Ange Postecoglou rejects suggestions that he needs to curb his hyper-attacking approach for big matches, insisting that he is okay with the fact that his side leave more spaces at the back due to their desire to get forward and score goals.
Most Spurs fans will agree that Postecoglou’s style of play has been a breath of fresh air, particularly after some of the turgid football that his predecessors produced in North London.
However, many are now starting to wonder if the Australian’s approach is almost too attacking and if the Lilywhites are too open defensively.
That was certainly the case the last time Arsenal came to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium back in April, with the Gunners having plenty of joy on the counterattack.
When asked if he is worried about his side leaving too many gaps at the back, the Spurs boss told The Guardian: “If you’re going to be more attacking, you’re going to have more gaps the other way. I get it. People say: ‘We want you to be more attacking, but we want you to be really solid defensively’.
“We’re talking about perfection. That doesn’t exist with anyone. We’re erring on the side of being more attacking and aggressive, which may mean we concede more than others, but that’s fine. I’m comfortable in that space.”
Looking specifically to the way the last North London Derby went, Postecoglou has asked if there can be some temptation to be a little more circumspect, to which he responded: “I guess there can be. But there won’t be.”
It was suggested to Postecoglou that with a win on Sunday, he may be able to win back some of the Tottenham supporters who are concerned by the team’s approach, but the 59-year-old insisted that he is as bullish as ever about his style despite recent results.
He added: “If people have lost faith in what we’re doing, I cannot let that be my guide to what we’re doing. My guide is what I see on a daily basis, the way we play our football, the way the team is growing and I’m as optimistic and as bullish as I’ve ever been.
“I want to win big games. But we won big games early last season. It doesn’t mean it’s going to get you to where you want to get to. There’s got to be a consistency in approach.
“There’s nothing I’ve seen to make me waver in my belief about what we’re doing. There’s only one way to change [perceptions] if people have lost faith in what we’re doing here and that is to perform and win.”
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Some fans will interpret this as arrogance from Postecoglou. However, the reality is that as a manager, you cannot waver even slightly from the belief in your principles as that is the only way to ensure a complete buy-in from the players.
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