Ange Postecoglou issues Antonio Conte-like Tottenham message as pressure mounts

Ange Postecoglou has echoed the sentiments of former Tottenham boss Antonio Conte, urging the club to maintain a consistent approach if they wish to see genuine progress. The Spurs manager is feeling the heat after a disappointing 1-0 defeat at Chelsea, which marked their 16th Premier League loss this season, and his controversial ear-cupping gesture towards the travelling Tottenham fans didn't help matters.

Despite clarifying that his actions were misunderstood, Postecoglou's rapport with the fans remains strained as they gear up for a crucial Europa League quarter-final against Eintracht Frankfurt, following an upcoming clash with Southampton. With Spurs' silverware drought threatening to stretch into its 18th year, the Australian reflected on the challenges he faces, reminiscent of Conte's fiery outburst last year.

Conte had famously declared before his exit: "It is time to change this situation if Tottenham want to change. If they want to continue in this way, they can change manager, a lot of managers, but the situation cannot change believe me.

"Every manager's got their own sort of views on this. I just don't think it's about the managers themselves. I've almost lasted two years, it's pretty good for Tottenham! At some point, I think the club needs to stick to something. If I say it now it sounds self-serving and defeats the purpose, so maybe not now.

"But I think that if you want to change the course of your events, you need to change materially a lot of things in terms of the way your outlook as a club.

"Last year was a good year, I don't care what anybody says. We lost Harry (Kane). I know everyone talks about our start (but) we lost Harry, we finished fifth, we changed the way we played."

The Spurs boss acknowledged the transient nature of success at the club: "It seems like, you have one good year, you have one poor year and then that's it, 'let's move on to the next', but that's what I accepted so I can't sit here and say, 'ah, woe is me'. That's the challenge I accepted.

"Fair to say at the moment I'm not doing a good job of turning that mind-shift around, but I am a fighter. I will continue fighting until told otherwise.

"What a trophy does is eliminate some of the noise around the club and what other people feel is missing.

However, he maintains that a trophy isn't the only goal: "It's not what I feel is the only piece that's missing. I think you need to build something sustainable and I've said that from the start.

"We started that last year with the way we played and the squad we have, a young squad we want to keep growing, but certainly it would quieten a lot of the noise, whether internally or externally, about what's missing at this club.

"If a trophy is the only way - it seems to be the only way - well OK let's see if we can deliver that and see what happens."