Presser points | Spurs vs Wolves | Ange Postecoglou

Ange Postecoglou spoke to the media at Hotspur Way on Friday, ahead of our Premier League clash against Wolves at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday (3pm UK).

Here's what he had to say...

Ange on Radu Dragusin's fitness...

"It's a bit early to tell, he tweaked his ankle last night, felt like he couldn't continue, so we'll have to wait and see. We'll wait until he gets in (for training) today and assess him from there."

On any other issues...

Ange: "Djed was sent off, so we'll miss him as well, and from a physical perspective, tired bodies, but no further issues."

On the possible return of Ben Davies from injury...

"No, he's ruled out. Unfortunately, he had a setback in training, so he's probably out for another couple of weeks."

On defensive options...

"Not many... look, we're in a tough spot, we have been for a while. We've been getting through it for quite a while now and keeping our fingers crossed we don't get any more issues, but that's the nature of football, and with the fixture schedule we've had, we've always been on a fine line to get through. This is another test for us, but it is what it is and whatever we have to deal with, we'll deal with it and get ready for Sunday."

On whether or not he'd experienced an injury situation like this...

"No, not at this level and for this extended period of time. There's always been issues at different times but not to this extent. I think we’ve had close to pretty consistently 10 first team players not available for a significant run of games. Definitely a first for me."

On Wolves...

"It's another good game for us, a good challenge for us. Obviously, another new manager in Vitor (Pereira) who I know pretty well as we crossed paths in Asia a couple of times. They had a great result (against United) last night. They definitely have some quality players who can hurt you in there and we saw that last year, so a good challenge for us. It's a really important game for us back at home, we're getting through this period as best we can, but we certainly need to go out there on Sunday, play our football and get a result to make sure we get some momentum going into the new year."

On if he'd seen anything different about Wolves' style under Vitor Pereira...

"I don't think you ever do, I think it’s more sometimes the new manager comes in and gets a reaction from the players and they kind of realise they get a new opportunity to show themselves and I think you just see the best version of them, I guess. Like I said, irrespective of their form, you always knew they had quality players in there who could hurt any team. We were coming back last night, so we didn't have a good look at the game but they had an impressive victory and I'm sure they'll be coming here full of confidence."

On the importance of the January transfer window...

"In the context of where we're at at the moment, I think it is an important one, because if we add what we need to add and it fits the bill in what we're trying to do... our league position is not great, but it’s super tight and we’re not that far off. Like I say, we're in the semi-final of the Carabao Cup and still in great position in Europe and there's the FA Cup. There's still everything to play for for us this year to make it a season where we can have success, but we need some help, the players need some help, more importantly, and the club is working really hard to try to make that happen."

On the fanbase and our current run of form...

"I keep saying fanbase, they love their football club, they care about their football club and obviously want their football club to succeed. They make those feelings and emotions seen. I haven't felt anything but support since I have been here, I still feel that support is there. I keep doing what I think is the right thing to get success to this football club and that doesn't change. The task is difficult at the moment because of our situation, but like most things that are fairly difficult to traverse, it's only temporary and we'll get through it and come out stronger."

On feeling any pressure...

"No. It is what it is. It’s not what motivates or drives me. I have always, my motivation for what I do is try to create teams who win things and have success and make an impact. That doesn’t really change. I will keep doing what I am doing. It doesn’t add any pressure or I don’t feel any extra anxiety about anything. I firmly believe we will get through this and come out stronger and create the team we want to be."

On if winning a trophy means everything we're going through at the moment will be worth it...

"Only if it is sustainable, and if it’s not a one off. That doesn’t change. I get where people kind of look at my situation and think, 'he needs to do something or else he is in trouble’ but I don’t think that way. It’s not how I am wired. I’m not concerned about that aspect of this role. Like I said, what excites me about this role and what I love about doing what I do is the possibilities you can create something special and that’s what I am going to try and do."

On Ben Davies and his setback...

"It's a similar injury. He tried to come back in training, but it didn’t work out."

On reflections of the calendar year...

"Mixed, I guess. I thought last year we finished fifth which was a fair effort considering the changes we made. We were all understanding that it was going to be a challenge to rebuild the club, the squad, the playing style and stay competitive which I think we did. This year it’s been mixed in the sense that obviously the results, I don’t think they have reflected our growth. I think our best football this year has been better than last year, which is what you’re looking for, you’re looking for improvement, but we haven’t been consistent with that and we’ve also had the challenges of what’s been happening around the squad over recent times, which taints things for us a little bit in terms of the progress we want to have made at this point, but I still believe we are on the trajectory to becoming the team we want to become and like I said, we will get through this difficult period and get there."

On improving against teams that sit deeper...

"I think it just depends on different games, different outcomes. Last night, Forest, you go there and you are not going to create bags of chances, but we still had moments in the game to execute. There is a bit of fatigue in that front third because the guys are continually playing which means they are probably not as sharp as they need to be. They had their moment and took their moment. Every game is different. I don’t think it is that we struggle to break teams down it’s just that every game has different moments. Last night was always going to be a game where there weren’t many chances for either side. We didn’t take ours and it wasn’t a great goal from our perspective. We did most of things well last night, but that moment we lost concentration and paid the price."

On the possibility of Yves Bissouma playing centre-back...

"I don’t know... I mean, Yves has never played there, so I am not sure why I would put him there. I had to put him there last night because I had no one else, but we’ll see. We’ll see what happens."