Postecoglou: 'Winning a Cup isn't enough to cure Tottenham's illness'

According to manager Ange Postecoglou, Tottenham needs to build a team capable of consistently competing for titles, rather than just focusing on ending a 16-year trophy drought.

The last time Tottenham won a trophy was when they triumphed in the League Cup in the 2007-2008 season, after beating Chelsea 2-1 in the final thanks to goals from Dimitar Berbatov and Jonathan Woodgate.

Since then, Tottenham have reached the Champions League final in 2019, and the League Cup finals in 2015 and 2021, but have been defeated on both occasions. They also finished second in the Premier League in the 2016-2017 season, seven points behind Chelsea.

Ahead of the FA Cup third-round match against Burnley, Postecoglou remained calm when speaking about Tottenham's chances of winning a trophy and ending their trophy drought. "At a club like this, I don't think winning a trophy is the holy grail," the Australian coach said. "That won't cure all ailments. Winning one trophy means you won't need to win for another 15 or 16 years, right? No. You'll want more."

Coach Ange Postecoglou directs Son Heung-min during the Tottenham - Bournemouth match in the Premier League on December 31, 2023. Photo: Reuters

Instead, Postecoglou wants to build a strong Tottenham team capable of competing for titles every year. "I am determined to bring success to the club, but not in a desperate way, because a title would give us peace of mind for what lies ahead. When you're at a club, the need for success is always essential," he emphasized.

When asked about the prospect of lifting trophies at Tottenham, Postecoglou joked: "I don't need to imagine it, I have real pictures. Quite a few. I just looked at pictures of myself holding those trophies. Winning is my motivation. I start each year hoping that at the end of the year I'll have a picture of myself with the club lifting a trophy."

Before managing Tottenham, Postecoglou had two successful years with Celtic, winning the Scottish Premiership and League Cup double twice in a row. Prior to that, he managed lesser-known clubs such as Brisbane Roar and Melbourne Victory in Australia, and Yokohama F. Marinos in Japan. The 57-year-old coach also led the Australian national team to the 2014 World Cup and then qualified for the 2018 World Cup before leaving after more than four years.

In yesterday's FA Cup third round match, Tottenham were without their strongest squad as Son Heung-min and Pape Matar Sarr were away with South Korea and Senegal respectively for their respective tournaments. As a result, the team endured a tough match and only won against Burnley thanks to a spectacular goal from outside the box by Pedro Porro in the 78th minute.

Postecoglou and his team will have a week of rest before traveling to Old Trafford to face Manchester United in the 21st round of the Premier League on January 14th.

Hong Duy

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