Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou has opened up ahead of the first leg of his side's Europa League showdown with Bodo/Glimt on Thursday night.The competition represents a shot at redemption for the north London giants, who have endured a campaign to forget.It also gives Tottenham a big shot at winning their first trophy since 2008, back when Juande Ramos ruled the roost.
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00:00Afternoon everybody, welcome to our Matchday Minus One press conference ahead of our Europa
00:17League semi-final first leg tomorrow. Translation is available via the headsets, Channel 1 for
00:22English, Channel 2 for Norwegian. Please use the microphone provided to ask a question. We have
00:26around 15 minutes, so ask for a maximum of two questions per person to get through as
00:29many as we can in the time we have. Simon?
00:33Yeah, first of all, Team Yu's Xiong Min Song, what likelihood that he'll feature tomorrow
00:38night?
00:39Yeah, no, he won't feature tomorrow night. He's still, he's out training, but he's still
00:43separate from the group, so he's improving and, you know, hopefully we can get him back
00:49in sooner rather than later.
00:51They're a really attack-minded team, Bodo Glimt. You've had experience of playing them
00:57once before, twice before with Celtic. What are you expecting from them?
01:01Yeah, no, they've been pretty consistent the last few years, obviously the same manager
01:06and, you know, sort of core group of players, but definitely a distinct style of football
01:11that they've stuck to and have had success with. You know, they've been pretty consistent
01:16in, obviously, in the Norwegian league, but also in Europe. You know, every game they've
01:22played, irrespective of the opposition, they've played some really good quality opposition
01:27in Europe. They've always been really competitive and I think that's just born from the fact
01:31that they're very stable and have a clear sort of understanding of how they play their football,
01:35so it'll be a good challenge for us.
01:38New contract for Lucas Bergwahl this week. I mean, how much has he improved just in this
01:42season and also kind of how important is it to the club to build the future of the club
01:46around players like that?
01:47Yeah, hugely so. I'm delighted for Lucas. I think it's, you know, it's a reward for his,
01:54like I said, his development this year, his performances and, you know, how well he's adapted.
02:01You know, we've got to remember a lot of young guys who may become the Premier League have a step
02:06in between, whether that's playing, you know, in another league, but he's sort of come, you know,
02:13straight from the Swedish League, a really, you know, year of senior football into Premier League
02:18and yeah, his growth's been, it's a credit to him. He's worked really hard in his game, you know,
02:24at the beginnings he was really struggling to cope with a lot of the intensity and tempo,
02:27as you'd expect and we expected. You know, I guess, you know, a lot about football and life
02:35in general is opportunity and he had an opportunity this year because of, you know, the situation we were
02:40in and he grabbed up with both hands and then, you know, even now that we've literally got a full,
02:46you know, full squad to choose from, he's still being selected because he took the opportunity.
02:50And yeah, you're right, you know, there's, I think there's a core group of young players here that,
02:54you know, hopefully can build something from.
02:56This is very much if the club could get through the next two legs, but the club have been looking
03:00at trying to get the Aston Villa game moved next month. We see kind of foreign leagues often
03:05switch around fixtures to help out teams in European competition. Is this something that
03:08the Premier League kind of really has to help out on this occasionally?
03:11Look, I haven't looked, you know, too deeply into it. I don't know what sort of precedence
03:16there is to it. Like I said, I know other leagues obviously do it, which you can't understand
03:21for European finals, but I'll leave that to the powers that be. I'll concentrate on trying to get
03:28us there first of all. I'm done on the marathon, mate.
03:33The club have worked with the Tottenham fan group tomorrow to put on a TIFO display and
03:37there'll be flags throughout the stadium as well. I know the fans haven't always felt aligned with
03:42the club at times this season, but how important is that kind of take evidence for such a big night?
