Ange talks Bentancur, VAR and Bergvall winning goal in the Carabao Semi final 1st leg

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Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou talks Bentancur, VAR and Bergvall winning goal in the Carabao Semi final 1st leg  08/01/2025  Tottenham Hotspurs, London, UK

Transcript

00:00You must be incredibly proud of your team tonight,

00:03especially what happened in the last game against Liverpool,

00:05just to get that result and that performance?

00:08Yes, very proud.

00:10Again, we had to deal with some adversity tonight.

00:13We started the game really well, I thought,

00:16but then obviously we lose Rodrigo.

00:19Even in the way it happened, it's quite distressing to see a team-mate

00:23go down in that manner.

00:25Again, we had to compose ourselves and deal with that

00:29and reorganise.

00:31Yes, super proud of the players.

00:33I have been all along.

00:35It hasn't been through the one of trying that our results haven't been.

00:38It's certainly not been on them,

00:40it's just that we haven't been able to get the consistency

00:43to get the results we needed.

00:45Just proud that they feel good tonight.

00:48They get the rewards of their hard work.

00:51Our fans as well, because we've put them through a tough time.

00:55I thought they were outstanding tonight.

00:58We haven't achieved anything,

01:00but I think just that feeling of having a victory

01:03against a top opponent in a big game,

01:05I'm really pleased for everyone.

01:08How would you sum up Lucas Broome's performance in general,

01:11but also on the other side of that,

01:13have I put the beard around in a possible second?

01:16What are your thoughts on that as well?

01:18Yes, Lucas was brilliant.

01:20Like I said, I haven't lost sight of the fact that we've got two 18-year-olds,

01:23one who's playing at centre-back, it's not even his position.

01:26I don't think people really understand the level of performance

01:30that these young guys are giving us at the moment.

01:33We had a goalkeeper on debut,

01:35Jed's playing left-back unbelievably well.

01:38But yes, Lucas is just growing all the time.

01:42He's just got that ability as a footballer to create space for himself.

01:49He's got the quality, but he works awfully hard for the team as well.

01:53We've been dealing with some adversity for sure,

01:56but we've had some growth in that.

01:58I've got no doubt about that.

01:59That's been masked by poor results and poor form for sure.

02:02But I've got no doubt that when we get our players back,

02:05we've got a foundation of a really strong core group of players

02:11we can really grow with.

02:13How did you meet this team?

02:15What were the reasons?

02:17I don't want to speculate, Tom, because I don't really know either.

02:20All I know is he was conscious when he came off.

02:23Obviously it was some sort of head injury,

02:25but he was conscious when he was coming off the field

02:28and he's been taken to hospital for observation.

02:30But I'm not really clear on how it happened.

02:34Was he knocked out?

02:36Again, mate, it's not my area.

02:39I'll get a doctor out here, but I'm not going to speculate

02:42because it's just not fair on people around him.

02:45But it was a head injury.

02:47There was concern from players out there.

02:49So obviously there was something going on.

02:51Did you get any feedback from him through the straights

02:54when he had a great performance?

02:56Yeah, brilliant. Fantastic.

02:58I got the sense when I spoke to him before we signed him

03:01that he had a bit about him in terms of real sort of assuredness.

03:06That probably belied his years.

03:09I threw him a mammoth task today

03:12to play against the best team arguably in the world at the moment

03:17in a big game in the semi-final.

03:20He just handled it awfully well.

03:22I think credit to Johan and his team.

03:28They were really big on him as a footballer.

03:32It's going to fit our style.

03:34They worked really hard to make it happen now.

03:37And you can see why.

03:39He's an outstanding footballer.

03:42It was a lovely moment for Lucas,

03:44but maybe just seconds earlier he could have been sent off.

03:47I wonder what you made of that in Stendish

03:49because Arnaud spoke about it as well.

03:51Yeah, look, I spoke about it after the game last time.

03:56I think my comments were misinterpreted.

03:58I didn't criticise the referee on the decision.

04:00I didn't think the decision was right about the handball.

04:02But I said that it's very hard at the moment.

04:05It's very confusing to understand certain elements of the game.

04:08Now, we've been told consistently the last few weeks,

04:11because I've been screaming at it from the sidelines,

04:15because a lot of teams have got away with a lot of fouls with us

04:18without bookings because the referee plays advantage.

04:21And we've been told consistently if we play advantage,

04:24as long as it's not a cynical foul,

04:26then the player does not get cautioned.

04:28So that's been relayed to us on a weekly basis

04:31because we feel like that's been happening.

04:33That was one of the things I was kind of bemoaning last weekend.

04:37Certain players just repeatedly were fouling.

04:40We were getting advantage, but no bookings.

04:43So that's what I'm talking about, is that I don't think...

04:47And, look, I'm really surprised at how...

04:53What's the word I'm looking for?

04:55..how people in this country are so easily letting the game

05:00change so much so quickly.

05:02It's changed more since VAR has come in,

05:05and I've been involved, I think, in the last 50 years.

05:08We never used to debate offsides.

05:10We never used to debate handballs.

