Ange Postecoglou, the manager of Tottenham, has thrown his hat in the direction of West Ham vice-chair Karren Brady’s intuition after she correctly predicted in May that he would dominate the Premier League.
Spurs will play West Ham on Thursday in an attempt to snap a four-game losing streak, but despite their stellar start to the season, they are currently fifth in the standings.
Despite missing a number of players over the last month, Postecoglou has received praise for his unwavering dedication to his attacking philosophy, which helped Tottenham rally for a 3-3 draw against Manchester City last weekend.
Brady suggested in her May Sun column that the former Celtic manager would succeed in England if given the opportunity.
When asked whether he had seen Brady’s “love letter,” Postecoglou responded, “No, ha ha. Karren is someone I’ve never met and don’t believe I’ve ever seen, but wouldn’t that put her somewhat ahead of the game in many ways?
She seems like a pretty astute operator to me! Regarding the love letter stuff, mate, I’m not sure.
“I suppose that relocating to Celtic helped me become more familiar with this region of the world.
“I knew that everyone down here watches it and it enters people’s consciousness, especially the Celtic-Rangers. If Karren is aware, then congratulations to her.”
Tottenham has snapped a three-match losing streak going into Thursday’s London derby.
A 90th-minute effort by Dejan Kulusevski at the Etihad Stadium earned a draw for Postecoglou’s injured team, who was expected to lose badly at the Etihad if he kept up his audacious strategy, according to some pundits.
After playing a game like that, Postecoglou stated, “you want to give the players something.”
“Show them something to let them know you succeeded. You accomplished it; it’s not just words or an idea. Even though it was limited to certain areas of the game, the question is: Can we expand it to larger portions of the game if it works well for the smaller ones?
But you never know if you never give it a shot. That’s where I would have lost in the Man City game if I had adopted a different strategy. I would not have been able to provide the players with that feedback.
So, looking at it that way, that game gave us a lot of useful information. Both good and bad, such as areas in which we truly faltered.
“When you’re panning for gold, there’s a lot of dirt there, but you’re just looking for that little speck,” I told the other coaches.
And after the game, I can show the players a number of gold specks that indicate, “You know, if we keep digging here, this will eventually get some nuggets.” I have no idea why I said that.
Cristian Romero will return for Tottenham’s match against West Ham, and Richarlison will make a welcome cameo in Manchester following minor groin surgery. This is a welcome boost as their list of absences had risen to double digits.
Postecoglou has been forced to use most of his squad as a result, but Hugo Lloris, the former captain, has not played this season despite being expected to leave the team this summer.
Although Lloris has remained a member of the first team under Postecoglou, it is generally believed he will leave in 2024, either in January during the transfer window or after his contract expires the following summer.
“Hugo hasn’t changed his demeanor in any way, even though he hasn’t been playing,” Postecoglou continued. With his expertise, he is highly professional and a great asset to the other keepers.
January? Hugo and the club must make that decision. That power (to free him) is not mine, nor do I want it.
“I think it’s important that Hugo trains every day because he is a member of this squad. I wouldn’t have to deal with it if he wasn’t, but I haven’t. In my capacity as manager, I don’t take his exceptional performance for granted.
