Spurs don’t need Champions League for growth – Postecoglou،
Ange Postecoglou suggested Manchester United and Newcastle United's Champions League failures prove the competition is not a 'Willy Wonka golden ticket' to success and insisted Tottenham can continue their future development without finishing in the top four.
Tottenham travel to Villa Park on Sunday aiming to move to within two points of fourth-placed Aston Villa as qualification for Europe's premier club competition remains firmly in play.
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Although Tottenham have a game in hand it could prove a crucial weekend in the race for the top four, but Postecoglou downplayed the importance of Champions League football progressing in the future, hinting at the experiences of United and Newcastle this season after their elimination from the match. group stage.
While Manchester City and Arsenal remain competitive at the top of the table and in Europe, United and Newcastle have failed to even qualify for the knockout stages of the Europa League and sit below Tottenham in the table.
Asked about the importance of the Champions League for his team's development, Postecoglou replied: “That's not the case, actually. What's more important is that at the end of this year , we have a team that will fight next year and keep growing.
“Right now the most important thing is us, our identity and our football, because just walking into… mate, it's not a golden ticket to Willy Wonka, you know? It just gives you one year in the Champions League. But if we don't build on that and we don't grow from that, it doesn't make any sense, I think anyway, because we're not not there to participate.
We are here to win things. Yes, if we reach the Champions League this year it means we have progressed compared to last year. But has our football progressed? Are we a better team? Are we a stronger team? Are we going to improve this summer to make sure that next year we will be even better?
“It's much more important to me. My goal this year has always been to create a team that I hope will lay a solid foundation to move forward and become a team capable of winning things. That's a lot more important to me. This is where it all begins and ends. Logically, if we improved and made the Champions League, that means we had a decent year.
“But it won't comfort me if we don't play the football I want to play and if we don't improve in the offseason to make sure we're ready for the next step.
“Your development is your development. If you continue to get stronger as a team, that kind of thing doesn't even come into the equation. You should be there all the time. But if that's your goal and you think it's a golden ticket to infinite riches, it's not. There's a lot of evidence even this year, you can see that's not the case.
Qualifying for the Champions League increases a club's revenue and generally allows them to attract better players, but Postecoglou continued: “So there are a few teams that have entered the Champions League this year compared to the last year and had a good season. Does that guarantee anything? next season? No.
“I've always said it, I'm not desperate to get something just for comfort or assurance. I'm here to create a team that wins things.
“To me, it defies logic — I'm just not built that way — to aim for anything other than the top. Now, that doesn't mean you'll always get there, but I'm not going to install. for something other than that.
“If I fail, it's my fault, okay? But I'm not going to sit here and try to create a scenario where we're happy with anything other than being the best. That's exactly what I think.”
Pedro Porro has recovered from a muscle problem and will be fit to face Villa but Richarlison is yet to return to full training due to a knee injury.
