Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou said that if Harry Kane was here I’d be a very, very happy manager. We’d find a way to fit him in mate
01/11/2024
Tottenham Hotspurs Training Ground, London, UK
01/11/2024
Tottenham Hotspurs Training Ground, London, UK
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00:00Yeah, absolutely, but we've been on a busy period for a while and it's great to get Richard back and you can see he's getting back to the levels.
00:27As I said, we were extra careful with him this time, not careful, but just make sure that we get him back and we keep him back and part of his game time at the moment is around that, I just don't want to throw him straight in.
00:41But every time he's playing now he's making an impact, I thought he made an impact again on a Wednesday night out on the left, but yeah, it's really important because with the volume of games we've had.
00:53The good thing for us is that, again, part of our evolution is we're getting goals from different areas, Pape's popped up with quite a few this year already and Deke scored and we need midfielders chipping in, we need defenders chipping in with goals so they get spread around.
01:09Our wingers, obviously, Brendan's been fantastic this year, great for Timo to get a goal the other night, that's just as important.
01:16We've already been through a busy period, we've got another busy period coming up, so far the squad's maintained a really good level with me making changes, I made five or six the other night.
01:29We've consistently done that and it's going to be important moving forward.
01:33Is it also specifically important given that slightly different profile of the strikers, not that you can put one on with a fresh leg, but also that you can use different aspects as well?
01:43Yeah, I think we've tried to do that with the squad, it's not necessarily like for like, it's just people with different attributes.
01:52The underlying foundation of that is there are some things that are non-negotiable in the way we play, but Richie and if you stack them up against Dom, they both work really hard defensively for us, which is important.
02:05But yeah, the way they attack then is different, but I think they both have great strengths that certainly we can again benefit from.
02:14James, just kind of following up on that, when you mentioned the physical effort you guys put in, we saw Dominic Sancho drop his knees after that game against City.
02:26Often from the outside, strikers push on goals and shots and in that respect, you might come struggling in that sense, but clearly the opposite is going to go on as you pick up and get goals from elsewhere out on the team.
02:40How happy are you with his performance and how happy is he to be striking on top of four goals?
03:11for the whole game if you let them and he just didn't allow that to happen and he just kept running and pressing and he had good quality on the ball.
03:18Any other night he would have had a couple of assists as well.
03:21I know everyone talks about the goals and he'll get his goals as well, but if he plays at that level every week for us, that's going to make us a really, really good football team.
03:36Like I said, I couldn't be happier with him. Is he happy? You'd have to ask him. I couldn't care less because I'm happy and that's the main thing.
03:44I was going to say, you do the kind of lap where you try to devolve the team or try to score the team when you're not bothered.
03:50You do the kind of lap where you put your arm around the goal and then you just feel unhappy with how you do it and you worry about the goal.
04:00I think I've said before, I'm not a cuddler. I feel when he dropped to his knees the other night, having beaten City, I reckon he got all the rewards he needs to feel good about what he's done.
04:16He knew and I think it's a credit to him. I said to the lads this morning, to be honest, that's the way you should feel at the end of a game.
04:25You've emptied the tank, you've given everything because when you're playing against the best, that's what it demands of you.
04:31It would be much worse if you didn't win and you walked off feeling like you had more.
04:38I don't need to put an arm around him. Like I said, I couldn't praise him highly enough for his performance Wednesday night and the way he's been since he's been at the club.
04:49I thought he was just outstanding the other night.
04:56Similar thing, you can see Noel is on the plane, but he hasn't had a shot on target since he left City. Does that make sense?
05:08It depends, Tom. There were a couple of weeks before he scored where people were saying he hasn't scored in three or four games.
05:17I don't think it matters, no. I really don't because to me what's much more important is his contribution to us playing our football.
05:29Maybe he'd have three goals and more shots on target, but if he wasn't doing the job we needed for him to do, we would be struggling as a team.
05:41For me, that's the ultimate measure. Each component of what we set up team-wise isn't contributing to us playing the football we want.
05:52He certainly is now. Like I said, he's been a breath away from scoring another goal or two and people don't talk about this stuff.
06:00For me personally, it's not how I measure a striker's performance on how many shots he gets on target or even the number of goals he scores.
06:09Obviously, if he's not getting into the area or he's missing a lot of chances or there's an issue there with the way he's going about things, we'll address it.
06:19But for the way we're playing at the moment and what we need, I think he's the perfect front man for us.
06:28I do believe he will score a lot of goals for us. I don't have a fear in terms of that.
06:35You mentioned about the goalscoring in the media. I think Arsenal went third as opposed to a 12-goal scoring position.
