McFlash
In the corner, eating crayons.
- Oct 19, 2005
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He's so good!Every word from Presser
Every word Postecoglou said on Maddison, transfers, Lloris, Porro and Hojbjerg
Here's every single word the Tottenham Hotspur head coach said in his press conference ahead of the Premier League match at Bournemouthwww.football.london
Every word Ange Postecoglou said on James Maddison, transfers, Lloris, Lo Celso and Hojbjerg
Here's every single word the Tottenham Hotspur head coach said in his press conference ahead of the Premier League match at Bournemouth
Alasdair Gold
Ange Postecoglou delivered an update on James Maddison's injury ahead of Tottenham Hotspur's Premier League match at Bournemouth
What's the latest on James Maddison?
Yeah Madders trained today unrestricted. We'll see how he pulls up but at this stage it looks like he will be available. We'll assess how he feels but yeah he trained.
You need to trim down your squad, is it becoming more unlikely to sign players before the window closes?
Not necessarily. These kind of things are pretty fluid, they can happen pretty quickly. At the moment you can see by doing the maths we have got too many players in terms of when we submit our final list, there will be guys here who won't be on that list if nothing changes so I am pretty sure that will change. From now until the end of the window I am sure there will be some movement.
Can you see a scenario where Hugo Lloris stays?
As I said, you can't just have any number of players you want. There is a list and it is unlikely we will have three goalkeepers on our final Premier League list.
Richarlison looked frustrated after he came off and he asked for patience from the Spurs fans – are you confident he can help fill the void left by Harry Kane?
I don't think he was frustrated with his performance. I think he was maybe a little bit disappointed a couple of things didn't fall his way, but I thought his performance was very good on the day. He actually played an important part in the way we set up and was a real focal point. It is like with all these things, people look at outcomes and with strikers it is about goals and nothing else.
I am sure Richy wants to score goals but far more important for me is how he is contributing to our team set-up and I thought he was good last weekend. From my perspective that is the key thing and I am sure the goals will come, but there is no point getting the goals if the team is not performing.
There was a degree of uncertainty about Spurs before the season, have you sensed the feel-good factor that win against Manchester United brings?
I think it is fair to say and again I don't come in with any sort of knowledge or perspective on last year, but I can only work on what is in front of me. Players have certainly been really receptive to what we're trying to do. The staff have been really good, the existing staff, the new staff, in embracing how we're going to work. The game's we have had so far the support has been really positive about what we're doing so that's all I have to measure but we're two games in.
I am not reading too much into anything at the moment. It is more about trying to establish some principles and foundations for the team we want to be but it always helps when there is some positive outcomes in this phase because hopefully that accelerates belief more than anything else. It doesn't change the fact we're still at the embryonic stage of building a new team and a new way of playing.
Do you see people like yourself and Andoni Iraola as new challenges for the Premier League old guard?
I am 57-years-old mate. But I guess that is the unique box people still put me in. They compare me to guys who are just beginning their managerial careers, but that's fine. If I am seen as something fresh, new and exciting that's great. I have said before, I get it. I have had an unusual journey that people can't get their heads around but I have been doing this for a very long time. What I have done always in every role I have had is try to bring success to the organisation and club I work for, so that's what I will try to do here. If that makes an impact beyond the football club I work for then great because I love that kind of stuff but I am not sure there is a direct comparison with my journey with many managers around the world.
What are you expecting from Bournemouth?
Andoni did a fantastic job in La Liga and you can see that he's already trying to bring his style. I'm sure he'd be the same as me in saying that you need far more than two games and pre-season to put those imprints on your team where you know that they're entrenched in there. They've made some signings and they're obviously, a couple of them are yet to make their debuts, so I'm sure he's still shaping his team.
I look forward to the challenge. Bournemouth away is a tough challenge there. I think you already know when you go there that's there's a resilience within that group and within that club. Most pundits would have had them going down last year and yet they were going out being a strong opponent and competitor against everyone.
