Ange Postecoglou has channeled the spirit of Monty Python to play down claims that he inspires fellow Premier League managers with his attacking style, following Liverpool boss Arne Slot who praised his methods.
On Friday, Slot said he hoped Postecoglou would win a trophy at Tottenham after the two sides played each other in the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup. That means they will meet three times over the next two months, starting with Sunday's Premier League match live on Sky Sports.
Asked for his response to Slot's comments, Postecoglou jokingly quoted from The Life of Brian, the 1979 Monty Python film, to initially dismiss his counterpart's kind words.
He laughed: “I'm not an evangelist. To quote Monty Python: I'm just a naughty little boy!
“[Slot’s opinion] that's what I love about football. There must be differences, people who are willing to do things a little differently.
“There's that diversity, that opinion and it allows emotion to come into it. I hate to think that people think I'm just some kind of showman or something. I want to win.”
“That's still the core of my being, I hate losing, I want to win and I want to be successful.
“I'm so driven by that every day and I've been that way my whole career, but I feel like if I can play like this and win, it has an impact.
“We all want a small footprint and I want it to be mine. We were successful and won, but maybe in a different way. I think that will stick in people's minds a little longer.
“Will we ever get there? Some people will say we're still a long way off. Who knows, but I'm determined to bring success to this football club and to do that in a way that will hopefully have an impact.”
The movie references kept coming after Postecoglou was compared to Maximus from Gladiator, to which he replied: “I love the movie. I love Russell Crowe! I haven't seen the new one yet, but it's a great story. That's all I can say about it.” I've already gotten myself into trouble with Monty Python.”
Conclusion: Spurs fans tell me they want us to play this way
Postecoglou has at times attracted criticism from some Tottenham fans – which he admits has been painful here – for his refusal to change his tactics, with the club recording two wins from nine before beating Man Utd on Thursday evening.
He has spoken out more widely about “offensive” criticism of his methods and questioned whether his “silly accent” played a role in it.
But ahead of Sunday's match at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, he remained unapologetic about his style, having defended his philosophy long before Spurs chose him as Antonio Conte's permanent successor in the summer of 2023.
“When I came in I made it clear and I think the club knew what I stood for,” he said. “I didn't come in and do something I haven't done before.
“My impression is that this is what the club wanted. Of course they want to win things, everyone does. But they wanted to do it a certain way, and I was excited about that.”
“Whether the supporters as a whole understand or appreciate that, I'm not sure, but I get the feeling from the Tottenham supporters I interact with along the way: this is what they want.
“They want to win, but they want the team to play with this kind of intention.
“It's human nature these days: we get something, we want something more, that doesn't satisfy us. I just think whatever makes you happy, hold on to it and cherish it, embrace it.
“That's all it has to be. Appreciate something for what it is – but we all have people like that in our lives. We also have that uncle who says it's raining outside even though you just won the lottery. It's about you view of life.”
Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury's huge heavyweight rematch will be live on Saturday, December 21 on Sky Sports Box Office. Book Usyk v Fury 2 now!
Comments