Postecoglou on Liverpool hitting Spurs for six

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Postecoglou on Liverpool hitting Spurs for six  22/12/2024  Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, UK

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00:00It was a difficult day for us, obviously, and a painful result.

00:08Credit to Liverpool. I thought they're a very good side.

00:13Obviously, they're in a great moment.

00:15Very settled and in great form with great belief.

00:19It's just kind of bridged too far for us today in terms of, yeah,

00:25you could tell we were lacking a little bit of energy

00:29and the ability to really compete with them at the same level.

00:37You kind of said that you wanted to play your football no matter what the season.

00:41Was this just an example of maybe in the long term you'll benefit from this,

00:45but today you kind of picked apart a little bit?

00:54Look, I think I've been really, really patient the last 18 months

00:58sitting up here answering the same questions over and over again.

01:01If people want me to change my approach, it's not going to change.

01:04We're doing it for a reason.

01:06We're doing it because we think it'll help us be successful.

01:08If people don't understand the circumstances we're in at the moment

01:11and the challenges we have from a team and squad perspective,

01:14which are as obvious as you'd want to make them now,

01:18I get the idea that people think that I should just flick the switch and change

01:26and somehow that would miraculously make us a different team.

01:29But it is what it is.

01:31I'm just going to continue staying focused on trying to build this team

01:37to be the team we want.

01:39In the interim, we're going to have to accept

01:45that there are going to be challenges along the way.

01:52Yeah, yeah, fair bit.

01:56Fair bit considering they're – yeah, no, fair bit.

01:59I'll just leave it at that.

02:01Yeah, they're a good side, top side, top side.

02:08You mentioned about the level and I know you've got a lot of injuries at the moment.

02:11I was wondering how far away do you think it's going to pull the strength from levels?

02:17I don't know because we haven't had that.

02:21We're still growing as a team.

02:25We're 18 months into trying to build a new team with a new way of playing

02:28and it's fair to say we've had some challenges along the way

02:31considering the availability, particularly at the moment.

02:37So that kind of – it's very hard to sort of see where we're at.

02:40But what I will say is that the players are not wavering

02:48in their sort of commitment to what we're trying to do.

02:51I think even today in a difficult day,

02:56really proud of the fact that they still tried to play a certain way,

02:59knowing that that's our way forward.

03:02Andrew, perhaps not the story, but Deke's scored five games in a row now.

03:08Does it kind of feel like he's adding that really consistent end product to his game

03:13that he's perhaps not there before?

03:15Yeah, look, I think Deke's been outstanding all year.

03:20And yeah, like I said, I think that's probably the next part of his game.

03:26Not that he's never had it, but he's adding that now

03:28where he's being really clean with his finishing.

03:33And it's a credit to him.

03:35He's taken his game to another level.

03:36I think a few of the boys have, to be fair.

03:39It's probably not as evident at the moment

03:41because, like I said, we're in a difficult situation.

03:44As you've said too, fans have seen your name, it's quite random.

03:47As you get started producing that football,

03:50what does that say about the support they're giving you?

03:53Yeah, look, the fans – I've often said –

03:57I've always said the fans should feel the way they need to

04:05about what's happening.

04:07I thought they were good today, very good today

04:09in terms of it was a difficult day for sure.

04:13But they still got support of the players, which is important.

04:19And who knows, maybe some of them actually understand

04:23the situation we're in right now.

04:27That seems many don't.

04:31So I think in the context of what we're trying to do

04:34and where we're at, I kind of hope that they see

04:38what we're trying to build here

04:40because I really believe it's going to be something

04:44that will give the fans and the club what it wants.

04:49But that's up to them.

04:52And Ryan Downs, are you looking to that break

04:55after Newcastle are ready, an extra game,

04:57just about going through the same group?

05:01We've been doing that for the last three weeks.

05:06Pretty much after the City game, we've kind of been –

05:12we had a look at it and we knew that this was going to be

05:15our toughest period for sure because the efforts the players are putting in.

05:22I think we've had shorter turnarounds

05:23than just about every opponent we've played so far.

05:26At least one less day than just about every team.

05:28I think every team we've played, whether it's here or in Europe.

05:31And I haven't been able to change the team

05:34with rest players or rotate players.

05:38Like I said, I've got massive admiration for the efforts

05:41that these players are putting in for this club at the moment.

05:44But we know we're in a difficult situation

05:46and that's not going to change in the short term.

05:49And we've just got to push on.

05:52Jake.

05:53Can I ask you, you did talk to you –

05:55Sorry?

05:56You did talk to you a few weeks ago about being at the table

06:00by Christmas and that's where you are

06:03with all those reasons that you talked about.

06:06Do you feel any pressure about where you are in the table?

06:11I'm not sure what you mean by pressure.

06:13I mean, I'm not happy where we are in the table.

06:15But I'm not sure pressure is in what sense.

06:18Is it discomfort really that this is ultimately

06:21what punches tend to get judged on?

06:24Well, I think I am getting judged on that.

06:26I don't think people are throwing the platitudes at me.

06:28So I think that's fair enough.

06:31Again, from my perspective, all I can do is try and, like I said,

06:39navigate us through a difficult period

06:41and try and make sure that when we do get to a position

06:49where hopefully we have a healthier squad

06:54and some key players back that we're still in a position

06:57where we can improve our position on the table.

07:00But if you're saying that tenth means that I'm not doing a good job

07:06and that I maybe somehow should be uncomfortable,

07:12well, that's for others to judge.

07:16And given the situation that you're in,

07:19with the lack of energy you're throwing,

07:21the schedule is going to stay very different.

07:26Do you think that reinforcements are needed in general?

07:30Yeah, absolutely.

07:31Some of them will be internal.

07:33Like I said, we've got different stages

07:35where we'll get players back from injury.

07:38Obviously we've got a couple of long-term in Vicario and Wilson,

07:42but the rest hopefully at some point in January they'll come back.

07:45So that will help us in terms of just getting some numbers back

07:52and dealing with, like you said, the schedule,

07:54because the schedule is not going to change.

07:56We're in the Carabao Cup semi-final.

07:59We're still in Europe, FA Cup start,

08:01so we're still in all the competitions.

08:03So it's not going to get any easier.

08:05So we are going to need some of those players hopefully to come back

08:10and be able to contribute.

08:12Can you bring players in?

08:15In terms of January?

08:18Yeah, if the right players are there I guess we can bring players in.

08:21But, again, it's about making sure it's something

08:23that's going to sort of help us continuing to build what we're doing.

08:28Okay, thank you.

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