‘We’re hanging in there’ – Postecoglou says Tottenham are in the title race
Ange Postecoglou has acknowledged that Tottenham Hotspur are in the title race at the moment, insisting that it is now about keeping the momentum going and having a strong second half of the season.
Going into Gameweek 21, Tottenham sit just six points behind league leaders, Liverpool, which is an astounding achievement given the spate of injuries and suspensions that the club have had to deal with over the last few months.
It is even more impressive when one considers that this is Postecoglou’s first season in charge, with the team having to adapt to a completely different style than what they were used to over recent years.
The Lilywhites will get stronger as key players continue to return to action over the next few weeks and Postecoglou admitted that he is delighted with the way his side have clawed themselves back into contention after some poor results in November.
Are Tottenham in the Premier League title race?
When asked if Tottenham were a title contenders, Postecoglou told Football.London: “If I say ‘no’ you’d turn round to me and say ‘come on Ange’. By definition, we are, aren’t we? So, yes we are and I’ve said all along that until the point where you’re not, why would you discount the possibility? We’ve gone through a really tough period and we’re hanging in there.
“We had four games when results went against us, but we’ve clawed our way back. We’re still in there. Our performances for the most part have been pretty consistent, but all that is meaningless if we don’t finish the season stronger than the first half of the season and that’s what we’ve got to do.”
Spurs have backed Postecoglou with the tools he needs in the transfer window, swiftly concluding deals for Radu Dragusin and Timo Werner.
When asked if the swiftness with which the club brought those two players through the door was a show of faith in his methods by the Tottenham hierarchy, the 58-year-old responded: “It could work the other way where they say ‘you know, it’s not working, we need to give him some players’.
“Sometimes it works against you, ‘actually he’s doing alright, he doesn’t need any players’. I think it’s a matter of faith and trust to say ‘ok’ because every time you bring a player in or make a transfer, there’s an investment there. It’s not limitless. It doesn’t matter how big the club is.
“Most clubs feel more secure doing it if they have faith and trust in those decisions and these are my decisions, I take responsibility for the transfers.
“So, I think that’s where we’ve been able to move quickly because everyone has been really aligned, everyone in the club to what our objectives were and there didn’t need to be many discussions around who the player was or too many discussions around whether we need to look at other options.
“It was ‘ok, this is what we want, let’s go and try and make it happen’. If it didn’t happen, it didn’t happen and I think that’s what’s helped us move fairly quickly.”
Spurs Web Opinion
It is fair to say that the overwhelming majority of the Spurs fan base would be over the moon with a top-four finish this season. If we beat Man Utd on Sunday, that will perhaps get a lot more people dreaming of a potential title tilt, particularly with key players set to come back.
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