Ange Postecoglou has insisted that his first six months at Tottenham have not been any harder than some of the other challenges he has faced in his managerial career.
At the halfway stage of the season, it is hard to give Postecoglou any score but a 10 out of 10 for the job he has done at the North London club so far.
It is worth remembering that the atmosphere surrounding the club was quite toxic towards the end of last season, with there being a major disconnect between the fans and the club’s ownership.
Additionally, Tottenham lost their best player in their modern history during the summer and Postecoglou was written off by many even before he started.
In a matter of six months, he has got the side playing arguably the most entertaining brand of football in the Premier League and quickly got the fans onside.
Results have also been exceptional when once considering the injury crisis Spurs have had to deal with over the last couple of months, with the Lilywhites sitting just six points from the summit of the table.
While Postecoglou acknowledged that the scrutiny associated with the Tottenham job is higher than what he has experienced in the past, he pointed out that he also has more resources to work with than he had in Scotland or Japan.
When asked how difficult the job at Spurs has been so far, the 58-year-old told Football.London: “I think it’s hard wherever you do it. There’s more focus here for sure but you’ve also got more resources.
“There are other managers whose first job is a real hard shift. Wherever you start, the core thing is that you figure out who you want to be and how you want your team to play, and at every opportunity you have to do that, you try to.
“It’s obviously hard under the spotlight of a competition like the Premier League as every decision gets scrutinised and dissected, and there’s plenty of opinion and advice but you realise none of it really matters if it’s not who you are.
“I’ve got great respect [for the managers here], whether it’s someone like Vincent [Kompany] in his first year in the Premier League, or somebody like Roy [Hodgson] – even he’s not escaping criticism!
“But that’s your existence and it will never go away. As long as you know how to deal with it and don’t allow it to change you, then you can live with it.”
Postecoglou is loving his time at Tottenham
The Tottenham head coach remarked that it has been a thoroughly enjoyable experience for him so far, admitting that he continues to learn things on a regular basis.
He added: “You’re always learning, even at my age. I’ve tried to make a pact with myself that I’m never going to stop learning, whether it’s about life, football or anything else.
“I’ve enjoyed the experience so far, it’s everything I’ve wanted it to be whether it’s challenges or the space I’m working in at the same time, the years of experience I’ve had have prepared me well for it.”
Spurs Web Opinion
One can argue that Postecoglou’s philosophy arguably works better at a higher level where he can work with more technically proficient players. That might explain why he has been able to implement his style much quicker at Spurs than he was able to do at Celtic and Yokohama Marinos.
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