Tottenham Hotspur’s form under Ange Postecoglou has triggered discussions about potential replacements as the club occupies 14th position in the Premier League, but the Australian coach said on Wednesday he is not bothered by such discussions.
Spurs have just 34 points after 29 league games and are set to miss out on European football if they do not win the Europa League, where they face Eintracht Frankfurt in the quarterfinals.
Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola has emerged as a top target in media reports while Mauricio Pochettino, the coach of the US national side, has also said he was open to returning to Spurs, but Postecoglou remained unperturbed.
“I don’t deal with it, mate. I know what my responsibilities are. I’m sure if the club decide to go in a different direction there’s some outstanding candidates out there for it,” Postecoglou said before Thursday’s game at Chelsea.
“And you know what, maybe someone will think, ‘Ah, Ange Postecoglou’s not a bad coach, maybe we’ll take a punt on him’. So it doesn’t rock my world, it doesn’t consume me.
“I’m here, I’m passionate about what we’re doing. I was brought in to change the way the club plays, rejuvenate the squad, bring success, I’m focused on that. That’s what I’ll keep doing.”
Spurs haven’t won their last three games and the pressure even led to a heated confrontation between Postecoglou and a fan after they lost their last game, at Fulham, before the international.
Chelsea are fourth in the standings and Postecoglou said they are tough to beat at Stamford Bridge, where Enzo Maresca’s side have won their last four games.
“They’re a talented squad, a good manager. I still think they’ve had a positive season in terms of what they’re trying to build. They’ve got some real talent, particularly in that attacking third,” he said.
“They obviously got hit by injuries as well. They’ve got some key players who have been missing which affects all clubs and that affected their consistency. But at their place they’re still a tough team to beat.”
Postecoglou was also glad to see key defender Cristian Romero play two full games with Argentina in wins over Uruguay and Brazil, a positive sign after the centreback missed three months of action due to injury.
“Delighted if he can get through two games with his international team. It’s great for us as he’s not played a lot of football,” Postecoglou said, adding that it was good to have him and defensive partner Micky van de Ven back together.
“Footballers need to play. Rather than him sitting around for two weeks, he needed games ... Especially the Fulham game, by the 70th minute he [Romero] was pretty much cooked in terms of his physical fitness.”
Reuters
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