Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou previews facing Liverpool in the Carabao Cup Semi-Final
07/01/2025
Tottenham Hotspurs Training Ground, London, UK
07/01/2025
Tottenham Hotspurs Training Ground, London, UK
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00:00I was reading a quote from one of his old goalkeeping coaches, he said he looks forward to tough matches like a little kid looking forward to high school.
00:07Because obviously if you throw him in now, this will be about as big a game as he can start.
00:11From what you've seen so far, do you sense a player who relishes big matches?
00:16Oh look, it's hard to say, but there is one of the reasons, as I said, that one of the things we look at when signing a player is what kind of person they are.
00:27He certainly didn't strike me talking to him as somebody who is going to shy away from that kind of opportunity should it come his way.
00:37I definitely got the sense that, you know what, if you throw me in, that's what I want.
00:42But that was a big part of bringing him in, and bringing him in now, because that was the reality, that potentially we might have to throw you in straight away.
00:51So that was always in our thinking, so I get that sense.
00:55But at the same time, that doesn't mean that it's not going to still be a big occasion whenever he does that, whether that's tomorrow or the weekend or whatever game he plays.
01:04It's his first foray out of his home country, so it's a big step for him.
01:10But certainly his demeanour and his character is one that you know that whenever that opportunity presents itself, he's certainly not going to shy away from it.
01:19When we asked you about Sonny, I think it was at the start of December, you made the comparison to Mohamed Salah, the way you kind of broke him off quite effectively.
01:30Son's form since has been patchy, I think it's fair to say. How have you assisted him in his playing?
01:36Yeah, look I think, you know, you've always got to keep context.
01:43I mean, Moh's an unbelievable player, but he's playing in a fantastic team flying at the moment.
01:47You know, hazard to say, if you put Sonny in Liverpool's team, I reckon his goal scoring return would be decent.
01:53You know, it's hard for our players at the moment.
01:56You know, guys like Solanke and Kulosevski, Johnson, they're trying awfully hard to be the best they can be.
02:05But there is context to that in that, you know, we're a team that's very disrupted, that is not playing with the fluency it can play with.
02:13We're asking players to play in positions that they're totally unfamiliar with and that has an effect.
02:20So I think, like I said, to me it's about context.
02:25But, you know, when we're at our best, I still think you'll see that Sonny's return in terms of his ability to score goals and be real effective for us.
02:34I don't think that's diminished at all.
02:36He's going through a tough job, but we're going through a tough job and I think that sort of goes hand in hand.
02:42How much have you relived that game, rewatched it?
02:57Yeah, no, it's a good reference point because, like I said, it happened recently.
03:02And when we did our review, you know, we did some things really well on the night, but we did some things really poorly.
03:09And it was more about moments in the game that we kind of, you can't against a team of that quality sort of switch off.
03:15I mean, you know, we got ourselves back into the game at 2-1 and then just for half time, you think, you know, we go in at 2-1.
03:21We always finish strong and we concede a really poor goal from our behalf.
03:25And some of it was just focus, organisation.
03:28So they're the kind of things you reflect on and, you know, they capitalise.
03:32I mean, the game came a bit sort of chaotic in the second half.
03:35We got really stretched, which suited them, but then kind of allowed us to get back into the game as well.
03:42So there was learnings from it.
03:44And I think because it was so recent, you certainly use that as a kind of, you know,
03:50a foundation for the kind of game we need it to be tomorrow in terms of addressing it a bit differently.
03:58Matt.
04:20After sitting here for 18 months, Matt, and telling me what a trophy is going to do for this club,
04:24I kind of hope it has a little bit of an impact on everybody.
04:29But look, I kind of don't get weighed down by those kind of things in terms of allowing them to really impact what I think is important for this football club.
04:47And that is that, you know, look, we're having a tough season.
04:50Our league form is really poor.
04:51We need to improve.
04:53But we are in a semi-final of a competition.
04:55And with the group of players we've got at the moment, if we can achieve something where they are in their careers,
05:02I think it does set you up really well for what we're trying to build here.
05:05I think it does.
05:06It's not the be all and end all, as I've said many times.
05:09But, you know, if we get to, you know, a final and happen to win a trophy,
05:16we'll look back on sort of this period of where, you know, a real sort of small group of players had to rise above and beyond to get there.
05:27I think that will be as worthy of the achievement as actually winning it.
05:36Yeah, I know.
05:38So just drop out of the semi-final, you reckon, and I'm safe?
05:42But a lot's been raised this time in terms of a wider importance.
05:45Do you think it offers you any greater security to your job?
05:47I don't need greater security.
05:49Look, all I see is, you know, I've got a group of players who are absolutely giving everything they can.
