Postecoglou: 'Winning a Cup is not enough to cure Tottenham'

Tottenham need to build a team capable of competing for trophies 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 about Tottenham's chances of winning a trophy and ending their trophy drought. "At a club like this, I don't think winning a trophy is the holy grail," the Australian coach said. "It's not going to cure everything. Winning a trophy 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 a picture of the club lifting the trophy."

Before taking charge of Tottenham, Postecoglou had two successful years with Celtic, winning back-to-back Scottish Premiership and League Cup doubles. He had previously managed lesser-known clubs such as Brisbane Roar and Melbourne Victory in Australia, as well as Yokohama F. Marinos in Japan. The 57-year-old coach led the Australian team to the 2014 World Cup and qualified for the 2018 World Cup before leaving after more than four years in the job.

In the third round of the FA Cup yesterday, Tottenham did not have the strongest squad when Son Heung-min and Pape Matar Sarr joined the South Korea and Senegal teams to compete in their respective tournaments. Therefore, the team had a difficult 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 in round 21 of the Premier League on January 14.

Hong Duy

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