Former Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou was asked whether he would return to the club he won silverware for less than 12 months ago amid the club’s struggles this season
Ange Postecoglou refused to say whether he would make a return to Tottenham, amid uncertainty over interim manager Igor Tudor’s position at the club. The Australian coach could only laugh and offer a simple “no comment” when the prospect was put to him on Tuesday night.
Postecoglou was sacked by Spurs in June, weeks after leading the Lilywhites to Europa League glory and a first trophy in 17 years. The 60-year-old has since taken charge of Nottingham Forest and been sacked again, and was working for UEFA at the Parc des Princes for Chelsea’s defeat to Paris Saint-Germain.
But with Tottenham’s staggering defeat to Atletico Madrid fresh in the memory, and his former side in a relegation fight, Postecoglou was asked about Spurs’ struggles.
Appearing on TNT Sports, the ex-Celtic boss was if he was the least surprised person to see Tottenham in the position they’re in? He responded: “No, I wouldn’t say that.
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“I am still invested in the club because I have an attatchment to those players, I worked with them for two years. The last time I interacted with the fans there was 200,000 on the streets of London.
“It pains me to see it. It definitely looks like the players are fairly lost at the moment. There’s obvious pressure there. It’s a real difficult time.
“It all manifested itself with what happened last night. It’s almost the worst case scenario, you playing a side away from home, Atletico, who never drop below a performance level of two. They’re always at a really strong level. It was a horror start for them”
Postecoglou believes Tudor, who has tasted defeat in all four matches he has taken charge of, must attempt to relieve the pressure on his players.
“There is no way that anyone would say, objectively, these players are performing at the level they are capable of,” Postecoglou continued.
“You’ve just got to try and ease the pressure on them somehow. Even last night, I thought it was a tremendous opportunity for them because they’ve done really well in the Champions League, they’re on the good side of the draw. Atletico away is tough but you’ve still got to take them back to Tottenham but it just felt like the pressure was there.
“I’m sure they would have trained on the pitch the night before but the amount of times they were slipping over, I think that’s still pressure. There’s just a real desperation in everything they do.
“Mentally, you’re desperate and that manifests itself in a physical way. You’re lunging for things, you’re rushing things. It’s hard for me to comment from the outside.
“For me it’s just about instilling some belief into the players. Show them the kind of players that they are, not that they can be.”
