Ange Postecoglou has talked up Tottenham’s chances of FA Cup success and insisted he is driven by adding another trophy picture to his collection.
Spurs exited the Carabao Cup at the first hurdle in August after a penalty shoot-out loss at Fulham and face more Premier League opposition in a domestic cup on Friday night.
Burnley are the visitors in the FA Cup third round and Postecoglou, who has won silverware with South Melbourne, Brisbane Roar, Australia, Yokohama and Celtic, is eager to create new memories in England’s historic cup competition.
“From my perspective it’s an opportunity for us to try to win a competition and for a club of our stature that has to be the ambition every year, that you go into every competition with the aim and the hope of winning some silverware,” Postecoglou said.
“I love winning. It is what I have done all my career. I don’t say that dismissively and I don’t have (pictures) on the ceiling, but that’s what drives me.
“Every year I start the year hoping there is a picture by the end of the year of me with a team lifting a trophy.
“That is what I have tried to do my whole career and I have got plenty of evidence of that, so that’s what my intent is here. I don’t have to visualise it – it’s what I do.”
Postecoglou’s sentiments will be music to the ears of Tottenham supporters who have craved silverware with no trophy win since 2008.
While Spurs reached the Champions League final in 2019, their home dressing room only has pictures of club successes like the 1961 double-winning side or the eight teams who inspired FA Cup glory, most recently in 1991.
Postecoglou added: “The people who have had success at this football club are rightly honoured.
“If you walk around the home dressing room, those are the only pictures we have got up there, teams and individuals that have won things because we know how important they are to this football club.”
Spurs have been hit by more absentees this month with captain Son Heung-min away at the Asian Cup with South Korea Pape Sarr and Yves Bissouma in Africa Cup of Nations action for Senegal and Mali respectively.
Postecoglou was happy to play down any controversy ahead of next weekend’s trip to Manchester United, who have been allowed to keep goalkeeper Andre Onana until that fixture, and also refuted claims these tournaments could put Tottenham off signing Asian or African players in the future.
“I don’t think it’s fair or unfair,” Postecoglou commented on Onana’s delayed link-up with Cameroon.
“Not bothered at all what other clubs do.
“We’ve got a generational player (Son) from Asia that’s been representing our club. If we lose him every four years for five weeks, I think it’s a real small price to pay.
“I love international football, I think it’s important. The tournaments they are going to now are significant tournaments.
“You’ve got to understand these guys, this is where they were brought up. This is where a lot of who they are today comes from and when they go and represent their country, it’s not just another game of football for them.
“I’m sure Sonny and Pape would have loved to have been here with us but it doesn’t diminish what they do there.”
