Ange Postecoglou delivers passionate speech about major Tottenham changes and warning to players

Ange Postecoglou has stated that "change has to happen" at Tottenham. Winning silverware throughout his managerial career with his teams all playing an attractive brand of football, Daniel Levy and Spurs will be hoping that the Australian can lead the Lilywhites to glory and end their trophy drought in the process.

Postecoglou's first season in north London has demonstrated that it is not going to be all smooth sailing in their quest to challenge for major honours on a regular basis. Having started the season so well and topped the Premier League, Spurs are now fifth in the table and seven points adrift of Aston Villa in fourth having lost three games on the bounce.

With Liverpool and Arsenal undergoing major changes under both Jurgen Klopp and Mikel Arteta in recent years to move towards the top of the Premier League, Postecoglou has indicated that both teams are "almost unrecognisable" from when they first started out under their respective managers. That's what now needs to happen at Tottenham, with the head coach revealing that they still have "a long way to go" in their journey.

“We need change, change has to happen," stated the 58-year-old. "You can’t want to alter your course, and quite dramatically for this club because we went down a certain direction and now we’re pivoting to a whole different direction, and expect the same people are going to be on that…It’s just not going to happen, so…

"We’ve had two windows and we’ve had some development of players, for sure, but when I say we’ve still got a long way to go, that’s what I’m talking about. We can’t be there yet because it’s impossible to say you’re going to have drastic change and yet expect everyone to be on that journey. It’s not for the want of trying..it’s just that we’re going to play a certain way, we’re going to train a certain way and we’re going to have a certain mindset, and that’s not for everyone.

"And the same way, whether it’s Liverpool or Arsenal, if you look at the beginning of their journeys, by the time they win the competition or have success, the team’s almost unrecognisable. That’s the reality, if you change. If you’re staying on the same course, of course, or a similar course…but we’ve done a major pivot here, so that definitely is the case, yeah.”

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In order for Tottenham to achieve their goals, some big decisions lie ahead for Postecoglou and the club.

“We’ve already made tough decisions, we let some experienced players leave the club at the beginning of the year, some by choice. But again, I feel like if we’re really going to change, that means change," said Postecoglou.

"You have to make decisions. Some of those decisions aren’t that tough because whether it’s a player or a staff member, they realise it themselves and say ‘you know what, I’ve got a better path somewhere else and you’ve got a better path here’. So they’re not that tough, but some of them you have to make just because of change, not necessarily because they don't fit in the picture but you still have to change.

"I’ve got to change this squad, I have to. Because I’ve got to build a squad I think can play our football. For that to happen, there has to be exits. I can't just keep everyone here and keep bringing in players. So sometimes you let people go who you think ‘he’s a good player’ but how am I going to change if I don’t do that."

Set to take on Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday, Postecoglou got an insight into the early stages of Klopp's rebuild on Merseyside after taking in a game with his eldest son when the Reds beat Stoke City in December 2016. With Liverpool buying into Klopp's blueprint and the Reds going on to lift major honours under him, Postecoglou feels that he has all the support from Tottenham and they have also bought into his vision.

“All I can say is that at the moment I feel like the club has bought into my vision and it’s up to me…it’s not about patience, it’s about belief that I need to keep working and taking us forward in a manner that there is belief in the club that they should continue to support my vision for it," he outlined.

"I was here in 2016, middle of ‘16, I came over with the family and I took my oldest son to Anfield to watch Liverpool. It was just at the beginning of that building phase and, to be fair, they hadn’t done anything significant up until that point but there was a real energy in the stadium around Jurgen.

"And I think the whole club, the supporters, everyone had bought into him even though they hadn’t quite got to where they wanted to yet. But I felt that in the stadium and that’s why I’ve always got drawn to managers like that because you could see, he could see things that others couldn’t in that time. And I think if you look at it for the most part, most successful clubs, that’s the kind of formula.

"Part of that responsibility lies on me to make sure that I’m leading in a way that allows people to believe in me and support me because…it’s the only way I’m going to have success. I’m not going to do it on my own, that’s for sure. I never have, wherever I’ve been, I’ve had great support and right now I have all the support I need. I really feel like the club has bought into the vision I have and it’s up to me to maintain that.”

With Postecoglou having lofty ambitions and wanting Tottenham to be competing at the top of the Premier League with Man City, Arsenal and Liverpool next season, what exactly does success need to look like in 2024/25 to show that Tottenham are on the right track?

"The way you frame the question… success is a funny term. Success is winning things, right? That’s how I see success. There’s success and there’s progress. If you ask me what success looks like, success looks like trophies. That’s what that looks like to me. That would be success," said the former Celtic boss.

"Progress for me would be that we play the football I want on a more consistent basis, and with a lot more conviction, consistently, across the board, against the best opposition. We’ve done it at times this year. But obviously not enough.

"And development of our players, because I still think some of them have enormous potential in this group. Some of them are in their first year in the Premier League. This period has been great for them because they have to fight through and understand what it looks like when things aren’t going well.

"Micky van de Ven, [Guglielmo] Vicario, Destiny [Udogie]… even [Cristian] Romero, the way he’s grown through the toughest period we’ve had. He’s been unbelievable. That’s a great sign for me. Because down the line we’re going to have more tough times for more significant things, and he’s going to be there, so I think it’s great for them. So success always means one thing for me - but we’ve got to have progress. I separate the two."

Tottenham unfortunately are not going to taste success this year in terms of trophies but the head coach wants his team to try and do so next season.

"It’s obvious we’re not right now because we haven’t. Will we be ready in 12 months' time? That’s the challenge I’ve got," he admitted. "What I keep trying to emphasise is that for a club like this, wherever you think you are in your rebuilding cycle, you have to try and win something every year. That’s part of the responsibility.

"I can’t sit here and say we’re going to finish fourth, fifth, sixth and then in the third of fourth year we’re going to win something. I’m not built that way. I want to win things all the time. We start next year trying to have success. But the underlying thing is growth. We’ve got to have growth."

What Postecoglou is trying to achieve in north London is sustained success with his team playing in his style of play. There have been plenty of ups and downs over the course of the season to date but key to the Australian achieving his goals at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is having everyone believing in what he is trying to create.

"Yeah but when I characterise the energy at Liverpool it wasn't always smooth there too, they had some tough times there as well," said the Spurs boss. "Look, it's only natural for supporters to worry because this is their football club and they are so desperate for things to go well.

"Again, it is up to me to maintain that belief in what we try to do - and we can only do that in the way we play, how we present ourselves and what we do. From my perspective it's not about telling people, whether it's players or the club, just be patient.

"It's about getting them to believe in what we are trying to create and that's why our supporters have been desperately disappointed in the last couple of games - big London derbies, so I get that. But for the most part I have got to say they have been unbelievable this year in the way they have bought into what we have tried to create. And if some of them are wavering in that it is up to me to change that."

One thing for certain is that Postecoglou fully believes in his ways and he will continue to stay on the path that has brought him plenty of success throughout his managerial career.

"Put it this way I haven't had anything that's come along my path that has shown me that I need to change," said Postecoglou when asked how early on he decided on his football philosophy. "So like anything in life, once you feel like something is working for you, something you believe in, brings success - and it does - you take that forward.

"Maybe the Premier League is a step too far, mate. Who knows? Maybe, maybe - but I will still be on that hill, wounded, my dying breath 'saying 'I believe, I do believe'. But I do, I really do mate. And as long as I'm here that's what you will see. You will see this team playing the way I want it to."

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