After Tottenham’s disappointing 3-0 loss to Fulham, Ange Postecoglou expressed his frustration in a post-match interview.
The defeat came at a crucial time when Spurs had the opportunity to move into the top four of the Premier League.
Tottenham had the chance to go ahead of Aston Villa to 4th place with a 1 point lead and a game in hand, but they crumbled.
Instead of building on their stunning 4-0 win over Villa last week, they ended up on the losing end at Craven Cottage, putting on one of their worst performances of the season.
Fulham took a deserving lead just before half-time through Rodrigo Muniz. And they scored two more in the second half with Sasa Lukic and Muniz scoring within 16 minutes of the restart.
Having missed out on the chance to overtake Aston Villa for the fourth spot, Postecoglou faced questions about the significance of the loss and the potential implications for Tottenham’s season.
In response, he appeared visibly annoyed, dismissing the notion that finishing fourth was his ultimate goal.
Postecoglou emphasised that merely securing a top-four finish does not signify success unless the team has shown growth and development. He stressed the importance of tangible progress and building a team capable of sustained success, rather than focusing solely on achieving a specific league position.
The Australian manager made it clear that his ambition for Tottenham goes beyond simply finishing in the top four.
He emphasised the need for continuous improvement and creating a foundation for future success, rather than fixating on short-term outcomes.
He said:
“You can level any accusation you want. I get it and I’m happy for people to run that sort of commentary because it’s meaningless to me. I don’t see fourth as the prize.
This club has finished fourth before. It’s finished second before. You can throw all types of things at it, it’s reached the Champions League final, you can throw all sorts of things but this club has achieved things. So fourth is not my end goal.
I don’t want to finish fourth if we haven’t grown as a team and developed as a team. If nobody believes me then that’s fine.
Part of the narrative is to push you in these kind of positions where you think that fourth is some kind of achievement that gives you something for next year.
It doesn’t give you anything unless…fourth would be great if I feel like we’re growing as a team and we’re creating something that is going to bring us success next year.
But fourth is not our goal. It hasn’t been. It’s not my goal. It certainly isn’t my goal but I get it from the outside, particularly in the Premier League, it seems like people push you into that position where you succeed or fail just on an outcome.
I just don’t think that’s how you get success. Success is built on, I think, more tangible stuff. If we finish fifth and if I think we’ve got a team to challenge next year then I won’t be disappointed.”
🚨Ange Postecoglou:
🗣️"I don't see fourth as the prize. This club has finished fourth, second, it’s reached a Champions League final.”
🗣️”I don't want to finish fourth if we haven't grown as a team and developed as a team."
📺[@HaytersTV]#THFC | #COYSpic.twitter.com/Z8TZrhmG36
— Last Word On Spurs (@LastWordOnSpurs) March 16, 2024
via Hayters TV
Top 4 is not entirely out of question, but it is out of Tottenham’s hands now. If Aston Villa can manage to go for the rest of the season without slipping up, they will qualify.
But Tottenham can not afford any more slip-ups. They will need to win every game between now and the end of the season if they want to keep the fight alive and then hope that Villa falter.