05:12We never used to debate holding in the box.

05:14We never used to debate so many things.

05:16And it seems like...

05:17I mean, did everyone really love the announcement today?

05:20Did that give you real buzz about...

05:22You know, I mean, seriously.

05:24And, again, look, I understand.

05:26My understanding of it is this is what the people want.

05:29That's what I keep getting told.

05:31I understand that.

05:32But, you know, we're not going to...

05:34VAR is going to be there.

05:35Technology is going to be a part of life.

05:37But it's like my wife and our kids, yeah?

05:40We know technology, but she limits screen time.

05:42Why?

05:43You know, we slow things down.

05:44I think we've just got to be careful about constantly...

05:48Why do we want to change the game so much?

05:50And I know I'm going to be the old bloke in the stands

05:52who keeps shouting,

05:53"'Boo' every time, VAR," and I'll be the only one,

05:56but I just thought people would be a little bit more protective

05:59about the sanctity of the game.

06:01That's what I was talking about.

06:02Like, I wasn't criticising referees.

06:04I've never criticised...

06:05Like I said, I didn't think the decision was mine,

06:07but it's just the way the game...

06:09I think there's a lot of confusion at the moment.

06:11That's my belief,

06:12that the game is changing on the basis of technology.

06:15And I'm saying, why isn't anyone, like, speaking up about it?

06:21Especially in this country who...

06:23You know, for all intents and purposes,

06:25you guys think you're the custodians of the game.

06:27You've got a song that says it's coming home.

06:29This is your game.

06:30And yet it takes an Aussie from the other side of the world

06:33to be the one that's most conservative about changes.

06:36At the minute, are those decisions like a lottery?

06:38Because it feels like on one day...

06:40So, my comments are fair and even playing ground.

06:43That's what they were about.

06:44So, today, it advantaged us.

06:46Yeah?

06:47I wasn't saying that there was a vendetta against me or Tottenham

06:50when I spoke last week.

06:51That's not what my comments were about.

06:53It's just that, you know...

06:56And like I said, I'm...

06:57And I could be on a lone crusader here,

06:59but I'm happy to do that.

07:00I'm happy to just be the lone voice of saying,

07:03just leave the game alone for a bit.

07:06Like, you know, even extra time now, you know,

07:09minutes they had it on, minutes they had it on there,

07:11minutes...

07:12We never used to talk about these things before.

07:15And yet now everything is changing.

07:17So, that was my comment.

07:18So, today, I can see why Arnie's would be very disappointed.

07:22If that was me, I'd be disappointed as well.

07:24But apparently they're the rules.

07:26So, yeah.

07:28Yeah?

07:29Just quickly, I was going to say,

07:33you look to be a lot more emotional on the sidelines

07:37during this period.

07:38I don't know if I'm misreading that or that's not how you feel.

07:42But are you conscious of just letting your emotions out a little bit more?

07:46Well, yeah.

07:48I mean, it's been an emotional time, mate.

07:50You know, it's like I keep saying, I am a human being, you know,

07:54like all of us, you know.

07:56We're in these roles of managers and we're supposed to, you know,

08:00I understand we've got positions of responsibility,

08:03but we're still human beings in the core and we react to things.

08:06And, you know, I don't like the fact that, you know,

08:10people who are working really hard for this club,

08:12on and off the field, have not had that feeling of victory.

08:16I don't feel great about our supporters

08:18not having that feeling of victory.

08:20It weighs heavily on me, mate.

08:21It's my responsibility.

08:23I do care, you know.

08:24I'm a little bit more emotional than I usually am.

08:27But, you know, that's – I guess that also probably means I do care.

08:32And I think that's still important.

08:42Like I said, in a position he's never played, mate.

08:45You know, he's never played an 18-year-old.

08:48Name me another Premier League team that's got two 18-year-olds

08:51playing out of position consistently.

08:55I'm so happy they're at our football club.

08:58And as I keep saying, you know, in two or three years' time,

09:02I just pray to God I'm the beneficiary of their talent, mate.

09:06Because if somebody else is getting it, I won't be happy.

09:10James, last one, please.

09:12Has there been any change in your sort of overall approach

09:14from the Liverpool game given the league?

09:16It felt a bit more pragmatic.

09:19No, you can put it that way.

09:22I mean, people said my midfield set-up was a little bit more conservative today.

09:28That's because I only had three midfielders to choose.

09:30You know, the others weren't available.

09:32So, we certainly went about it the same way.

09:34Look, Liverpool don't allow you to dominate the game the way other teams do.

09:39And like I said, you know, we –

09:43Ali said, you know, our players every three days

09:45are playing a game of football, mate, without rest.

09:47And you saw Liverpool at the end.

09:49They put on some significant talent, some really good footballers,

09:52some top footballers.

09:54I couldn't do the same.

09:55And yet the guys who are out there are consistently doing it.

09:57So, you know, maybe we're not as dominant as we want it to be,

10:01but there's good reason not through the lack of trying

10:04or, you know, different intent in terms of how we went about it.

10:07OK, thank you.

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