Ange Postecoglou channelled the spirit of Monty Python to play down talk that he is inspiring fellow Premier League managers with his attacking style, following Liverpool boss Arne Slot’s glowing praise of his methods.
On Friday, Slot said he hoped Postecoglou wins a trophy at Tottenham after the two sides were drawn together in the Carabao Cup semi-finals – meaning they will meet three times in the next two months starting with Sunday’s Premier League clash 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 brush off the kind words from his opposite number.
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He laughed: “I’m not an evangelist. To quote Monty Python, I’m just a naughty little boy!
“[Slot’s opinion] is what I love about football. There’s got to be differences, people who are prepared to do things a little bit differently.
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Liverpool boss Arne Slot was full of praise for Tottenham head coach Ange Postecoglou ahead of their Premier League game on Sunday
“There’s that variety, that opinion and that allows emotion to come into it. I hate to think people think I’m just some kind of showman or something. I want to win.
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Highlights of Tottenham’s end-to-end 4-3 Carabao Cup quarter-final win over Man Utd on Thursday night
“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 on a daily basis and have been my whole career, but I feel if I can play in this manner and win, it makes an impact.
“We all want a little bit of a footprint and I want that to be mine. We were successful and won, but maybe in a little bit of a different way. I think that stays in people’s consciousness a little bit longer.
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Postecoglou lauded 18-year-old Archie Gray’s performances filling in at centre-back after he helped them reach the Carabao Cup semi-finals
“Will we ever get there? Some people will say we’re a long way off it. Who knows, but I’m determined to bring success to this football club and do it in a manner which hopefully makes an impact.”
The film references kept coming after Postecoglou was compared to Maximus from Gladiator, to which he replied: “Love the movie. Love Russell Crowe! Haven’t seen the new one yet, but it’s a great story. That’s all I’ll say about it, I’ve already got myself into trouble with Monty Python.”
Slot: Spurs fans tell me they want us to play this way
Postecoglou has faced criticism from some Tottenham fans – some which he has admitted has been painful to here – at times for his refusal to change his tactics, with the club on a run of two wins from nine before seeing off Man Utd on Thursday night.
He has more widely hit out at “offensive” criticism of his methods and questioned whether his “silly accent” has played a part in some of that.
But ahead of Sunday’s game at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium he remained unapologetic for his style, having championed his philosophy long before Spurs picked him as the permanent successor to Antonio Conte in the summer of 2023.
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Jamie Carragher said Tottenham are the most entertaining team in England after Spurs’ win over Man Utd
“When I came in, I made it clear and I think the club knew what I was about,” he said. “I wasn’t coming in and doing anything I haven’t done before.
“My impression is it’s 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 by that.
“Whether the supporters understand or appreciate that as a whole, I’m not sure but I get a sense from the Tottenham supporters I have contact with out and about, this is what they want.
“They want to win, but they want the team to be playing with this kind of intent.
“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 onto it and cherish it, embrace it.
“It doesn’t have to be more. Appreciate something for what it is – but we’ve all got people like that in our lives. We’ve also got that uncle who says it’s raining outside, even if you’ve just won the lottery. It’s about your outlook on life.”
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