Ange Postecoglou will not let Tottenham’s motivation in Sunday’s north London derby prevent Arsenal from winning the Premier League for the first time since 2004.
Spurs’ overall picture has changed since the game on April 13, with fourth-placed Aston Villa managing to open up a six-point lead while fifth-placed are no longer ready to deliver Champions League football.
That does not diminish the importance of Sunday’s clash at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with Arsenal knowing victory will take them one step closer to a first title in 20 years.
However, Postecoglou referred to his time in charge of Celtic as he looked ahead to a crucial match between the two bitter rivals.
“Not in terms of it as a motivation, no,” Postecoglou reflected.
“I want to win and I understand the importance of winning against your arch-rivals.
“I’ve just come down from Glasgow. I have a good idea of what the derby means to the supporters.
“I never believe that your motivation should revolve around someone else’s death.
“Your motivation has to be about you. I want to win because I want us to get something.
“I want us to progress. I want us to be in a position to fight for the title. That’s what drives me, not death.
“If that’s your style, always peek over the back fence to see what your neighbor’s building is. You can both get the worst houses on the street because everyone else is building nicer places and you look over the back fence. have been.
“I never wanted to win those games because it meant Rangers would lose. I wanted to win because I wanted us to win the title.
According to Postecoglou, Tottenham have been inconsistent over the past two months, still in the title mix as of March.
The 58-year-old has made clear his desire for Spurs to challenge the likes of Arsenal and Manchester City next season and reiterated that idea on Friday.
Postecoglou also dismissed claims that he would have accepted a move to number five when Harry Kane was sold in August, but credited the squad for handling his departure with minimal fuss. Presented.
He said: “I was literally sitting here the day before the Brentford game and he just left.
“I remember making a real conscious effort to look really beautiful above the water and if there was any panic going on, making sure it was under the water so no one could see, especially the players.
“Again, players have never batted on the bat, which they can have, especially when you look at what Harry has done this year. It’s been unbelievable.
And it still hasn’t been mentioned as much as it would have been if we weren’t scoring goals.
“It’s a credit to this group, the playing group, that they took on the challenge.
“I think these things that we’ve gone through this year will help us in the medium or long term.
“We know we still have some work to do. At the same time, we are in a better position to build on this than we were 12 months ago.
“That should be our aim, that in 12 months’ time we’re in a position where we’re one of the contenders rather than trying to disrupt them.”
Credit : www.independent.co.uk
