process.
06:39So when you see your team dominate games
06:42and do what you want
06:43but they don't necessarily get the outcome
06:45that you think they deserve
06:47or you want them to do and win the game,
06:49does that make you less angry?
06:51Does that make you think,
06:52well, hang on a minute, they're doing what I want them to do.
06:54So ultimately, down the track,
06:56we're going to get to our destination
06:58if the journey today wasn't quite where I wanted to be.
07:01Yeah, look, it's not about anger.
07:05Obviously, the game's an emotional game.
07:07So if you don't win,
07:08then obviously everyone gets disappointed with that
07:11and varying ranges of emotion.
07:13My job is to kind of,
07:16whatever emotions I have,
07:17to park to one side
07:18and just really look at how we played
07:21because that's,
07:23I've said a thousand times,
07:24we could have won 1-0 last week
07:26but if we didn't play well,
07:27I'd be certainly more concerned
07:30than sort of playing well
07:32and not winning the game.
07:34There's concerns on both aspects.
07:36We're certainly more concerned
07:37because that's harder to fix.
07:39A performance that's not at us
07:42is a lot more difficult to navigate
07:46than us playing well and not getting the result.
07:49Hi, Anj.
07:50Could I ask you about Wilson Odebert?
07:52Is he ready to make his debut tomorrow?
07:54Yeah, he's available and he's trained.
07:56So yeah, he's available.
07:57Excellent.
07:58And that was a bit of a signing
07:59that was kept under wraps.
08:01We didn't really know a lot about it
08:02and then it sort of just happened.
08:04How did you sign him?
08:05Why did you sign him
08:06and what was the thinking behind it?
08:09Yeah, we went through the same sort of processes
08:13and he was one we identified really early on
08:18in the summer.
08:20No secret, we were looking for a wide player
08:23and Wilson was one of the ones we highlighted.
08:26We had to kind of just go through certain steps
08:32to get these things done.
08:34They're not as straightforward
08:35as just saying that's who we want,
08:36go and get them.
08:38Obviously, getting big doming
08:40was really important for us
08:42and we spent a lot of time working on that deal.
08:45But once Dom was done,
08:46there was one target and that was Wilson
08:48and it happened really quickly.
08:49I really like the way he plays in the wide areas.
08:53He's different from our other wingers.
08:55He's a dribbler.
08:56He likes to get into the front third.
08:57He can play either side.
08:59He can play central.
09:01Had a really good sort of development
09:03in terms of you look at his trajectory
09:06from PSG as a young certatoire
09:08playing in Ligue 1 in France
09:11and Premier League football before the age of 19.
09:14I think he ticked all the boxes for us
09:17and he's a fantastic young bloke as well.
09:20Really happy to get him in.
09:22Do you expect an impact from him right away
09:24or is it kind of one for the future more this season?
09:27I think with all the players we've signed,
09:30I think you've already seen
09:31irrespective of age we've signed him
09:33because I think they can make an impact
09:34and certainly I see that with Wilson.
09:36He's a year older than Archie and Lucas
09:40and they've already made an impact.
09:42We sign the players because we're still in that stage
09:46of building a team.
09:48As I keep saying, I don't want to bring players here
09:50who I don't think can meaningfully contribute
09:53to what we're trying to do in the short term
09:55and Wilson definitely will.
09:57Hi Ange.
09:58The coach asked you about Dominic's injury,
10:00exactly what it is
10:01and also will he miss more than one game?
10:03It's an ankle injury.
10:04He copped a knock really early
10:05that somebody went across his ankle.
10:07He's definitely out tomorrow
10:09and it just depends on the recovery.
10:10Obviously next week there's the international break
10:13but it's not serious.
10:14We know that.
10:16It's just an ankle injury.
10:18Is Richarlison fit enough to start if you need him to?
10:21He's trained two weeks and he's ready to go.
10:25Obviously he hasn't played for quite a while
10:27which you've always got to guard against
10:30but he's available and ready to go.
10:32I just want to ask about Oliver Skip
10:33who's left the club.
