Postecoglou delighted after Tottenham book quarter finals spot with 3-1 AZ Alkmaar win

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Postecoglou delighted after Tottenham book quarter finals spot with 3-1 AZ Alkmaar win  13/03/2025  uefa25

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00:00Congratulations Ange, you must be delighted with the way your team went about it the whole

00:11game.

00:12Yeah, I really liked the way the boys addressed the challenge tonight.

00:16It's not easy when you're one year old down before the game starts, you kind of know that

00:22you don't want to give the opposition any opportunity to get a further advantage.

00:27I just thought we started the game really well, really composed and in control.

00:32We didn't create a lot but at the same time we just had them camped in their half and

00:36didn't really let them sort of enter into anywhere near our goal and scored a really

00:41good goal from our press.

00:42And then second half started brilliantly, exactly what we wanted to do, got our goal

00:47and then you sort of give them a goal and that puts a tie again on edge a little bit.

00:52I thought our response to that was really good, scored another good goal, probably should

00:56have got another one or two to finish the game off.

00:59We probably didn't handle the last ten minutes very well but at the same time when I'm having

01:06to change the back line so much at such a critical time, it's going to disrupt us.

01:11But again I thought in the big moments the boys stood up well and I'm really pleased

01:16they've done a fantastic job to get us through.

01:18How important was it to have your older players leading the way but also players like Wilson

01:22and Lucas, the youngsters, having such big nights?

01:26Yeah, massive.

01:27It's brilliant for us, brilliant for the club like I keep saying.

01:29We've got some real exciting talent.

01:32Lucas is growing all the time.

01:35People are sort of getting a glimpse of what Wilson's all about.

01:39It's a shame what's happened to him this year and he's still working his way to full fitness.

01:44I just thought the whole group handled it really well.

01:47It was great to have Romero and Mickie.

01:50We just looked so solid at the back while they were out there.

01:53It never really looked like getting threatened.

01:55It just made us look a lot more solid as a team.

02:00A lot of positives there.

02:03Congratulations once again.

02:05So much energy from the players and in your program notes you asked for the crowd to respond

02:10to the occasion and they've done that as well.

02:13I would like to point out that your captain, fantastic Sonny, never stopped running.

02:18He was on fire tonight, wasn't he?

02:20Sonny gives everything every game.

02:23There's no doubt about that.

02:25He works so hard for the team.

02:28He had a couple of moments today, a couple of times unlucky,

02:31a couple of times he could have been on the end of things.

02:35It was a collective effort tonight.

02:38I think it's the first time since October we've had our four leaders on the park.

02:43Vicario, Romero, Madison and Sonny.

02:48So much this year we've relied on one or two of those

02:51but to have all four of them out there makes a difference for us.

02:54I thought they all led the team well.

02:57Do you feel like the team looked more like themselves tonight

03:01than they have done for a while, particularly in that second half

03:04with the physical level they showed?

03:06It's no coincidence that we're getting some of our key players back.

03:12Of course we are.

03:14Also the guys are getting some decent recovery between games

03:18and I'm able to change the team a fair bit.

03:20Don't forget Sonny and Madison didn't start on the weekend.

03:24We can do these things that allow us to prepare the team properly.

03:30We did look more like ourselves but we've still got levels to go

03:34because I still think guys like Romero and Mickey and Wilson and Dom

03:38are still building their way back up to match fitness and match sharpness.

03:44With the quarter-finals almost three and a half weeks away

03:49it's a great opportunity for us to get these guys up to speed for that game.

03:54Are you positive and encouraged by what could happen for the rest of the season?

03:58This could be a turning point if you like?

04:01I've always been positive and encouraged.

04:06My mood is not dictated by outside, it's dictated by internal things

04:10and I've never wavered from the fact.

04:12I've said consistently that when we're at our best we can compete with anyone

04:18and we get an opportunity now to build up some of our players

04:24and hopefully still get some significant talent out who could be coming back.

04:29All those kind of things are going to be helpful for us to reach the levels we need.

04:34Just a word on Madison, that roll through midfield for the third goal

04:38which was a brilliant goal.