05:56I see every person at this football club pushing hard every day, whether they're involved in football or not, to try and help us through this situation.
06:07I don't need anything more than that.
06:09It's my responsibility.
06:10The results are on me.
06:11It's my responsibility to change that.
06:12If it doesn't change, then, of course, I'm the one that should take whatever ramifications there are to it.
06:17But I don't need any more security than seeing what I see every day, that the club, everyone at the club is totally supportive of what we're trying to do,
06:26and they're trying to help me and trying to help us get through this.
06:30And that's all kind of any manager really needs.
06:34I'm not interested in security.
06:37Alan?
06:38Heath Grove, in the past, has used Son as a case study for players who've had a lot of trouble.
06:44Has that been a concern at all?
06:49Oh, look, I think it's more of a testament to him and how he's been able to maintain such a high level of performance for that many years.
07:00Obviously, coming from that part of the world, I can tell you it's the hardest probably trip you can do, coming from Asia back into Europe and on a consistent basis.
07:12I'd hate to know the kind of mileage he's put in over his career, and yet he's maintained an unbelievable level of performance,
07:19which is a testament to him as a person as much as a footballer.
07:24And I think they're the things you kind of take in the mind because I think Sonny's found a way of, like I said, maintaining an unbelievable standard.
07:37But what I'm more concerned with is how many players haven't realised their potential because of similar circumstances.
07:45Do you feel that may have taken a toll over the course of years?
07:49You've spoken a bit about the collective being exhausted. Is there a chance of going back and forth over a decade?
07:57On him? No, no, on him, the opposite. I think it's been unbelievable how he's been able to maintain that level of consistent performance.
08:05I mean, I know everyone's kind of focusing on the now, but even last year, his season was incredible for us.
08:12So, like I said, I think people just need to have a little bit of context.
08:18Again, Mo's a world-class player, but you put him in our team at the moment, I'm not sure he would have the same impact because of the situation we're in as a group.
08:28As a tacking player, what do you need? You need a team that's kind of in good form, creating opportunities, playing on the front foot,
08:34having a really solid sort of foundation of a defence that is cohesive.
08:40None of these things exist at the moment, so we're relying really on individual moments.
08:45Like I said, you can say the same thing about Dom and Kulosevsky and Brennan, because they're the ones that are kind of playing all the time.
08:53They're doing the best they can.
08:57Dave.
08:58Hi, just two things. First of all, just more on Son.
09:02Is it important that the club sort out his longer-term contract situation by the end of the summer?
09:08I suppose the obvious, if it's not sorted out by then, the other questions are quite obvious.
09:14Only if it's important to Sonny as well.
09:17I think with all these kind of things, I think it has to be...
09:21When you've got a player like Sonny who has such a standing at a club, and I know how highly the club regards him,
09:30and I know how much he loves the club, I just think it'll all happen mutually.
09:36I don't think it's something that needs to be forced one way or another.
09:40I don't think the club will be sort of in a position of trying to force anything, or Sonny would try and force anything.
09:49I think there's enough respect and enough credit between both parties.
09:56Those kind of discussions, I think, will happen naturally.
10:00I think we'll come to a conclusion that everyone's happy with.
10:04Do you get the sense that's what Sonny wants?
10:07Look, I don't want to speak on behalf of...
10:10I think what Sonny wants is for us to win tomorrow night.
10:12I think that's where his headspace is at the moment.
10:15Just the other thing is that in the 6-3 against Liverpool recently,
10:20it struck me that energy and just that physical sharpness was clearly a problem for all players, understandably.
10:27What has changed since then, compared to what we're going to see tomorrow night?
10:33Because it's not quite easy for them.
10:35No, no. Not a great deal has changed.
10:40Like I said, we've just got to deal with certain moments better,
10:43so we don't allow the game to get away from us like it did that night.
10:47Like I said, moments in the game allowed it to drift into a game where it became a bit chaotic.
10:55They understandably had more legs than us on the night,
10:59although we still matched them physically from a numbers perspective.
11:03It's just that we ended up probably doing more running than we needed to because the game became so stretched.
11:08So there are things that we need to do better to try and control the game
11:12and control how much running we need to do.
11:15Whilst at the same time, we still want to play at a high tempo
11:18and the players are maintaining that intensity and tempo.
11:22It's just that, like I said, against Liverpool, you've got to have an element of control around it.
11:28Tom and then finish with Dan, please.
11:30Just on Solanke, it didn't really work for him at Liverpool or Chelsea.
11:34He wasn't a big club player.
11:37Was that at all on your mind when you signed him?
11:42No, not really.
11:45If anything, I think that was kind of what excited me about it
11:50because I knew I was going to get a player who had something to prove.
