Ange Postecoglou has praised the work that Mikel Arteta has done since taking over at Arsenal but insisted that he has his own blueprint to get Tottenham to the level where they can challenge the best sides in the Premier League.
Arteta’s first couple of years in charge at the Emirates was quite tumultuous, with many fans calling for the Spaniard to leave.
However, the Gunners hierarchy stuck with him and backed him in the transfer market, and the 41-year-old has certainly repaid their faith.
Arsenal pushed Manchester City until the final stretch last season and they have once again been backed by many to be the closest challengers to Pep Guardiola’s side.
Postecoglou praised the ‘outstanding’ work that Arteta has done since taking the job but insisted that the process he plans to follow at N17 is quite different.
The Australian told Football.London: “The whole football club, Arsenal have done a really great job in understanding that they were probably heading in a direction which wasn’t going to be successful.
“Once Mikel came in, they stuck to the process irrespective of short-term gains that may have been made by going in a different direction.
“I think Mikel has been outstanding, really strong right from the start by having a real vision for the football club and the club’s backed him, but I don’t think that’s unique.
“I think Liverpool did the same with Jurgen [Klopp]. Most clubs that end up having a successful period do it on the back of having a really clear idea of what they’re trying to create.
“The only problem is that a lot of clubs jump at shadows at the first sign of things not progressing at the rate they were hoping for. Credit to Arsenal and credit to Mikel that they backed each other and they’re reaping the rewards of it, but that’s not a blueprint for us to follow.
“We’ve got our own blueprint. You don’t have to follow anyone else’s timescale, you don’t have to follow anyone else’s processes. What you’ve got to do is have a clear idea about what you want and provided along the way you see progress, stick to it.”
(Photo by Visionhaus)
Postecoglou will follow his own plan at Tottenham
Over the last few years, Tottenham have gone into the North London Derby looking to stop Arsenal from playing, which has sometimes backfired.
However, Postecoglou has insisted that rather than worrying about what the home side could do, Spurs will try and focus on hurting their opponents on Sunday.
When asked about Arsenal being keen to dictate the tempo, the Tottenham head coach said: “I’m not really bothered about what Arsenal want as a game. I’m bothered about what we want as a game.
“It’s about us challenging ourselves to be the football team we want to be and the kind of progress we want to make is playing the football we’ve started playing. It’s as simple as that.
“What the opposition may want or may not want becomes a moot point for us if we don’t play our football. There’s always natural adjustments during a game because of what the opposition do, but we’ve started playing this way because it’s how I believe we’re going to be successful, not because I’m trying to create something easy on the eye. If we’re not going to win with it, I won’t do it.”
Spurs Web Opinion
Over the past few years under Conte and Mourinho, we have gone to the Emirates with the game plan of letting Arsenal have the ball and defending with men behind the ball, and it has played into their hands. So, it might well be that attack is the best form of defence.
I do expect both teams to score more than once and I personally feel that Arsenal will have too much quality for us at this moment. I can accept a loss on Sunday as long as I see some promising signs in our performance.
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