04:40Good performance from him all night?

04:42Yeah, I thought all night it was really good.

04:46I think all those four leaders felt like it's their time now.

04:52They've all done it really tough this year.

04:54It's been tough for all of us, the whole club, but particularly the players.

04:59I thought Matters, when we needed the quality, was there tonight

05:02and made all the good decisions for us.

05:04Worked hard for the team, which is also important.

05:06As I said, from my perspective it now allows us to have this platform

05:12of a solid core group of players.

05:14Our best players are available, getting to fitness,

05:18but also we have this ability to put people on

05:22who can also impact games, which I thought was important today.

05:27Obviously Wilson got his first goals since his injury layoff.

05:32How important do you think that's going to be for him

05:34and what is it he offered that made you pick him

05:38in the starting eleven over other options?

05:42Super pleased for him because he's worked awfully hard.

05:44I'd be surprised if I have to explain what I saw in him

05:48if you didn't see that today.

05:52I was excited when we signed him.

05:54He's one of these players, like I said,

05:56who has the ability to turn the game around.

06:01Has the ability to take people on, find space,

06:05great technician.

06:07Super pleased for him to get his goals tonight

06:09because he's worked hard silently to get back in the team.

06:14Obviously he came to a new club this year,

06:16a big club, a big move for him

06:18and it just hasn't worked out through no fault of his own

06:21because of his injury.

06:23It's been frustrating for me not to be able to showcase him

06:29and know how much he can develop.

06:31That's just a starting point for him.

06:33Like I said, he's still working his way to full fitness.

06:36When you look at the likes of him and Lucas and Archie

06:42and two or three others we've got,

06:44there's some enormous exciting talent there.

06:49That final goal felt like a vintage post-Koglou goal at Tottenham.

06:53We perhaps haven't seen it as much in recent months

06:55probably because of the injuries.

06:57But how satisfying and important was it

06:59to see a goal of that quality?

07:01I think it's important.

07:03All goals are important,

07:05particularly in a game like that.

07:07But when you score a goal that you know

07:09is so much of a core of our attacking phases

07:12and we work so hard on,

07:14I think the players get belief out of that

07:16that it does work.

07:18Like I said, having Dom in there

07:20gives you a real focal point.

07:22Just having his presence in the box,

07:24the ability to have guys like Madders

07:26and Sonny fresh today

07:28to be able to run at the opposition,

07:30they're just things we haven't had

07:32the luxury of in the last three and a half months.

07:37As I said, I think it was

07:39a really good foundational game for us to build on.

07:43I still feel like we'll improve

07:45because like I said, it's just the nature

07:47of where people are at at the moment.

07:51I couldn't be happier with the players.

07:53I think they deserve to get through.

07:58Now we're in the quarterfinals

08:00of a European competition,

08:02which I think is exciting.

08:04You've obviously had pressure matches

08:06this season, but it felt like

08:08there was a huge amount of scrutiny

08:10and pressure in this game.

08:12Is it an important step for the team

08:14to come through this for the next rounds

08:16to know you've gone through this one

08:18so they can do it again going forward?

08:20I think the way we handled it

08:23was as much as you try

08:25and block out the outside noise,

08:27it doesn't bother me,

08:29but I'm sure the players

08:31and the whole club's aware

08:33that tonight was a big night for us.

08:35When you're already one nil down,

08:37you can get really anxious about it,

08:39but I never felt that.

08:41Like I said, up until we gave them

08:43their first goal, I just thought

08:45the lads were just handling it superbly.

08:47They were in control.

08:49We looked strong. We looked dominant.

08:51We looked aggressive.

08:53We looked threatening in the front third.

08:55All the things we want to be.

08:57I think Mickie coming off disrupted us a little bit

08:59and we had to change a couple of things.

09:01Like I said, we gave him a goal

09:03and that changed the momentum of the game

09:05and made him more nervy than he needed to be.

09:07It was a big night.

09:09I couldn't be happier with the way

09:11the players tackled it.

09:13It's a credit to them.

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