11:55I probably felt like the start of my career wasn't great,
11:58but I worked my way back to a big club and now I want to show people that I can play at this level
12:06and can make an impact.
12:09He's been unbelievable for us.
12:13To think of the way he's led that front line pretty much on his own.
12:18We've lost Richarlison all year.
12:21He had his own kind of minor setbacks at the start of the year.
12:24I can't even sub him off. I've got to leave him out there.
12:28The manner in which he plays takes a big physical toll.
12:31It's not like he's one of these strikers who just sort of strolls about.
12:34He works his backside off the team defensively, leads the line and he's scoring goals.
12:39He's been brilliant for us.
12:42Hopefully, in the very near future, we get some help for him
12:47and I think you'll see him go to another level.
12:49You said Michael said that he does so many things well.
12:52His numbers would be even better if he focused more on his...
12:57Again, I'll just say that his numbers would be better if we were better.
13:02You've got to cut these guys some slack.
13:05They can't do it all on their own.
13:08We're struggling as a team for, like I said, consistency, energy, cohesion.
13:13Understandably so.
13:15You can't expect strikers then to go score hat-tricks on the back of that.
13:20Even on the weekend, he kind of scored an unbelievable goal.
13:23He had a couple of headers. We were a bit unlucky.
13:26He's still getting in those areas, but he's doing the absolute maximum.
13:30His numbers will be better when we get better.
13:33Is he one of the leaders in the team?
13:35He's becoming that, yeah.
13:36Look, I think through this difficult process we've been in,
13:42there have been things that have emerged.
13:44Guys like him and Kulosevsky have definitely become much more pivotal
13:50in what we do with the way they play
13:53and the way they tackle the tasks that we've got at the moment.
13:57We've seen enormous growth in Archie Gray,
13:59enormous growth in Lucas Bergvall, enormous growth in Jed Spencer.
14:03There is some good stuff happening,
14:05but it does get masked over by the fact that we're not in a great space
14:11in terms of our results right now.
14:13We need to change that.
14:16Dan, to finish, please.
14:18You just said in the very near future,
14:21is that a dramatic transfer?
14:26Both, yeah.
14:27It's not a hint, but it's hopefully what we can do.
14:30It's nothing near future.
14:34I wouldn't suggest tomorrow, I don't think.
14:37Are you hoping for a centre-forward this month?
14:39Not a centre-forward,
14:40but I think we need some help in the front half if we can get it.
14:44Obviously, Wilson is still a fair bit of way off.
14:49Richie is coming back,
14:50but we've just got to be really careful with Richie
14:52and we've got to try and keep him back.
14:55There's an area, but again, it's got to be the right fit.
14:59Is that going to happen this window?
15:01I'm not really sure,
15:02but at least we know that within all the things being well,
15:07Richie is back and he'll definitely help Don for sure.
15:10I thought you said that Richie went to four weeks of training?
15:13No, two. Sorry, mate.
15:15So, this week, next week.
15:17All things being well,
15:18we're kind of hoping by Lost Tracker Games Arsenal next week,
15:22he should be available.
15:23Can I just ask you about the 6-3 again?
15:26It struck me that you worked really hard to get that goal back
15:29through Madison, I think five minutes before half-time,
15:33and then perhaps if you'd gone in at 2-1,
15:35the big second half, it might have been different.
15:38How frustrated were you by their third goal in possession?
15:42Yeah, no, it was a poor goal from us,
15:44and that's what I mean.
15:45They kind of let the game get away from us
15:47and then it became a game where it became chaotic,
15:51and that suits Liverpool with the way they're set up.
15:54It was a disappointing moment for us.
15:56Again, disorganisation, a little bit of lack of focus,
16:00but I've got to, again, even me,
16:04I've got to temper those frustrations
16:06by the fact that we've got an 18-year-old
16:08who's not a centre-back playing a centre-back,
16:10a left-back who's not a left-back,
16:13a goalkeeper that was not there from the start.
16:17There's so many things that are so disjointed
16:20in our defensive set-up that those things are going to happen.
16:25It didn't need to happen at that moment,
16:27and I think they're the things we've kind of addressed
16:29for tomorrow night.
16:31You need against Liverpool to be totally focused,
16:34totally disciplined in everything you do
16:37right up until the moment the whistle ends the half or the game,
16:42because like I said, going in at 2-1,
16:45we always finish strong.
16:46We finish strong in that game.
16:47You always give yourself a chance,
16:48but then when they score the third,
16:50it means we've got to open up
16:51and all of a sudden the game becomes something
16:54that Liverpool sort of probably prefer.
16:57Thank you very much.