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Tottenham boss brutally puts down Man Utd with clever Man City quip
Ange Postecoglou is hoping to guide his Tottenham Hotspur side to Champions League qualification.
Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou has taken a subtle swipe at Manchester United by suggesting his side have more chance of overtaking Manchester City in third than the Red Devils do of catching Spurs. The north Londoners are separated from both City and United by eight points, with Postecoglou confident about seeing Champions League qualification over the line.
With less than two months of the campaign remaining, things are hotting in the race to qualify for the Champions League. And given it’s likely the top five finishers in the division will earn a spot in next year’s competition, fifth-placed Spurs are well placed to qualify.
One of the sides hoping to cut the gap to Tottenham are United, but Postecoglou believes if it’s deemed possible for the 20-time champions to overtake Spurs, then his team can also catch up with title contenders City. Speaking ahead of the midweek clash against West Ham United, the Australian coach said: “Can you see us challenging Manchester City? No? Well they're only eight points ahead of us.
“If there's eight points [gap], you either think we can catch Man City who are eight points ahead of us or you think United can catch us. What's important for me is that we want to finish the season strong and keep building on the foundation of being a team that hopefully in 12 months' time people are looking at us differently and talking about us differently.”
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One of the defining aspects of Tottenham’s first season under Postecoglou has been their ability to come from behind to win matches. Saturday’s comeback victory against Luton Town was the sixth time this season Spurs have won after falling behind. While it might not be a sustainable approach to matches, Postecoglou insists it proves his team have strong mental resilience.
He added: “If you go back right to the very start all of my teams had that trademark of being able to turn around results or winning games late. When you’re so committed to playing a certain way the score almost becomes irrelevant.
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“Whether we’re winning or losing we don’t change our approach. That makes it easier for the players to look for the solutions in the way we play rather than something that is not a constant in our gameplan.
“That helps them because there is always a sense of a little anxiety or desperation particularly when it’s getting late in games and you feel it in the stadium and the supporters because they all want to win."