So we're under no illusions the challenge of playing them on their home ground. Looking forward to that because it will test us and where we're at at the moment.
If Maddison wasn't available, are you happy with your system being fluid to have an attacking player dropping deep or would you look for a more like-for-like replacement?
No, I think the kind of way I set up my teams is it's never a like for like replacement in anything we do because I think you're then fixed into one way of playing. I think every player brings their own qualities to an existing structure. It makes you less predictable.
So if Madders wasn't able to play then in the midfield I've got guys like Pierre, Gio and Skippy who can fill that role their own way and I don't think it would affect us as a team, hopefully just with the disclaimer that we're very still very early in the stages of building this team.
That's what we want going forward, that if someone misses out then we don't need a like for like replacement. It's the same with the wingers, the defenders, the strikers. I like players who bring something different because it allows you to have flexibility within what is a more defined structure.
Sarr and Bissouma impressed last weekend, how happy are you with your midfield options and the strength in depth?
So far so good. Biss and Pape have been really good. They were here pretty much from when I arrived when the other guys were away on international duty. They were here from the start and they've always had a good energy about them.
Skippy has been good whenever he's played for us. He brings the same kind of energy. I thought Pierre was good when he came on at the weekend. Gio has been unlucky that he hasn't had any game time but again been really impressed.
We're going to need it. We're two games into a long season. We've seen other clubs having to cope with injuries and I'm sure at some point that's going to hit us. We need a strong squad and we've got three games next week.
Three away games so we're definitely going to use pretty much everyone in the squad through that week. It's important to know that they're ready.
You spoke last week about your love for podcasts, have you given anything else a try over the past week?
I'm not your weekly reviewer of podcasts, do your own research mate. No, no, no, you can offer something to me.
It's fair to say that this week and probably next week most of my time on the road will be spent probably talking to someone with everything going on.
Maybe in the international break?
I'll do my best mate.
What exactly was the problem with James Maddison?
I think it was the incident when [Cristian] Romero got brought down. He had a shot and it was a block-tackle. His ankle was a bit sore after that, but the medical team looked after him.
There was no real push to have him available. It was down to him. People would have seen him in a moon boot, but it was more precautionary. He has felt good and probably could have trained yesterday. He trained today unrestricted, so obviously nothing serious.
There had been some doubts from the outside about Pedro Porro being able to play as a right-back rather than a wing-back and his defensive ability, did he dispel that with his display on Saturday?
I would be reticent to read into anything after two or three games. He performed well last week, performed well in pre-season and as a full-back he has some good attributes to the way we want to play. He is very mobile, good technically, and his instincts are very good both with and without the ball, but, again, he is 23 and we have a pretty young back four at the moment. Emerson is in a similar boat and they will develop as they go along. All our full-backs have found a real willingness to be open-minded. It’s fair to say the demands of our system on full-backs is a bit different to others. All the boys playing those positions are really keen to keep exploring those positions.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg is used to starting every game and he was part of the club's leadership group before, now he's only getting a few minutes off the bench and isn't part of the new leadership group, how is he handling that in the way he works and trains?
He’s training well. I get that people want to read into that, but if you want to change you have to change. You can’t keep doing everything the same and expect a different outcome. It’s pretty obvious. I’ve always done that wherever I’ve done. Unless I change things, personnel or staff or manner of playing, then what am I doing? I’m definitely not that arrogant to think that just me walking in is going to give us success.
You have to actually make meaningful change. That’s what the club wanted. By appointing me, I presume they wanted to go in a different direction. Then it’s about making those decisions that institute change. Does it bring more out of people? Pierre, he trains really hard every day. I thought he played a really important role coming on for us against Manchester United the other day. I haven’t seen that it’s diminished his role or he’s not happy. Hopefully you’ve got a couple of players in every position that are pushing each other every day to be the best they can be.
agree with this. We need to move on, forget the old and enjoy the current. Like Poch one day this will be over and we will go again. 
