Ange Postecoglou admits he was “distracted” in the build-up to Tottenham vs Manchester City

Ange Postecoglou has admitted he became “distracted” in the build-up to Tottenham Hotspur’s 2-0 defeat to Manchester City on Tuesday and that “if I had my time again I would do things differently”.

Had Spurs avoided defeat against City, then their north London rivals Arsenal would have gone top of the Premier League table ahead of this weekend’s final round of fixtures. This led to some suggestions that sections of the Spurs fan base wanted their own team to lose, although at the time they still had a chance of finishing fourth and qualifying for the Champions League.

When Postecoglou was asked about this pre-match dilemma, he said: “I understand the rivalry, but I have never understood and I will never understand if someone wants their team to lose.” Speaking to the press on Friday ahead of Tottenham’s game with Sheffield United on Sunday, Postecoglou said he had not taken the situation “seriously” and that he “didn’t really understand what was going on” in the build-up.

“When you’re trying to achieve at this level, no matter what you’re trying to achieve, you have to be totally focused on your goal,” Postecoglou said. “You can’t get it
distracted by everything. I sat here (Monday) and all the questions I got were about that topic. i’m distracted We are human beings.

“Are you saying there is a culprit causing everything? It doesn’t happen, that’s not how it works. All I’m saying is that there will always be problems and how you deal with them and how we deal with them as a football club will be important. And how do you get through these experiences.

“If you want a culprit, it’s me. Because I didn’t take it seriously. That’s what I think happened. I just didn’t really understand what was going on. I just didn’t think so. If I had my time again, yes, I would do things differently, I would address the press differently the day before. I would probably turn to the people in the club because they look to me for direction. So if you want a head on a stick, he’s my ugly mug friend.”

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Postecoglou then spoke about when he became Celtic’s head coach in June 2021 and how he felt they were too obsessed with Rangers.

“We were never going to catch them if that’s what we were obsessed with,” he said. “You can’t control what another club does. You want to stop them from winning a trophy, win it yourself. This is the answer. That doesn’t mean you don’t want them to lose, I get it. Absolute.

“What I hope to do (at Spurs), like I did at Celtic, is provide a platform where the fans get what they want. What they really want is success. That’s what it boils down to. If I can give them success, then maybe I can get that message across a little bit better.”

Spurs travel to Sheffield United on Sunday, where a point will guarantee them fifth position and a place in the Europa League. Giovani Lo Celso is a doubt for the game after picking up a knock against City.

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(Lucy North/PA Images via Getty Images)