Presser points | Spurs vs Everton | Ange Postecoglou

Ange Postecoglou faced the media on Friday ahead of our first home game of the 2024/25 Premier League season against Everton on Saturday (3pm).

Here's what he had to say...

Dominic Solanke

Team news was first up, with this latest on strike Dominic Solanke...

Ange: "Yeah, Dom picked up a knock in the last game. He got through the game but it flared up the day after. He will miss tomorrow."

Rodrigo Bentancur

Ange was then asked for an update on Rodrigo Bentancur, who was stretchered off after a clash of heads during our opener at Leicester on Monday - would he play tomorrow?

Ange: "Absolutely not. Irrespective of concussion protocols, any head injury we are always going to be more conservative. Good thing is he has bounced back really well. He has done all the tests and he feels good. We will take our time with Rodrigo and make sure he is absolutely 100 per cent before we put him out there again."

Foxes and moving on...

Ange was asked what he'd said to the players after Monday's draw at the KP, and what he would like to see from them against Everton...

Ange: "I think, with all these things there is the outcome which was disappointing for us like you said it’s a game we should have really won but you can’t take away from the fact the performance was strong and the first game of the year there were some really positive aspects to our football, we controlled the game really well, created chances, minimised the opposition’s strengths but we know in football that is not going to guarantee you an outcome. Like I said, I thought we were a bit wasteful in front of goal and we should have put the game to bed. For the most part, I thought it was positive and for us if we can replicate those kind of performances regularly the outcomes will change."

Everton

It was put to Ange that Everton are down to 14 senior players due to injury, so what was he expecting from Sean Dyche's team?

Ange: "Tough game. I think anyone who plays against Everton and a Sean Dyche team expects to be nothing less than very very competitive. Obviously they have got a few injuries, but the players they have out are very good players and can make things difficult for any opponent, so we've got to be ready for that. It's our first home game so I'm sure the lads are excited to play in front of our crowd, get the atmosphere going and hopefully put on a good performance for me."

Understanding Ange's philosophy

Ange was asked - 'you're looking to get the team to know what you want, imprinting your philosophy, how close to understanding it are they?'

Ange: "We are definitely further down the track. For the most part, the players, particularly those who were here last year, have a good understanding. But that’s constantly evolving in terms of the way we want to play in terms of the players we have and how we want to play as a team. Nothing is fixed in stone that this is exactly how we will go about our football. The basic principles are there and that’s what’s pleasing about last week - we want to dominate games, minimise the opposition’s chances and we did that. I think a lot of it is embedded in there but it is a constantly evolving process."

Wilson Odobert

Ange was asked the reasoning behind signing winger, Wilson Odobert...

Ange: "We went through the same sort of processes. He's one that we identified really early on in the summer. It's no secret we were looking for a wide player and Wilson was one of the ones we highlighted. We had to go through certain steps to get these things done. They're not as straight forward as saying 'that's who we want, go and get them'. Obviously getting big Dom in was very important for us and we spent a lot of time working on that deal but once Dom was done there was one target and that was Wilson and that happened really quickly. I really like the way he plays in the wide areas. He's different to our other wingers. He's a dribbler, he likes to get into the front third. He can play either side, he can play central. He's had a really good development if you look at his trajectory from PSG as a youngster to Troyes, playing in Ligue 1, and France and Premier League football before the age of 19. I think he ticked all the boxes for us and he's a fantastic young bloke as well, so really happy to get him in."

Back to Solanke - and Richarlison

Ange was asked for the nature of Dominic's injury, and if Richy was fit enough to start...

Ange: "It's an ankle injury, he copped it really early on, someone went across his ankle. He's definitely out tomorrow. It just depends on the recovery, obviously next week we've got the international break, but it's not serious. We know that, but just an ankle injury. Richy has trained for two weeks. He's ready to go. Obviously hasn't played for quite a while which you've got to (take into account) but he's available and ready to go."