Presser points | Brighton vs Spurs | Ange Postecoglou

Ange Postecoglou spoke to the media on Friday morning ahead of our Premier League encounter against Brighton at the Amex Stadium on Sunday (4.30pm).

Here's what he had to say...

Team news

First up, team news and an update on Destiny Udogie and Heung-Min Son...

Ange: "First thing's first, we're all good after last night, obviously tired but, physically, no issues from last night's game. Of the guys who stayed back... Destiny, we think will be okay. We train today and tomorrow, so he has to get through that. Sonny is unlikely, he's pushing hard, but the turn around might be too quick for him to be available at this stage."

Ange was then asked if Sonny would miss international duty if he was unavailable this weekend...

Ange: "If he doesn't play for us and, like I said, it's not like he's close, it makes sense. Again, we always have to be mindful on international duty, international teams take over. We're the custodians of their players, and we'll give them all the medical information."

James Maddison

Ange was asked what he'll say to James Maddison, who missed out on the latest England squad...

Ange: "I'm sure he's disappointed but, at the same time, he's playing well, so sometimes that's all you can do. These things come along at times, it's not always perfect in your career. There are situations and circumstances where you don't always get what you want, but that shouldn't detract from everything else you're doing. He's playing really well for us, he's been outstanding all year, an important part of our midfield set up and if he continues to do that, I'm sure he'll be selected again. You can't put everything in one basket and be disappointed because you've missed out, that shouldn't have any affect on him and the way he's playing, because he's been brilliant for us."

50 up!

Ange reached 50 games in charge of the team at Ferencvaros, he was asked where he sees Spurs after 100 games of his management...

Ange: "Many wouldn't have said I'd make 50! Even when I was on 46! Any time you reach a milestone I guess it's an indication that people still believe in what you're trying to do. It has flown by, to be fair, 15, 16 months, 50 games, but I've enjoyed every one of them and hopefully the next 50 are ones where we can make a real impact."

Five wins on the spin

It was put to Ange that the 50 milestone was marked with our best winning run for three years (five on the trot) and he was asked how close to the desired level was the team at the moment...

Ange: "It's always a shifting measurement for us. I think we've been consistent all year. Obviously, the results in the last five games have been reward for the performances. It makes you even more eager to keep pushing on and get better and see what level we can reach. I still think we're a developing side, a young side, the squad is still developing together, so that suggests whatever markers we set at the moment, we should be able to exceed. There is no doubt when you are winning games, that belief and energy accelerates. They key to that is to keep it going."

Fabian Hurzeler

Ange was asked about Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler and what he made of the job he's doing at Brighton...

Ange: "Great, 31, it's crazy. That's about the age I started (in management) albeit not at this level. Impressive. When he was coaching St Pauli (in Germany) he coached Jackson Irvine, who I had with the Socceroos, he's a great player, fantastic person and he reached out to us and said, 'Fabian likes what you're doing, could he come and spend a day with you?', so he spent a day with us last year. He asked a lot of questions, I gave him too many answers, for sure. You can tell he's a real student of the game. He was already a senior manager, got St Pauli promoted, but he had that curiosity. That's the key for a manager, especially the younger ones. You have to maintain that because it can get sucked out of you at times, when you get into the battle, particularly at this level, of dealing with one crisis or another, you can forget it's that curiosity, poring over that information... if he maintains that, he'll be an outstanding manager. Brighton are a fantastic club, they are careful who they put in as manager, there is usually an alignment there, which I wonder sometimes if they even think about that stuff, so he's the right place."

Did he ask lots of questions?

Ange: "He asked a lot! I actually palmed him off at one stage because he asking too many, so I passed him to the other coaches! He was inquisitive about everything. He was already a senior manager, doing a good job, and the fact that he still wanted to ask questions... he made a real impression on everyone."

Last time at the Amex

Ange was asked what he learned about last season's trip to Brighton, where we found ourselves 4-0 down before a late rally as it ended 4-2...

