Ange Postecoglou has promised to match his young side’s ambition as he chases the “ultimate goal” of winning the Premier League with Tottenham.
In a wide-ranging interview with TNT Sports ahead of Spurs’ trip to Newcastle United on Saturday, Postecoglou said he wanted his team to rival the consistency shown by runaway trio Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City, while he reserved special praise for “outstanding” newcomers Guglielmo Vicario and Micky van de Ven.
Spurs last won a league title over 60 years ago and have only fleetingly flirted with the Premier League trophy, coming closest in 2015-16 under Mauricio Pochettino before being pipped by 5000-1 shots Leicester City. Their last trophy arrived via the League Cup in 2008.
“But ultimately for me, it’s about trying to make this club champion of the Premier League. I think that’s got to be the ultimate goal.
“That doesn’t mean you can’t have success in other competitions. I think that helps with growth because if you can gain some sort of success in a cup competition or in Europe, that helps build belief.
“It’s not easy, you’re competing against some top clubs that have been at this a lot longer in terms of building squads and building teams, so we’ve got a bit of catching up to do.”
Postecoglou and Tottenham’s challenge is an ominous one.
Defending champions Manchester City are in their eighth season of the Pep Guardiola project, Arsenal are in their fourth full campaign under Mikel Arteta and although Jurgen Klopp’s nine-year reign at Anfield is drawing to a close, he will leave a team packed with quality. By comparison, Postecoglou has just entered his 11th month in charge of Spurs.
“That’s the most challenging bit, to get to where they are on a consistent basis,” he said.
“In a one-off year, maybe you could do it. But a consistent basis is where we should try and pitch ourselves.”
Asked what one change might help haul Spurs into title contention next season, he said: “Where we are at the moment, in terms of the squad and where we are with our football, we’re a fair way away from it being one or two crucial things [that need to happen].
“I don’t dismiss the fact that maybe we can do it next year but when you look at the other teams we are competing with – they’ve been doing it for four, five, six, seven years.
“It’s only after you’ve been there at least three or four years that you can start thinking about ‘maybe there’s a missing piece’. It’s more about looking at the broad subject of how we’re going to become a club that can compete at that level.”
Postecoglou’s arrival last summer heralded a belated return to attacking football – dubbed ‘Ange Ball’ by supporters – after a largely bleak period under Jose Mourinho, Nuno Espirito Santo, briefly, and Antonio Conte.
They have since recovered to sit fourth, level on points with fifth-placed Aston Villa with a game in hand, as they look to return to the UEFA Champions League.
“It’s not that I don’t care about it, it’s just not our ultimate ambition,” he said.
“Finishing top four would signal that we’ve made progress but it’s not a destination point for us, so I’ve been reticent to use that as a marker that we’ve somehow been successful.
“But it’s still important; if we finish top four this year it means we’ve made progress from last year and gives us foundations for next year, but no guarantees.”
He added: “Especially for a club like this, if you go through two or three disappointing years it can be really hard to get back up there. So I thought it was important we at least got back to a decent level this year and it’s a credit to everyone that we have done that, giving our supporters some hope.
“But we’ve got to really build on that to make sure it’s sustainable rather than a one-year thing.”
‘Outstanding’ Vicario and Van de Ven showcase ‘beauty’ of Spurs squad
Two of Spurs’ most influential additions under Postecoglou have been in defence, with Vicario filling the void of long-serving captain Hugo Lloris in goal and Van de Ven starring either side of a hamstring injury in central defence.
Vicario, a summer signing from Serie A side Empoli, has been targeted in recent weeks from set-pieces, but Postecoglou has been impressed with how the Italian has responded.
“For the most part he’s handled it pretty well,” he said.
“What I’ve loved about Vic is whenever that’s happened, the next ball that’s come in he’s gone for it again. It can’t be underestimated the impact he’s had, when you talk about a goalkeeper who has never played in the Premier League before… and he hasn’t come in from a massive club, only one or two years of Serie A experience, I just think he’s been outstanding.
“There have been a lot of games this year where he’s pretty much kept us in it with a big save or a big moment. For a goalkeeper in his first year of Premier League, still very young in terms of maturity and experience at the top level, I think he’s been brilliant.”
Meanwhile, Van de Ven has excelled in Postecoglou’s high line and grabbed his first Spurs goal with a rocket in the win over Forest.
“He’s been outstanding. I’m reluctant to say how good he can be because I don’t know and I would hate to put a limit on it,” said Postecoglou.
“When you look at him and his background, he’s had one year in the Bundesliga, again not at a massive club [Wolfsburg], and he’s come to the Premier League. His growth through this year has just been outstanding for us.
“People talk about his speed and his ability to defend in one-on-one situations but everything about him is improving – his passing, his ball carrying, his physicality, and he’s great to work with. He wants to improve every day.
“That’s the beauty of this squad. Although I flagged that we’ve still got a long way to go, there’s a core group of players who are in their first or second year of Premier League football, who have already set a pretty high benchmark.
“Looking at them as personalities, it hasn’t got to them at all. They just feel like they’ve got so much more to improve. That’s the exciting bit for us.
“The responsibility I have is to make sure we let these guys grow and match their ambition for us as a club. They can all be really top, top players.”