Postecoglou: 'Winning a Cup is not enough to help Tottenham recover'

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

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

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

Ahead of the FA Cup third-round clash with Burnley, Postecoglou was calm when talking about Tottenham's chances of winning a title and ending their title drought. "At a club like this, I don't think winning a title is the holy grail," the Australian coach said. "It's not going to cure all ills. Winning a title means you don't need to win it for the next 15 or 16 years? No? You 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 to compete for titles every year. "I am determined to bring success to the club but not out of despair because a title will give us peace of mind for what lies ahead. When you are at the club, the need for success is always necessary," he stressed.

Asked about the prospect of lifting trophies at Tottenham, Postecoglou joked: "I don't need to imagine, I have real pictures. Quite a lot. I just looked at the pictures holding the trophies. Winning is what motivates me. I start every year hoping that at the end of the year I will have the image of lifting the trophy with the club."

Before leading Tottenham, Postecoglou had two successful years with Celtic, winning two consecutive Scottish Premier League and League Cup doubles. Before that, he led lesser-known clubs such as Brisbane Roar and Melbourne Victory in Australia, or Yokohama F. Marinos in Japan. The 57-year-old coach led the Australian team to the 2014 World Cup and then won a ticket to the 2018 World Cup before leaving after more than four years of work.

Tottenham were without their full squad in the FA Cup third round yesterday, with Son Heung-min and Pape Matar Sarr joining up with South Korea and Senegal respectively for their respective tournaments. As a result, the team had a tough match and only beat Burnley thanks to Pedro Porro's superb goal from outside the box in the 78th minute.

Coach Postecoglou and his team will have a week off before traveling to Man Utd's Old Trafford stadium in round 21 of the Premier League on January 14.

Hong Duy

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