03:46Yeah, really important. And again, you know, whoever you guys have traveled throughout Europe with us,
03:52whether this year or other years, you see the impact that that has, you know, when you're playing
03:56opposition stadiums, when the supporter base, you know, really feels engaged with, you know, with
04:03the club and with the team and, you know, with the occasion. And it's going to be hugely important
04:09for us tomorrow night. Our fans in Frankfurt were outstanding. And to be fair, in Europe this year,
04:16all the European games, even the Frankfurt, the first home game, I thought was a fantastic
04:20atmosphere. And yeah, we're going to need it tomorrow night. Again, it's a semi-final of
04:26European competition. I'm sure our supporters are excited. Everyone in the club's excited and,
04:32you know, we want to make sure we get the best chance to perform at the best level so we can get
04:37through. Hi, Ange. Are you superstitious? No, no, I used to be, but not anymore. I find it was kind of,
04:45you know, it kind of worked against everything else. I kind of believe in my life because,
04:52you know, I never used to change, I don't know, socks. And then I thought, geez, if it's just the
04:57socks, what am I doing? You know, what's the point of me being a coach if it's just socks that make a
05:02difference? No, not that. Sorry. I ask because last time Tottenham won a European trophy,
05:07Liverpool were champions, but the manager also left at the end of that season. Do you?
05:13Is that giving encouragement or not encouragement? It's a hell of a way to frame that question,
05:20Matt, about, look, I said before and, you know, I get, we're trying to run two parallel things here of
05:28a really disappointing season in terms of the league.
05:32But I just don't think that we can do anything other than really concentrate on an unbelievable
05:42opportunity we've got before us. I just think irrespective of what kind of season you have,
05:47how often will you be in this position? History tells you not that often, irrespective of how
05:52strong you are as a club, even the strongest clubs in terms of Europe. So any thought of what's going to
05:58happen next year or what's happened this year, or I just don't think is really of any importance.
06:08And, you know, as I said last week, I think you ask any Tottenham supporter, you know, what's further
06:13most in their mind right now, you know, what's going to happen next year or us hopefully trying to get
06:19to a final of Europe and the opportunity to win some silverware? I think the answer would be just
06:25concentrate on them now and that's what I'm doing. Tom?
06:27Hey Ange, that game against Bodo with Celtic was a few years ago. Is there anything you can learn from
06:34those particular games? And if so, what is it? Yeah, absolutely. Like I said, same manager,
06:39similar style of play. You know, when we played in the Celtic, we sort of, our season had got off
06:48to a slow start, but by that time we were kind of playing some decent football. But I remember,
06:55because again, we had the first game at home, a bit like us, and their ability to play at a really
07:01good intensity. They weren't phased, you know, the atmosphere at Celtic Park is unbelievable. They
07:08weren't phased by that. Yeah, they'd beaten Roma, you know, a couple of weeks before that. And it really
07:14strikes you that I don't think they're going to be daunted by anything tomorrow that they face.
07:21Because, you know, they've, you know, they've been at Old Trafford, they've played at the Emirates,
07:24I think a couple of years ago. You know, like I said, they've played some big clubs in Italy,
07:28they've played some big clubs in other countries. And you see that they have this ability to not be
07:35phased by that. And we've got to expect that tomorrow night. I don't expect them to be overruled by
07:40the occasional, you know, sort of thinking, wow, I think, you know, they've got a real capacity to
07:46to be really strong in their mind about what they need to do. And the away game's tricky because,
07:52you know, you're playing in an artificial surface, difficult conditions. So I think there are still
07:59some real parallels there. And having experienced that, I know that, you know, they're going to be a
08:03really tough opponent. And just throughout the season, when it's been difficult in the league, you've
08:08constantly said to the players, or you've said to the players, that they can still have a,
08:13you know, a fantastic finish. And you're now, what, two ties away from a final. What's been your
08:18message to the players this week? You know, last week, you talked about the stonecutter's creed.
08:22Any particular kind of angisms ahead of this week?
08:25No, no, no, it wasn't an angism. I'm still shocked that, you know, the whole room I was talking to
08:31had never heard of it before. But no, look, I think that still rings true. Like I said,
08:36we're, I'm really, you know, strong at the moment on, you know, these, like I said,
08:42these parallel worlds we're trying to traverse. And I've sensed, which is not surprising,
08:47because I've said that before, that this, the way this club's perceived it,
08:51people are almost trying to diminish it in some respects. You know, I've heard people say,
08:55well, it's the equivalent of Man United winning the FA Cup. No, it ain't. I'm sorry. Not on any planet.
