Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou talks Bentancur, VAR and Bergvall winning goal in the Carabao Semi final 1st leg
08/01/2025
Tottenham Hotspurs, London, UK
08/01/2025
Tottenham Hotspurs, London, UK
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00:00You must be incredibly proud of your team tonight,
00:03especially what happened in the last game against Liverpool,
00:05just to get that result and that performance?
00:08Yes, very proud.
00:10Again, we had to deal with some adversity tonight.
00:13We started the game really well, I thought,
00:16but then obviously we lose Rodrigo.
00:19Even in the way it happened, it's quite distressing to see a team-mate
00:23go down in that manner.
00:25Again, we had to compose ourselves and deal with that
00:29and reorganise.
00:31Yes, super proud of the players.
00:33I have been all along.
00:35It hasn't been through the one of trying that our results haven't been.
00:38It's certainly not been on them,
00:40it's just that we haven't been able to get the consistency
00:43to get the results we needed.
00:45Just proud that they feel good tonight.
00:48They get the rewards of their hard work.
00:51Our fans as well, because we've put them through a tough time.
00:55I thought they were outstanding tonight.
00:58We haven't achieved anything,
01:00but I think just that feeling of having a victory
01:03against a top opponent in a big game,
01:05I'm really pleased for everyone.
01:08How would you sum up Lucas Broome's performance in general,
01:11but also on the other side of that,
01:13have I put the beard around in a possible second?
01:16What are your thoughts on that as well?
01:18Yes, Lucas was brilliant.
01:20Like I said, I haven't lost sight of the fact that we've got two 18-year-olds,
01:23one who's playing at centre-back, it's not even his position.
01:26I don't think people really understand the level of performance
01:30that these young guys are giving us at the moment.
01:33We had a goalkeeper on debut,
01:35Jed's playing left-back unbelievably well.
01:38But yes, Lucas is just growing all the time.
01:42He's just got that ability as a footballer to create space for himself.
01:49He's got the quality, but he works awfully hard for the team as well.
01:53We've been dealing with some adversity for sure,
01:56but we've had some growth in that.
01:58I've got no doubt about that.
01:59That's been masked by poor results and poor form for sure.
02:02But I've got no doubt that when we get our players back,
02:05we've got a foundation of a really strong core group of players
02:11we can really grow with.
02:13How did you meet this team?
02:15What were the reasons?
02:17I don't want to speculate, Tom, because I don't really know either.
02:20All I know is he was conscious when he came off.
02:23Obviously it was some sort of head injury,
02:25but he was conscious when he was coming off the field
02:28and he's been taken to hospital for observation.
02:30But I'm not really clear on how it happened.
02:34Was he knocked out?
02:36Again, mate, it's not my area.
02:39I'll get a doctor out here, but I'm not going to speculate
02:42because it's just not fair on people around him.
02:45But it was a head injury.
02:47There was concern from players out there.
02:49So obviously there was something going on.
02:51Did you get any feedback from him through the straights
02:54when he had a great performance?
02:56Yeah, brilliant. Fantastic.
02:58I got the sense when I spoke to him before we signed him
03:01that he had a bit about him in terms of real sort of assuredness.
03:06That probably belied his years.
03:09I threw him a mammoth task today
03:12to play against the best team arguably in the world at the moment
03:17in a big game in the semi-final.
03:20He just handled it awfully well.
03:22I think credit to Johan and his team.
03:28They were really big on him as a footballer.
03:32It's going to fit our style.
03:34They worked really hard to make it happen now.
03:37And you can see why.
03:39He's an outstanding footballer.
03:42It was a lovely moment for Lucas,
03:44but maybe just seconds earlier he could have been sent off.
03:47I wonder what you made of that in Stendish
03:49because Arnaud spoke about it as well.
03:51Yeah, look, I spoke about it after the game last time.
03:56I think my comments were misinterpreted.
03:58I didn't criticise the referee on the decision.
04:00I didn't think the decision was right about the handball.
04:02But I said that it's very hard at the moment.
04:05It's very confusing to understand certain elements of the game.
04:08Now, we've been told consistently the last few weeks,
04:11because I've been screaming at it from the sidelines,
04:15because a lot of teams have got away with a lot of fouls with us
04:18without bookings because the referee plays advantage.
04:21And we've been told consistently if we play advantage,
04:24as long as it's not a cynical foul,
04:26then the player does not get cautioned.
04:28So that's been relayed to us on a weekly basis
04:31because we feel like that's been happening.
04:33That was one of the things I was kind of bemoaning last weekend.
04:37Certain players just repeatedly were fouling.
04:40We were getting advantage, but no bookings.
04:43So that's what I'm talking about, is that I don't think...
04:47And, look, I'm really surprised at how...
04:53What's the word I'm looking for?
04:55..how people in this country are so easily letting the game
05:00change so much so quickly.
05:02It's changed more since VAR has come in,
05:05and I've been involved, I think, in the last 50 years.
05:08We never used to debate offsides.
05:10We never used to debate handballs.
