Coach Postecoglou's recent wins have helped him greatly
Feb 26, 2025
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Tottenham have won three consecutive league games recently. In particular, he caught Manchester United and Ipswich, and his performance is improving as injured players return. Tottenham will now face Manchester City on the 26th. Speaking at a news conference just a day before the match, Postecoglou said, `We have helped reorganize the team in recent games,' `The players who endured the tough times, the players who returned, are all adding positive energy to the team.'
◇Enzi Postecoglou's press conference
-What about the team?
▶It will be the same as the weekend squad. Everyone finished their weekend well, and there's no problem. I was able to protect some players. Porro and Madison didn't start. Everything is fine.
In the case of the injured, there is no particular change. I am still recovering and participating in training intermittently. It is expected that it will be possible to return within the next 7-10 days.
-Can Archie Gray and Kevin Forging stop Erling Holan?
▶It will be a great challenge for them. Delap was a tough opponent last week, too. Holan is the best striker in the world when he is in good condition. It will be a good challenge, and it will be a big test for our players whether he plays or not.
-Are you confident of beating Man City?
▶I'm always looking forward to the challenge. Man City is an outstanding club, they have a great manager and they still have great players. They still play soccer that is difficult to play against, but we enjoyed the game against them. Whether it was this year or last year, it was a good game. I'm sure it'll be a good soccer game. They're going to come out aggressively to win, and we're going to play the same way. It will be a good test.
-There is talk of Rodrigo Bentancur extending his contract, how has his performance been this season?
▶The Bentancourt was excellent. The contract situation is something that others manage, and of course, our strategy includes not only the short term but also the long term.
Bentancourt has recently returned to the level she wants. He suffered a long-term injury last year, and he was in good form after his return and suffered another injury. It's been a really hard process. This year, the season started badly due to the long suspension. But now, I'm constantly playing and improving my condition. He plays an important role within the team as well, and is now an experienced player. I think he will play an important role in finishing this season.
-Did 3 consecutive league wins help change the mood?
▶Everyone is overlooking the fact that we lost two games in the Cup. Technically, it's not a three-game winning streak. There were also disappointing moments during that time. However, it has helped me reorganize my team in recent games.
Both the players who endured the tough times and the returning players are giving the team positive energy. Players who couldn't come to the game are also highly motivated to contribute. Back at the weekend, players like Vicario, Brennan, Madison and Destiny made a good impact. It also helped that there was no midweek game for two weeks. These things have come together and won two games, which has a positive impact on the team and will be a good foundation for moving forward.
-Players came back and won two games, but are there any regrets that they could have done better?
▶Yes, there is a possibility. I always felt that we were heading in the right direction. However, it may not look that way when you look at the results.
I think we've built a good squad with great growth potential. However, it has not yet reached its full potential. Still, there are still things we can do this season, and there is an opportunity to leave a strong impact.
-How great is it to beat Pep's Man City three times in a season?
▶Some things feel like they're repeated 33 times, not 3 times! The game against Manchester City is always challenging. They pressure us in a different way than other teams.
Even if they are struggling recently, they are still a strong team and play tough soccer to play against. But this challenge is what we want, and it's an opportunity to test ourselves. They're going to try to take possession, and we're going to be just as aggressive. But it's impossible to get the upper hand in all aspects against Man City.
There will be moments when they dominate the game, and it's important how we overcome it. We did well in the last game, and that will be a challenge again this time. When we take the opportunity, we have to show high quality. We won the last away game, but it wasn't because we created a lot of chances, but because we showed high finishing ability at a crucial moment. It's always interesting to face Pep's team. I'm counting on it.
-Since Guardiola came to England, Tottenham have been Manchester City's 'natural enemy'. Why do you think that?
▶I don't know how reliable I can trust that part. Because Tottenham, which Man City played against during that period, changed several times, and the manager was different.
It is true that our team performed well against the strong team. There have been some difficult games in the last two years, but overall we have played well against the top teams in the league. Rather, it was against the lower-ranked teams that we had more difficulties with.
Strong teams usually try to dominate the game, so we have a chance to play our style. But we should not ignore Manchester City's quality. It may seem like they are struggling recently, but that is because they have set too high standards in the past.
-How do you rate this season for Manchester City?
▶This is the essence of elite sports. You can see how great they were just by looking at Manchester City winning four league games in a row. The points, goals and winning numbers they've built over the last four seasons have been unprecedented, and it's impossible to sustain those achievements forever. But if you win again next year and win five out of six years, you will still be considered the best team. These things happen from time to time. Injuries and a few variables can take the team off the top. Is that an elite sport?In the end, victory or defeat is determined by a small difference.
-Jed Spence, he's got his chance thanks to the injuries of other players, and he's making good use of them, what do you think of him this season?
▶As I said last week, he has been performing well and continues to be in good form. The important thing for Jed is to keep improving. You are not satisfied with what you have now, and you must seize your opportunity with the same hunger and attitude you have shown so far. I can offer him an opportunity, but now he has to keep it going. I think he still has a lot to grow. He has not had a stable time in his career so far. Good form at Forest, but there have been ups and downs since then. Now he has to keep improving as he plays consistently.
-I'd like to ask you about Timo Werner. He was available to play, but was he ruled out because of the stronger squad at the moment, or is he not fully up yet?
▶No, he was only available in weekend games. But considering the composition of the match squad, I decided to exclude him. It was just for squad composition reasons, as Ben Davies was out and included Reguilon on the bench as an extra defender. But he trained well, and he's available for tomorrow's game.
-Regarding Ben Davies, you said you adjusted your playing time in the weekend game, but did you have any additional problems after that?
▶No, it's still the same. He's been running with a small injury for a while, and he's put up with it. But I think, as I've said before, this is a very important time for the team. Therefore, it is important to ensure that as many players are in the best condition as possible. After this match, there will be another seven-day break, followed by a push to and from European tournaments and leagues. These four games (Europe-League-Europe-League) are very important games for us. Therefore, I don't think you need to push a specific player by pushing yourself now. Instead, it's trying to give a chance to players who need game time like Destiny, Brennan and Wilson. Ben has not suffered any additional injuries, but he is being careful not to exacerbate the injuries he is currently carrying.
-Dane Scarlett scored an assist in the weekend's game, and the moment seemed to mean a lot to him. Especially, the stadium is where he had a tough lease in the past. In the last three games he has scored one goal and two assists, how do you rate his progress after his return?
▶Yes, Dane is working really hard. As you said, he had a difficult lease life. But that's part of the growth process, too. I just talked about Jed Spence, who also went through three difficult leases.
After all, the important thing is to persevere, work hard, and wait for the opportunity. Dane is showing a good performance in our team. When he came back, to be honest, his physical condition wasn't at his best. But he is currently training really hard to boost his physical condition, and hopefully he will get more opportunities.
But, just to mention, I think assist is really the most useless statistic in football. To be serious, even if a teammate scores a goal on the halfway line after the ball accidentally hits his body and deflects, it's recorded as 'assist'. So the number assist itself doesn't mean much to me. But Dane's assist in the weekend's game was a really good play.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
