Postecoglou on Liverpool hitting Spurs for six
22/12/2024
Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, UK
22/12/2024
Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, UK
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00It was a difficult day for us, obviously, and a painful result.
00:08Credit to Liverpool. I thought they're a very good side.
00:13Obviously, they're in a great moment.
00:15Very settled and in great form with great belief.
00:19It's just kind of bridged too far for us today in terms of, yeah,
00:25you could tell we were lacking a little bit of energy
00:29and the ability to really compete with them at the same level.
00:37You kind of said that you wanted to play your football no matter what the season.
00:41Was this just an example of maybe in the long term you'll benefit from this,
00:45but today you kind of picked apart a little bit?
00:54Look, I think I've been really, really patient the last 18 months
00:58sitting up here answering the same questions over and over again.
01:01If people want me to change my approach, it's not going to change.
01:04We're doing it for a reason.
01:06We're doing it because we think it'll help us be successful.
01:08If people don't understand the circumstances we're in at the moment
01:11and the challenges we have from a team and squad perspective,
01:14which are as obvious as you'd want to make them now,
01:18I get the idea that people think that I should just flick the switch and change
01:26and somehow that would miraculously make us a different team.
01:29But it is what it is.
01:31I'm just going to continue staying focused on trying to build this team
01:37to be the team we want.
01:39In the interim, we're going to have to accept
01:45that there are going to be challenges along the way.
01:52Yeah, yeah, fair bit.
01:56Fair bit considering they're – yeah, no, fair bit.
01:59I'll just leave it at that.
02:01Yeah, they're a good side, top side, top side.
02:08You mentioned about the level and I know you've got a lot of injuries at the moment.
02:11I was wondering how far away do you think it's going to pull the strength from levels?
02:17I don't know because we haven't had that.
02:21We're still growing as a team.
02:25We're 18 months into trying to build a new team with a new way of playing
02:28and it's fair to say we've had some challenges along the way
02:31considering the availability, particularly at the moment.
02:37So that kind of – it's very hard to sort of see where we're at.
02:40But what I will say is that the players are not wavering
02:48in their sort of commitment to what we're trying to do.
02:51I think even today in a difficult day,
02:56really proud of the fact that they still tried to play a certain way,
02:59knowing that that's our way forward.
03:02Andrew, perhaps not the story, but Deke's scored five games in a row now.
03:08Does it kind of feel like he's adding that really consistent end product to his game
03:13that he's perhaps not there before?
03:15Yeah, look, I think Deke's been outstanding all year.
03:20And yeah, like I said, I think that's probably the next part of his game.
03:26Not that he's never had it, but he's adding that now
03:28where he's being really clean with his finishing.
03:33And it's a credit to him.
03:35He's taken his game to another level.
03:36I think a few of the boys have, to be fair.
03:39It's probably not as evident at the moment
03:41because, like I said, we're in a difficult situation.
03:44As you've said too, fans have seen your name, it's quite random.
03:47As you get started producing that football,
03:50what does that say about the support they're giving you?
03:53Yeah, look, the fans – I've often said –
03:57I've always said the fans should feel the way they need to
04:05about what's happening.
04:07I thought they were good today, very good today
04:09in terms of it was a difficult day for sure.
04:13But they still got support of the players, which is important.
04:19And who knows, maybe some of them actually understand
04:23the situation we're in right now.
04:27That seems many don't.
04:31So I think in the context of what we're trying to do
04:34and where we're at, I kind of hope that they see
04:38what we're trying to build here
04:40because I really believe it's going to be something
04:44that will give the fans and the club what it wants.
04:49But that's up to them.
04:52And Ryan Downs, are you looking to that break
04:55after Newcastle are ready, an extra game,
04:57just about going through the same group?
05:01We've been doing that for the last three weeks.
05:06Pretty much after the City game, we've kind of been –
05:12we had a look at it and we knew that this was going to be
05:15our toughest period for sure because the efforts the players are putting in.
05:22I think we've had shorter turnarounds
05:23than just about every opponent we've played so far.
05:26At least one less day than just about every team.
05:28I think every team we've played, whether it's here or in Europe.
05:31And I haven't been able to change the team
05:34with rest players or rotate players.
05:38Like I said, I've got massive admiration for the efforts
05:41that these players are putting in for this club at the moment.
05:44But we know we're in a difficult situation
05:46and that's not going to change in the short term.
05:49And we've just got to push on.
05:52Jake.
05:53Can I ask you, you did talk to you –
05:55Sorry?
05:56You did talk to you a few weeks ago about being at the table
06:00by Christmas and that's where you are
06:03with all those reasons that you talked about.
06:06Do you feel any pressure about where you are in the table?
06:11I'm not sure what you mean by pressure.
06:13I mean, I'm not happy where we are in the table.
06:15But I'm not sure pressure is in what sense.
06:18Is it discomfort really that this is ultimately
06:21what punches tend to get judged on?
06:24Well, I think I am getting judged on that.
06:26I don't think people are throwing the platitudes at me.
06:28So I think that's fair enough.
06:31Again, from my perspective, all I can do is try and, like I said,
06:39navigate us through a difficult period
06:41and try and make sure that when we do get to a position
06:49where hopefully we have a healthier squad
06:54and some key players back that we're still in a position
06:57where we can improve our position on the table.
07:00But if you're saying that tenth means that I'm not doing a good job
07:06and that I maybe somehow should be uncomfortable,
07:12well, that's for others to judge.
07:16And given the situation that you're in,
07:19with the lack of energy you're throwing,
07:21the schedule is going to stay very different.
07:26Do you think that reinforcements are needed in general?
07:30Yeah, absolutely.
07:31Some of them will be internal.
07:33Like I said, we've got different stages
07:35where we'll get players back from injury.
07:38Obviously we've got a couple of long-term in Vicario and Wilson,
07:42but the rest hopefully at some point in January they'll come back.
07:45So that will help us in terms of just getting some numbers back
07:52and dealing with, like you said, the schedule,
07:54because the schedule is not going to change.
07:56We're in the Carabao Cup semi-final.
07:59We're still in Europe, FA Cup start,
08:01so we're still in all the competitions.
08:03So it's not going to get any easier.
08:05So we are going to need some of those players hopefully to come back
08:10and be able to contribute.
08:12Can you bring players in?
08:15In terms of January?
08:18Yeah, if the right players are there I guess we can bring players in.
08:21But, again, it's about making sure it's something
08:23that's going to sort of help us continuing to build what we're doing.
08:28Okay, thank you.