09:01Is it the equivalent? Others suggesting that maybe we're not worthy of, you know,
09:06Champions League. I mean, again, they're like things that are there designed there to diminish
09:13what's ahead of us, which is an unbelievable opportunity. Like I said, irrespective of how
09:18this season's gone, we have generations of fans who, you know, want this more than anything else,
09:27to share again with, with, you know, the people that they love, a special moment supporting their
09:33football club. So I said, this could, this season could have gone a lot differently and we could be
09:39flying in the league, but it wouldn't make this opportunity any different. The opportunity is the
09:43same. And, you know, I've made that clear to the players, you know, you know, we're disappointed,
09:48obviously with, with, with Sunday at Liverpool, we were nowhere near the level we needed to be.
09:55But again, that's, that's something we need to deal with separately. What we have before us is,
10:01you know, a semi-final of a European competition with an opportunity to, to get to a final,
10:07win a trophy and Champions League football. I just think, you know, for the players and everyone
10:12involved at the football club, it's, it's, it's a brilliant opportunity.
10:16Hi Ange. How do you assess the players' ability to really go to the gears physically tomorrow night
10:22after, you know, managing minutes and rotating a bit in recent weeks?
10:25I think we're in a good place from that point of view. I think, you know, looking at the outputs
10:29of the players, I think we've got really good sort of work into players who needed it. Others we've had to
10:37manage because, you know, I think with a season like ours where, you know, guys like Romero and, and
10:46Van de Vin and Destiny, guys who've missed a lot of the season, it's not just about getting them
10:50back, but then you've got to manage how you bring them back and, and how, how, when they play. They
10:54certainly, all of the, the guys we rested on the weekend, Benton Kaur, they all could have played Pedro
10:59on the weekend for sure, but it made sense for us to give them a really good preparation. So, and the guys
11:04who played, you know, Dom played 60, Mattis played 45. I think they're in a good place physically.
11:11Absolutely. We're going to need a big physical performance because again, Bodo worked really
11:15hard as a team. But similarly to the Frankfurt games, I think the guys are, from a physical
11:22standpoint, in a good place to, to have a strong performance.
11:24And do you feel like, given the unique conditions you're going to face in Norway next week, obviously
11:28no more away goals rule anymore. There's an incentive to try and give yourselves a good cushion
11:34in that first lane. I think you try and do that anyway. You know, I think, you know, home,
11:39playing home in Europe for every club has its advantages and you want to try and take that
11:44advantage. And as you said, you know, Bodo away is, is a difficult challenge. But having said that,
11:50like I, you know, we played really well against Frankfurt at home and we should have won by three
11:54or four. We ended up drawing, but the important thing was that we played really well and were dominant.
11:58And I think that gave us confidence and, you know, Frankfurt away wasn't an easy,
12:02their record's just as compelling as Bodo. So I think tomorrow night, what's really important
12:06is we put in another dominant performance. Hopefully, if we create as many chances this
12:10time, they go in rather than sort of hitting crossbars and, and so forth. But I don't think
12:16you just, you know, go into tomorrow night thinking you're going to kill off the tie then.
12:19I just don't think, I think semifinals for the most part tend to be pretty tight. And I expect that
12:25tomorrow night.
12:27For Bodo Glimp, this is an adventure. They are a small club, but for you, you're a bigger club.
12:32The last chance to get something from this season, how does that affect you mentally going into these
12:38games?
12:38Yeah, you'd love us to think that, that you're a small club and we don't rate, no, no,
12:43that's not how I've just said. I think Bodo's there on merit. They've beat Lazio in the last,
12:49they've beat Olympiacos, tough teams. They're there because they're a good football team.
12:53It doesn't matter where you come from. I come from the other side of the world where football
12:57is the fourth sport. So I don't underestimate anything. You say we're a big club, they're a
13:03small club, it doesn't matter. We're two clubs in the semi-final of a European competition
13:07and they've earned the right to be there. They've done very well to get there and we're going to treat
13:12them with the respect they deserve. And at the same time, make sure that,
13:17you know, we go in there and give our best performance.
13:21What do you see as the main reason that Bodo Glemt has reached this stage?
13:25As I said, I think they've been a real stable club, same manager, and I think
13:30they've got a real clear identity in the way they play. And as I said, I think they've created a real
13:37kind of resilience in the group, mental resilience, that irrespective of who they play, whether that's,
13:42you know, in the Norwegian league or in Champions League qualifiers or Europa or the conference,
13:49they treat every opponent the same and they play at the same level. And I think that's why they've
13:54been a dangerous opponent for any team.