06:44He used to be, I guess when you've got Harry in the team, he's always going to be the leader on that.
06:50I know when he left, you were thinking he was going to get goals from Arsenal, but how happy are you now that that's come to pass?
06:58I guess that's what I'm continually talking about. We've had a major shift at the club from what it was for a very long time, which wasn't necessarily successful, but it was still very formidable.
07:14With Harry and Sonny, it was a tough team to stop, especially with the transition football they were playing.
07:23I've tried to take us to a totally different direction in 15 months where we're not reliant on one person or one way of scoring or one way of playing our football.
07:37When it's such a serious departure, it's kind of what we're struggling with at the moment, the inconsistency of it.
07:43But I still think that if we persevere, we'll get to a space where we can be just as formidable but in a different way.
07:53Oppositions maybe trying to stop us and knowing that we've got multiple ways of breaking through, scoring goals or being effective in our football.
08:05This year especially, I said, and he hasn't played a lot, but every time Pape's played he's either scored or assisted or closed.
08:16Now that's not something that people were synonymous with him and he's still got the physicality, the running aspect and the closing down.
08:24We've got getting goals out of the wingers, which I think we needed to do more.
08:29Now Deckie, I think, is looking more and more of a goal threat from midfield.
08:33We got a goal from an attacking set-piece the other night.
08:37No-one's mentioned that in the attacking set-piece.
08:41But there are areas that if we can become more proficient in all those kind of things, as I said, we need to become a bit of a different team and that's kind of where we're headed.
09:00You've got a player who's got three, but sometimes it's just the rest of the side that's seen more than four.
09:06Given your chances, do you think over the long term, I guess you're hoping for this, but do you want to actually give him the opportunity?
09:12That's certainly one of the things that's telling you that you're going to have players that can handle that beat.
09:17Are you happy with that?
09:18Yeah, well that's the aim.
09:19But again, I've said before, don't get me wrong, if Harry was here, I'd be a very, very happy manager.
09:26So we'll find a way to fit him in, mate.
09:32But you're right, part of that is, with him leaving, is that opportunity for people to grow.
09:39And we're still in that phase, I really believe.
09:41I think there's more that the guys have in them that, I keep saying, I think they've got a really high ceiling.
09:46Some of them are still, they're kind of just trying to stick their head up a little bit more every time.
09:53But then you have a performance like Palace and you feel like, are they going to cower again or just stand up even further,
10:01knowing that, okay, we've had a disappointing one.
10:04But you need to go through those experiences.
10:06But I definitely see that growth in a lot of the players.
10:10And like I said, that's why I think they've got a really high ceiling.
10:12Once I can cajole them, convince them to just keep going, don't be afraid, don't fear stumbling, failure, criticism, scrutiny.
10:21Just keep going.
10:22I think there is that opportunity for us.
10:24And it's the only way we'll become the team we want to be.
10:27Because I certainly don't think we will by bringing in another Harry.
10:32I just don't think those kind of players exist, or they're rare anyway.
10:38So for us, it's going to have to be a real collective effort to get to where we want to be.
10:56No, but I think we're looking forward to it because we know it's going to be a good game.
11:02Because they're a good side.
11:04And again, they're a team that asks you certain questions.
11:06And we know we're going to ask them certain questions.
11:08And the thing is with Thune's team, it doesn't change too much.
11:15There's a core there that consistently play in the way they play.
11:18And they're really very well drilled.
11:22So it's a great challenge.
11:23But it's at home for us to get another home game.
11:26We want to continue to be strong at home.
11:30And we certainly need to make sure our league form is more consistent than what it has been, results-wise.
11:39So that's of primary importance for us.
11:44In terms of?
11:51Oh, in Champions League, you mean?
11:54Yeah.
11:58Yeah.
11:59Yeah.
12:00Yeah.
12:01Yeah.
12:02And if English teams had done better in Europe last year, jeez.
12:05Everything's against me, man.
12:07Woe is me.
12:08No, I don't think that way, mate.
12:09They got what they deserved.
12:10We got what we deserved.
12:11We're playing where we're playing.
12:12They're playing where they're playing.
12:13We're just trying to get on top of them this year.
12:18Thank you very much.
12:19Thanks, guys.
12:20Good luck.
12:21Thanks.
12:22Good luck with goal.
12:23Fertilising.
12:24Great.
12:25Great.
12:26Great.
12:27Great.
12:28Great.
12:29Great.
12:30Great.
12:31Great.
12:32Great.
12:33Great.
12:34Great.
12:35Great.
12:36Great.
12:37Great.
12:38Great.
12:39Great.
12:40Great.
12:41Great.