Ange: "It was a curious one, again, one of those periods where we were a bit disrupted with player availability, but we started the game really poorly, really open, by the end it could have ended up 4-4. We didn't handle the occasion well, particularly early in the game. It was indicative of the season, there was some good stuff in there but it got overshadowed by stuff that we really struggled with at times in terms of our consistency. So far, we've played well in away games this year - Leicester we should have won, Newcastle I thought we played well, Man U, we played well, last night away in Europe, we're handling those situations well, and we'll have to do that at the weekend, as well."

Dominic Solanke

Ange was asked about the striker's recall into the England squad for the forthcoming matches against Greece and Finland...

Ange: "Dom's had to work awfully hard in his career. It's a salient point for all young players that the (career) trajectory doesn't always go in a linear fashion. He started at big clubs, was a youth international, made an impact but for one reason or another, didn't get started. That didn't deter him. He went to Bournemouth, worked hard, had a year in the Championship, so there are reasons he wasn't selected, but in the last 13, 14 months, in terms of his goal output, that got him into the frame for the Euros and it's all down to him, even the way he's handled his move here, a big club, again, big expectations and since he's been back from injury, he been brilliant for us in all aspects. Credit to him... more exciting for me is I know there's a lot more to come."

Archie and our youngsters

It was put to Ange that he is a manager who puts trust in young players. Why?

Ange: "I think most managers would like, if they have talented youngsters, to use them. For us, where we are in terms of a club, I think it is really important for what we are trying to build. I have always felt that clubs that have sustained success always have a strong underpinning of young players who grow with the team, so that invariably over a period of time, players move on and when you are looking for replacements, they are already here. Whether that is guys who are club-trained like Mikey, Will has had a couple of years with us, or we are bringing them in... the ones we bring in, we worked really hard to get Archie and Lucas to our club. Part of that was me saying, ‘you come to our club, we will develop you, you will play and get an opportunity', now, it's easy for me to say that, get them to sign a contract and three months later they haven’t played at all and then come next window I go again and speak to the next 18-year-old and he turns around and says, ‘actually, the evidence doesn’t back up what you are saying'. I have that responsibility, but at the same time they have earned it, and it is an easier decision for me to make when I see them every day and I have no fear about throwing them out there. They are ready for it and want to contribute. It is always a balancing act, and for a club like ours I understand how important it is, particularly for club-trained players like Mikey to make sure we keep that pathway open for them."

How is Archie Gray so comfortable playing in different positions at such a young age?

Ange: "Well, he has got no choice because I’m putting him there and that is part of his development. Look, it probably helps that he comes from a footballing family and has been exposed to football since the moment he was born, so I think he understands the game. He takes in information really well. Training, he is constantly looking for more and more information which he helps, and then he just has a great temperament, he seems to take things in his stride and not let it affect him. Last night, played him in two different positions and both are probably the last preferred for him. He's played right full-back and in centre midfield, I had him at left centre-back and left-back last night and I thought he did brilliantly again. I'm not going to just put him in different positions, at the moment we are using him where we need him. Hopefully that gives him confidence in how much I trust him. Eventually, we will settle him into an area, but him playing at the moment, he has played Carabao Cup game away, two European games, he's had exposure in the Premier League already in the first 10 games of his Tottenham career, which I think is great for us."

Deki Kulusevski

Ange was asked about Deki's new, more central role...

Ange: "Deki is doing great. He's been out of this world in many respects as to what he's able to do in a central role. We used him wide last year because we didn't have too many options out there and that's where he was comfortable in. We started using him inside and I felt he felt that it unshackled him a little bit. He has an unbelievable capacity to run on and off the ball, his physical numbers are ridiculous and he has the quality to hurt teams with that. At times out wide he might've felt suppressed, especially in our system where you have to hold your position and not be involved, he's a player who wants to be involved. We brought a couple of wide players in this year and I thought let's go with him inside. We played with him as a nine in pre-season and he made an impact. The beauty of Deki is he's just getting started, he enjoys the role, he brings a different dimension to us because there's not many players like him."