Tottenham Hotspur boss Ange Postecoglou unfazed by Fulham’s ‘not unbeatable’ claim
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Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou has said that he will not change his attacking approach regardless of the situation.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
LONDON – Tottenham Hotspur may not be unbeatable but they have the potential to defeat any team in the English Premier League, manager Ange Postecoglou said, hitting back at Fulham defender Antonee Robinson’s comments ahead of their clash.
Before the match between the London rivals at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Dec 1, Robinson called Spurs “not an unbeatable team by any stretch”.
Postecoglou said he was not bothered by the remark and chose to focus instead on his side’s recent progress, telling reporters on Nov 29: “We’re not unbeatable. No team is! Not Fulham either. Even Liverpool have lost this year.
“What other teams think is not relevant to us. On our day, we can beat anyone and that’s what we try to continue to be.
“When we are that, we’re a compelling side and are growing into the team we want to be.
“We’ve struggled in a few games this year, for sure. But that’s part of our growth, to make sure our levels don’t drop to what they did where we haven’t played to our identity.”
The Australian added that he would stick to his attacking principles despite his team’s slip-ups.
“There’s plenty of room for pragmatism in all walks of life and in football as well. But I’m not interested in it. I don’t know why I need to change my approach to be like everyone else wants me to be,” he said.
“I’ll continue to push this team to be a little bit different, play in a different way. Maybe when I’m long gone, you’ll all pine for my entertainment and you’ll have had your fill of pragmatism.”
Tottenham have 19 points from 12 games, one point ahead of Fulham, with Postecoglou saying Marco Silva’s side will be a tough challenge as the Portuguese has transformed the west London outfit.
“I’ve got a lot of time for Marco. He’s an outstanding manager. He’s got the team really playing in a manner where they’re always looking to be a threat,” he added.
“He’s stabilised them and their level of performance, they’ve got some good players in there. We had a couple of tough battles in there last year. They play as well, so it should be a good game.”
Spurs have Wilson Odobert, Mikey Moore, Micky van de Ven, Richarlison and Guglielmo Vicario sidelined with injuries, while centre-back Cristian Romero could be in contention. Midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur is out serving his ban.
The Cottagers will have to do without midfielder Harrison Reed, and defenders Joachim Andersen and Jorge Cuenca. REUTERS, AFP
