Ange Postecogloucoach of the Tottenhamexplained in the press conference which injured players in the squad had not yet managed to recover fully and who are therefore ready for the match against Brentford tomorrow: “Wilson does not seem to be in form, we are still waiting for him to stabilise and for all the information to be available, but he will definitely be out for the next match. Bissouma trained today, so he should be available for tomorrow. Timo is fine. He has recovered well. All the others who did not train last week are fine”.
What is Richarlison’s condition?
“He’s a long way from recovery, I think you should stop asking me about him until I give you an update. He hasn’t trained with us yet.”
Was Toney ever an option for you?
“We considered him, but I said Dom (Solanke, ed.) was the person I wanted and it took us pretty much the whole summer to get him because he was the one who matched the profile we were looking for at that time.”
He is the first Tottenham manager to last a full season.
“Yes, they baked me a cake the other day. It’s not difficult for me because that’s how I’ve always worked. I keep saying that I know I won’t be here forever, but I work as if I were and I make changes that I think will set the club up for success over a sustainable period. Every decision I make is in that context. Sometimes if you get caught up in those kinds of scenarios, I just think you end up getting results that are potentially good in the short term, but in the long term you’re not going to get where you want to be. That’s all I care about. My goal and ambition is to bring success. Every decision I make is made for that.”
Solanke cost a lot, but he hasn’t scored yet.
“I don’t know why people are so quick to judge. It’s a limited sample. The guy has played less than two games for us. If it’s been 15 games without a goal then I can answer that question or 15 games where he hasn’t contributed, but I think just take a breath, do a bit of yoga, think about the world for a second and make an assessment afterwards. We shouldn’t rush to make judgements every time because the alternative is he could have had a great start, he’s in form, he’s scored in all four games, he’s flying and then he goes through a period like all strikers where he doesn’t score. I just don’t look at that. What I look at is that he came in, he’s adapted really well and quite logically he’s picked up an injury which has disrupted the way he wanted to start his experience, but he’s still got plenty of time for that.”
What is your secret to staying at Tottenham for a long time?
“Anytime there’s change, significant change, people get upset. It’s human nature, you kind of want comfort and security, but again, I came here to try to do something that hasn’t been done in a while. My point is – and I’ve done this everywhere I’ve been – you can’t just think that me coming in is the answer. You have to change things, and when that happens, it’s upsetting for people both internally and externally, but I think it’s a necessary part of trying to get what we need.”
Too much criticism after a few games? Did you expect anything else?
“No, I’ve said a couple of times that it’s just the way the world is today. People would rather be the first to pass judgment even if they’re wrong than wait for someone else. That’s how we live our lives today. There’s a lot more judgment than really reasoned, opinionated analysis, but that’s the way the world is.”