Tottenham Hotspur finds themselves locked in a fierce battle for the coveted Champions League qualification spot, with their sights set on overtaking Aston Villa for fourth place in the Premier League standings.
As Liverpool, Manchester City, and Arsenal appear poised to secure the top three positions, the race for fourth place has intensified, with Spurs and Villa emerging as the primary contenders.
Spurs currently sit in 5th place with 50 points, trailing Aston Villa by 5 points. However, they have an extra game in hand.
In the build-up to their crucial league fixture against Villa, Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou made headlines by downplaying the significance of Champions League qualification. Instead, he emphasised the importance of fostering the club’s identity and footballing philosophy.
While acknowledging the prestige of Europe’s premier competition, Postecoglou underscored the need for sustained growth and progress beyond mere participation in the Champions League.
He stressed the importance of building a team capable of challenging for silverware and evolving tactically to achieve long-term success.
He said (via Football London):
“It’s not, actually. What’s more important is that come the end of this year, we’ve got a team that’s going to challenge the following year and keep growing. Right now, the most important thing is us, our identity and our football, because just getting into it mate, it’s not a Willy Wonka golden ticket, you know? It just gets you a year in the Champions League.”
“But if you don’t build on that or grow from that, it is meaningless, I think anyway. Because we’re not in it for participation. We’re in it to win things. Yes, if we make Champions League this year it means we’ve progressed from last year.
“But has our football progressed? Are we a better team? Are we a stronger team? Are we going to improve in the summer to make sure that next year we are going to be even better?”
Spurs are scheduled for an away trip to Birmingham on Sunday to face Aston Villa as they continue their pursuit of UCL qualification.
A weekend win could narrow the gap to just two points. If they also win their game in hand, they could potentially be a point ahead of the Villians.
TBH Says:
While him downplaying the importance of the competition ahead of such a huge game has indeed left many of us surprised, we can certainly understand what he means.
Postecoglou’s remarks reflect Tottenham’s aspirations for sustained excellence and underline their commitment to continual improvement.
