Presser points | Spurs vs AZ Alkmaar | Ange Postecoglou

Ange Postecoglou spoke to the media at Hotspur Way on Wednesday afternoon, ahead of our UEFA Europa League MD3 against AZ Alkmaar at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Thursday evening (8pm UK).

Here's what he had to say...

Team news

As always, team news was up first, with Ange asked about Heung-Min Son, who didn't take part in training in the morning...

Ange: "Sonny was a bit sore after the weekend, he was never going to be involved tomorrow anyway because he missed a bit. So we are just leaving him out of tomorrow and see how he is from there. Djed Spence trained individually today. Everyone else was out there."

Playing in Europe

Ange was asked how the team is adapting to playing European football...

Ange: "We have started the competition really well so far, different challenges in both games. The first game at home we had a player sent off in the first few minutes which provided its own unique challenges for us. Whenever you play away in Europe like we did the last game, Ferencvaros, again a different challenge and we have exposed some of our younger players to European football which I think is a positive and you see growth from that. We want to continue that. Again a good challenge tomorrow, AZ a good side and from our perspective, particularly here at home, a good opportunity for us to continue our form."

Additional team news

Ange was asked if Wilson Odobert might be available after injury, and if Richarlison was ready to start...

Ange on Richy: "Richy got through the weekend really well, he's trained, this is almost the second week of training now, so he's ready to go in terms of being available, for sure."

Ange on Wilson: "Again, we've got to be a bit more careful with him because he's missed a lot. He's only had this week of training. He's be involved tomorrow, in the squad. Game-time will be game-dependent with him but good to get him back and after this week he should be fully available."

Micky van de Ven and AZ

Ange was asked if he'd asked Micky van de Ven about AZ Alkmaar and about the defender's development...

Ange: "I think I know more about Dutch football than Micky, who was in Germany. I know AZ really well, I know Dutch football really well. Australia's always had a strong connection with Dutch football so I've always followed it very closely. We played AZ when I was at Celtic in the Europa League a couple of years back. Always a good side, really good at identifying young talent. There's also a Japanese connection there. When we played them last time, Sugawara was there, now he's in the Premier League. They've got Maikuma there now. So, I've always followed Dutch football and AZ, so we know the information we need.

"With Micky, it's fair to say he developed late but very quickly, because I think even at Volendam, there was a period when they were unsure about him. You could tell once physically he grew and the kind of player he was, his journey went very quickly at Volendam and the year he had in the Bundesliga he adjusted really well. For us last year he was outstanding in his first year in the Premier League. Obviously, he had an injury which set him back a little bit but he's growing all the time, maturing and I think he will become more of an influence at national team level. He's now played a couple of games at left-back, left centre-back, the more he plays with the national team will give him even more belief, but he's going very well and I'm sure he'll be an important member of our team but also the Dutch international team."

Dutch football

Ange was asked how much he'd been influenced by Dutch football, if he'd had the chance to manage in Holland and, having known one of the all-time greats in Ferenc Puskas, did he know any of the Dutch greats of the 1970s?

Ange: "Yes, a great influence. The whole 'Total Football' era was when I first fell in love with the game and the 1974 World Cup probably the pinnacle of 'Total Football' was also Australia's first time in a World Cup. I was up at 2am watching a grainy black and white TV and fascinated by the way the Dutch went about their football. Johan Cruyff was a genius in many respects, not just as a footballer but also a football thinker, so a great influence. That sort of filtered into Australian football, we've had Guus Hiddink, who took us to the next World Cup and many Dutch coaches have come through there. It has been a strong influence and a lot of my thinking... people talk about my high line but watch the Dutch in 1974 and you'll see something even more radical than me. I've got a bit of a way to go!"

Bill Nicholson

On the 20th anniversary of Bill Nicholson's passing (23 October, 2004), Ange was asked a couple of questions about our greatest manager...

It's 20th anniversary of Bill Nicholson's death. How much have you learnt about him since you took over, and his legacy stands test of time, is that a source of inspiration when you talk about making a mark and impact?

Ange: "Absolutely. I've often said when I fell in love with the game, I fell in love with the game, not just playing it. I've always, from a young age, had a real keen interest in history, club histories and great players, but I always had a real fascination with great managers, and he is certainly one of them. You always measure that by the success they had and that's one fairly obvious way to look at a tenure of a manager, but legacy is much more important. He is one of those figures like very few who has left an indelible mark that will always be here because it wasn't just about winning, it was how they won, the way he carried himself, the kind of person he was and those kind of things I often say are far more important than achievements. He's left the ultimate legacy because I think in many ways how the club is defined and wants to be defined is very much the qualities and values he brought. It is 20 years since his passing, but certainly time has not diminished his influence and you feel it to the present day."

Do you see similarities with how your team play compared to his and his famous quote ('it is better to fail aiming high than to succeed aiming low. At Spurs we set our sights very high, so that even failure will have in it an echo of glory') feels like it fits with yourself?

Ange: "I've said before, I feel like there is a synergy between what the club aspires to be and who I am and what I've been. I think it certainly helps me because when I am unwavering in my belief going forward, I'd like to think it is aligned with what the club wants and not going against the grain, so to speak."