10:34Previous managers may have held him
10:36as a future Tottenham captain.
10:38Why do you think it just didn't quite work out for him?
10:42That's what happens in football sometimes.
10:45I wouldn't say it didn't work out
10:46because it might have worked out.
10:47He probably will have a fantastic career at Leicester.
10:50It doesn't always just because one door closes.
10:54There's very few players who just play at one club
10:56their whole career.
10:59Since I've been here Skip has been an excellent attitude,
11:03good footballer.
11:05He hasn't had the opportunities he probably wanted
11:07and deserved.
11:09I think for every footballer, as I keep saying,
11:10they've got decisions to make in terms of their own career.
11:14He was getting to an age where I think he felt like
11:16he wanted to be playing more minutes.
11:20A fantastic person, an academy graduate
11:24who ended up playing for his club for a number of seasons.
11:28I don't think that's not working out.
11:30I think it's a credit to him.
11:33I'm sure he's going to have a fantastic career from here on.
11:37Hi Ange.
11:38The club announced earlier that Ashley Phillips
11:40is going on loan to Stoke City for the season.
11:42I just wanted to ask a little bit about the rationale behind that
11:45and what you thought about his performances in pre-season.
11:48Yeah, I think it's a really good loan for him down at Stoke.
11:54Obviously, I guess with the younger players
11:57it's a balance between if we keep them in the squad
12:00are they going to play many full minutes?
12:02With Ash, we didn't feel that was going to be the case.
12:06He sort of played the back end of last year
12:09fairly regularly at Plymouth
12:13and we feel like he needs to play more football.
12:16Centre-backs, it's a bit of a trickier position.
12:20Sometimes players need more game time to develop and improve
12:25rather than just training.
12:27We felt it was the best decision for him.
12:30Can I just check on Pedro Poirot?
12:32He's fine, mate.
12:33He trained and spoke okay.
12:35And anyone else you're expecting to be on?
12:38No, everyone else is okay.
12:41Thanks.
12:42We'll finish this section with George, please.
12:47Hi, Ant.
12:48Just going back to Ash Phillips.
12:50That leaves you with four recognised centre-backs.
12:52Are you kind of happy with that depth
12:54or is that an area that you might try and do something over the next week?
12:57No, look, I think obviously we've got Radu
13:02and he's going really well, training really well
13:05and Ben can play as centre-back as well.
13:08Archie can fill that centre-back, so I think we're okay.
13:11Just with Archie, I guess he's a candidate to play tomorrow
13:14instead of Benton Court.
13:15He's obviously very young into his career
13:17but he's shown incredible depth and versatility.
13:20Do you think long-term, six is potentially where his position is going to be?
13:24Who knows, mate?
13:25Everywhere we've put him so far, he's looked really comfortable
13:29and it's a credit to him that he's adjusted to Premier League football.
13:33That was Human League's first Premier League game last week
13:36and they came on and made an impact, which is fantastic for us
13:40when you think about two 18-year-olds who are already making an impact.
13:44We'll see with Archie.
13:45Like I said, he's obviously a very smart young man
13:49in terms of receiving information,
13:51so whatever position we put him, we try and guide him through that
13:54and he takes that on board really well.
13:57It's going to be an asset for us.
13:58We're one game into a 50-plus game season,
14:02so I'm sure he's going to play a lot
14:04and he might play a number of positions.
14:07Where he ends up, I think he'll be the master of his own destiny in terms of that.
14:12Just finally, with the transfer window shutting in a week,
14:15how active do you expect the next week to be?
14:18Is outgoing a big area that you want to push to get a few more out?
14:23Yeah, look, we're still probably a couple more who probably will go out,
14:29but we've done a fair bit of work in the last 12 months in terms of the squad.
14:35As much as the focus has been on getting guys in,
14:38we've changed the squad a fair bit.
14:40We've brought down the demographic a fair way.
14:44I think we've brought in footballers who are more suited to playing the football
14:48we want to play moving forward.
14:50There's been a lot of work done in that area from our perspective.
14:54But with a week to go, there's still a little bit to do.