05:12We never used to debate holding in the box.
05:14We never used to debate so many things.
05:16And it seems like...
05:17I mean, did everyone really love the announcement today?
05:20Did that give you real buzz about...
05:22You know, I mean, seriously.
05:24And, again, look, I understand.
05:26My understanding of it is this is what the people want.
05:29That's what I keep getting told.
05:31I understand that.
05:32But, you know, we're not going to...
05:34VAR is going to be there.
05:35Technology is going to be a part of life.
05:37But it's like my wife and our kids, yeah?
05:40We know technology, but she limits screen time.
05:42Why?
05:43You know, we slow things down.
05:44I think we've just got to be careful about constantly...
05:48Why do we want to change the game so much?
05:50And I know I'm going to be the old bloke in the stands
05:52who keeps shouting,
05:53"'Boo' every time, VAR," and I'll be the only one,
05:56but I just thought people would be a little bit more protective
05:59about the sanctity of the game.
06:01That's what I was talking about.
06:02Like, I wasn't criticising referees.
06:04I've never criticised...
06:05Like I said, I didn't think the decision was mine,
06:07but it's just the way the game...
06:09I think there's a lot of confusion at the moment.
06:11That's my belief,
06:12that the game is changing on the basis of technology.
06:15And I'm saying, why isn't anyone, like, speaking up about it?
06:21Especially in this country who...
06:23You know, for all intents and purposes,
06:25you guys think you're the custodians of the game.
06:27You've got a song that says it's coming home.
06:29This is your game.
06:30And yet it takes an Aussie from the other side of the world
06:33to be the one that's most conservative about changes.
06:36At the minute, are those decisions like a lottery?
06:38Because it feels like on one day...
06:40So, my comments are fair and even playing ground.
06:43That's what they were about.
06:44So, today, it advantaged us.
06:46Yeah?
06:47I wasn't saying that there was a vendetta against me or Tottenham
06:50when I spoke last week.
06:51That's not what my comments were about.
06:53It's just that, you know...
06:56And like I said, I'm...
06:57And I could be on a lone crusader here,
06:59but I'm happy to do that.
07:00I'm happy to just be the lone voice of saying,
07:03just leave the game alone for a bit.
07:06Like, you know, even extra time now, you know,
07:09minutes they had it on, minutes they had it on there,
07:11minutes...
07:12We never used to talk about these things before.
07:15And yet now everything is changing.
07:17So, that was my comment.
07:18So, today, I can see why Arnie's would be very disappointed.
07:22If that was me, I'd be disappointed as well.
07:24But apparently they're the rules.
07:26So, yeah.
07:28Yeah?
07:29Just quickly, I was going to say,
07:33you look to be a lot more emotional on the sidelines
07:37during this period.
07:38I don't know if I'm misreading that or that's not how you feel.
07:42But are you conscious of just letting your emotions out a little bit more?
07:46Well, yeah.
07:48I mean, it's been an emotional time, mate.
07:50You know, it's like I keep saying, I am a human being, you know,
07:54like all of us, you know.
07:56We're in these roles of managers and we're supposed to, you know,
08:00I understand we've got positions of responsibility,
08:03but we're still human beings in the core and we react to things.
08:06And, you know, I don't like the fact that, you know,
08:10people who are working really hard for this club,
08:12on and off the field, have not had that feeling of victory.
08:16I don't feel great about our supporters
08:18not having that feeling of victory.
08:20It weighs heavily on me, mate.
08:21It's my responsibility.
08:23I do care, you know.
08:24I'm a little bit more emotional than I usually am.
08:27But, you know, that's – I guess that also probably means I do care.
08:32And I think that's still important.
08:42Like I said, in a position he's never played, mate.
08:45You know, he's never played an 18-year-old.
08:48Name me another Premier League team that's got two 18-year-olds
08:51playing out of position consistently.
08:55I'm so happy they're at our football club.
08:58And as I keep saying, you know, in two or three years' time,
09:02I just pray to God I'm the beneficiary of their talent, mate.
09:06Because if somebody else is getting it, I won't be happy.
09:10James, last one, please.
09:12Has there been any change in your sort of overall approach
09:14from the Liverpool game given the league?
09:16It felt a bit more pragmatic.
09:19No, you can put it that way.
09:22I mean, people said my midfield set-up was a little bit more conservative today.
09:28That's because I only had three midfielders to choose.
09:30You know, the others weren't available.
09:32So, we certainly went about it the same way.
09:34Look, Liverpool don't allow you to dominate the game the way other teams do.
09:39And like I said, you know, we –
09:43Ali said, you know, our players every three days
09:45are playing a game of football, mate, without rest.
09:47And you saw Liverpool at the end.
09:49They put on some significant talent, some really good footballers,
09:52some top footballers.
09:54I couldn't do the same.
09:55And yet the guys who are out there are consistently doing it.
09:57So, you know, maybe we're not as dominant as we want it to be,
10:01but there's good reason not through the lack of trying
10:04or, you know, different intent in terms of how we went about it.
10:07OK, thank you.