13:56In addition to that, you've been to Bodo during the winter. It's such a small town. That's a fact.
14:07What does it tell you that a team from such a small place are playing in a semi-final in the European?
14:13That's what I love about the game. You know, that's the beauty of football, you know, that,
14:21you know, irrespective of where you come from or the size of the place you come from, that,
14:27you know, if you're ambitious and if you have a clear plan and, you know, you can, you know,
14:32especially in our sport, you know, you can create unique opportunities and, you know, create fantastic
14:41moments. So, um, I think that's, that's what we love about the game. You know, that's what we love
14:46about football that, um, there's always been, you know, stories of whether it's, um, clubs from
14:53small areas or small countries doing well in major competitions. Um, that's always existed.
14:59The Booty Glimt coach, Chetil Knudsen, what is your impression of his style of football and him as a person?
15:05Yeah. Yeah. Good guy. Um, like I said, I obviously met him a few years back and, uh, yeah, good guy.
15:11And he's done really well with them. He's, like I said, he's, he's, he's had a real clear identity
15:16about the way he wants his team to play. Um, he's created a real strong, um, culture at the club,
15:23I think, um, not just from a football perspective, but from, um, you know, mental perspective as well.
15:29And then you see that and, um, yeah, he's done very well and I look forward to seeing him tomorrow night.
15:33Um, so we won't see a replay of the Mourinho clash when you meet Chetil at the sideline tomorrow?
15:42I'm a bit different to Jose, yes. Um, but, um, look, I think, um, yeah, that's the kind of results
15:53they've had in the past. It means you have to respect them. Yeah. You have to respect. It's not,
15:57this is not just a one off. Um, you know, that was what, four years ago and every year they've,
16:04they've done that to more than one club that supposedly are bigger, you know? So it's not,
16:09this is not a unique, you know, they've gone further obviously this year and they've earned it. Um, I said,
16:15even to get to the knockout stage, um, Olympiacos are a tough team. I mean, they, they won the conference
16:21league last year. Um, Lazio, we know a good side, so they're not there by accident.
16:27One thing is the results, but, uh, also the way they have played and done it. It must be something
16:32that warms your heart with your playing style. Yeah, yeah, no, absolutely. Um, yeah, I love,
16:36I love their approach. I love that they're not, um, you know, intimidated by our positions. I love the
16:42fact that they, um, you know, they, they take the game and to, to whoever the opponent is and,
16:47uh, yeah, look forward to the challenge. Final question, please. Hi Ansh, Adrian Netovisni.
16:52In Norway, you might say no, but after facing those big clubs like Olympiacos last year,
16:58are you by any chance surprised by getting that far? Because I know you won't, won't mention
17:03the small club and small resources, but it's, it's from a city that small. Are you surprised
17:07going to the, to the semifinal in Europe League? Um, no, like I said, I'm not because, you know,
17:12if this was, you know, the first year they've got results like that,
17:17then you'd say, yeah, I'm a bit surprised, but I think they've been building towards that.
17:20Like every year they've made an impact in Europe. Maybe they haven't got as far as,
17:24but I think like anything else, um, it's only been, you know, in recent years that they've
17:30got into Europe. And I think in Europe, the more you're in there every year, the more you get the
17:36chance to grow. And I think they've grown every year. So, um, I think, you know, it's not a surprise
17:42to me and, um, I think irrespective of, um, how it goes this year, I'll expect them next year as well
17:49to, to, to have another impact in whatever competition they be that, you know, they may
17:54get through the Champions League qualifiers next year, um, and, and get to the Champions League.
17:58That wouldn't surprise me either, um, because I've just seen their growth.
18:01Last, last one, uh, they're coming into this match with a lot of injuries. How do you think that
18:06will affect them maybe, especially missing Patrick Berg in the midfield?
18:10Yeah, look, obviously, you know, missing Patrick Berg, um, is, is a loss for them. But again, um,
18:18I think it's always been more about what they do as a team, uh, rather than the individuals.
18:23Because, you know, the other thing over the last five years, they've sold a lot of players as well.
18:27Um, but the team's always remained consistent. I think irrespective of the lineup tomorrow,
18:32I would expect them to, to play the same way and to be just as hard to beat.
18:36Thank you very much.
18:37Thanks. Thank you.