LONDON — Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou expressed his bewilderment over a segment of Spurs supporters who prefer a loss to Manchester City on Tuesday if it means Arsenal won’t secure their first Premier League title in 20 years. Arsenal’s recent victory against Manchester United has set the stage where City must win at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to reclaim the top spot before the final round of matches on Sunday.
A defeat or draw for City would leave Arsenal as the frontrunners. Despite Tottenham’s slim chances of qualifying for the Champions League, contingent on Aston Villa’s performance against Liverpool, Postecoglou remained steadfast in his commitment to pursue a win.
“People are allowed to feel the way they do,” Postecoglou said when asked about fans wanting a loss to thwart Arsenal’s title hopes. “I don’t understand it, I never will. I understand rivalry. I was part of one of the biggest ones in the world in the last couple of years with Celtic and Rangers but I’ve never, and will never, understand if someone wants their own team to lose. That’s not what sport is about.”
Postecoglou emphasized the importance of focusing on hard work and resilience rather than succumbing to rivalries. “I think I’ve been consistent and really strong in my beliefs that it’s important for this football club not to look for magic bullets to get to where we want to. It’s hard work, it’s resilience, it’s quality, not to fall for any false dawns – and know what real success looks like: trophies. Anything else in between, bragging rights, whatever it is, is absolutely meaningless to me or anyone involved with me. We’ve got a game we want to win.”
City, who managed their first victory at Tottenham’s new stadium in the FA Cup back in January, have yet to score a Premier League goal there, suffering four defeats in a row. However, Postecoglou dismissed historical results as irrelevant when facing City, who are vying for an unprecedented fourth consecutive title.
“My recent home record against them is one game, one loss, so I’m not going to take any confidence from that,” he said. “What I’ll take confidence from is we’ve got an opportunity to measure ourselves against the best: a team that has consistently strived for honours. We want to emulate them one day and the best way to do that is to test yourself against them. We’ll play our football and see where it takes us.”
In addition, Postecoglou confirmed that midfielder Yves Bissouma would be out for the remainder of the season due to a knee injury sustained during their win against Burnley on Saturday.
When questioned about whether City’s dominance posed a problem for the league, Postecoglou was clear in his perspective. “They haven’t done it yet. That’s an important point. But if you think they have then it does become an issue because all of us are just putting down the red carpet for them. I’m not going to do that and I don’t think any managers will.”
He stressed the responsibility of each club to rise to the challenge and disrupt City’s dominance. “It’s in the hands of each individual club to try and break that dominance and create teams that will challenge.”
As Tottenham gears up for the crucial match, Postecoglou’s comments underscore a dedication to integrity and the spirit of competition, urging his team and fans to focus on their own journey rather than the fortunes of their rivals.
