Presser points | Spurs vs Eintracht Frankfurt | Ange Postecoglou

Ange Postecoglou spoke to the media at Hotspur Way on Wednesday, ahead of our UEFA Europa League quarter-final, first leg against Eintracht Frankfurt on Thursday night (8pm).

Ange on our latest team news...

"Everyone's good from the weekend from a physical standpoint. It's a good place to be for us, hasn't been many occasions when that's happened this year, so from that point of view it's good. We're all excited. It's a quarter-final of a European competition, a home game as well which adds to that excitement so looking forward to it."

Ange on Mathys Tel taking the penalty against Southampton, rather than Brennan Johnson, who was on a hat-trick...

"We scored, we won. Delighted. It's incredible, it's just... if we're 2-1 up tomorrow night and get a penalty in the last minute, I want the best penalty taker to take it. I mean the one slight against this club is apparently it hasn't been a winner. Well the winner's mentality in the last minute of the game is to score a goal. We scored a goal. And yet somehow in this ultimate universe where everything Tottenham does is wrong, that's come out as a negative. Be that as it may. From my point of view, I was delighted because as I said if that's tomorrow night and we get a penalty in the last minute and get a third goal which could be really decisive... I'm really pleased with the way the players handled it."

Ange on Brennan and Wilson Odobert...

"With Brennan, part of the strategy heading into this was we had quite a few players who were coming back from long-term injuries including Wilson, Destiny, Micky van de Ven, Romero. I could keep going on. We had to use games where we needed those guys to play because otherwise if I kept playing Brennan we would be at a point now where Wilson, Destiny, these guys would have had no game time and we may need them. It wasn’t about just leaving Brennan out because he wasn’t performing. Part of the strategy was we needed to get Wilson some game time. So I’m pleased that both of them have got some game time. Most of our guys now, we are able to give Micky and Destiny a rest on the weekend, are in a position where they are not fatigued because they haven’t been overplayed but they have played enough and that has been really important for us. So, we are in a good position from that point of view."

Ange on the importance of the atmosphere in the stadium...

"Hugely important. With every European game, whether you were watching last night or tonight, whoever is playing at home, the atmosphere makes a big impact, absolutely it does. I think it is a big part of European football. A lot of teams who have success in European football is on the back of really strong home atmosphere. We hope it is the same tomorrow night for us. We think if we can get the crowd going tomorrow night, and we have had nights like that this year, European nights have been good, the semi-final of the Carabao Cup first leg against Liverpool was really good. We need that tomorrow night because in European football it is a big part of helping what are always tight ties for clubs to get an advantage."

Ange on savouring the opportunity...

"I’m not sure how many times the club has been in the quarter-finals of a European competition. Every time you get in there you don’t take it for granted. You have got to make the most of it, for sure. It’s going to be a tough game tomorrow. Frankfurt are a good side. They are going well in the Bundesliga. They have a mixture of some really exciting young players and some experience in there. It will be a good challenge for us. When you get to the last eight of a European competition, that is what you expect to face and I’m looking forward to it."

Ange on changing the mentality to where winning becomes normal...

"We are still a little bit away from that. It’s still only the quarter-final stage, but you have got yourself to a position where you have an opportunity to progress to the final stages. It is just one step at a time. The most important thing tomorrow night is that we focus on having a strong performance at home, make sure we play the football that we want to play and we have tried to play. We are slowly getting ourselves back into that sort of ability to maintain the levels we need to on a more consistent basis with the players we have available, so that has got to be the focus."

Ange on the performances of the team since injured players started to return...

"I think we've been okay. Again, it's been disruptive, trying to juggle getting players game time while also resting some players at different times so we can get to this position where we've got a fairly fit and strong squad to tackle what's ahead. I thought first half at the weekend was really good. I thought there were some really good signs both with and without the ball, that the lads are getting stronger in the areas we need them to."

Ange on if there's an anger in the dressing room to prove people wrong...

"I think that feeling exists, but not because of that. I don't think that's a healthy motivation to have because, ultimately, you can't win that contest. I just think we're in that position that even the good stuff we may do is going to be turned into a glass half full rhetoric and from that perspective, I don't think that can be a driver in what we want to do. The lads are really keen to bring success to the club, keep driving the principles of what we started this whole journey with, in terms of the football we want to play, really stick together as they have through the toughest of periods and now hopefully we've worked our way into a position where we can make an impact on our season, a really disappointing season for us. I just think there's a real determination to take the opportunity that they've earned at this point. I don't think you're going to win that argument of convincing people, well I think John (Cross) wrote that even if we win it, I'm gone anyway. That's not having a go at you, that's just saying the general sentiment of people. So, if you're trying to use that as a motivation, you're not going to win that anyway. There's got to be more in it for us and for us what is the most important thing as a group is that we've been through a really tough time but we're still in a position where we can make an impact, and you don't know how often you get those opportunities. We're in a quarter-final, and I don't know how many times the club has been in a quarter-final in European competition. You don't want to let that slip you by or have the wrong mindset going into it. I think the players are handling it well in terms of how they're trying to embrace this challenge. They're going to face a top team but they have the capabilities to overcome that."

Ange on the importance of substitutes being 'switched on'...

"Hugely so, and the point I was trying to make with Wilson is he was the key contributor to us winning the penalty at the end, so he makes a big impact. It is about all the players, not just Wilson, he was just an example I used. You kind of know in European competitions it is over two legs and more than likely the dying stages of both legs are going to be hugely important and the way you handle that. Usually that will be handled by guys who are coming on. No one starts and finishes the game with the same 11 players, so it’s about having a readiness for that. At the moment, we’ve got some really good options off the bench and the guys we need them to not just to come on and play their minutes, but to come on and really make an impact. Wilson was the one who won the ball back for Brennan’s penalty and that is the kind of impact we need from the whole group now, because it will take the whole challenge of the group to overcome."

Ange on the Europa League 'keeping him going'...

"I came to this club with a clear purpose and vision of what the club needed and what I could offer. That is to change the way the team plays, to obviously rejuvenate the squad because it was a squad that was coming towards the end of a cycle and to bring success. As long as I’m in this position, that’s always my focus, irrespective of whatever noise there is or what there may or not been in the future. I don’t see that should diminish my burning ambition, my desire and my determination to make that happen. Anything you achieve in life usually comes with a struggle. Certainly, everything I have achieved in my life has come with a struggle from a professional perspective. This is just another struggle, but never through this struggle have I lost the will to fight for what I think is the right thing to do, and I’ll continue to do that."