Ange Postecoglou will keep risks to a minimum in the next week as he leans into narrative around changing Tottenham's history before Europa League final against Manchester United
Ange Postecoglou does not plan to emulate Mauricio Pochettino by having his Tottenham stars walking over hot coals before next week’s Europa League final. But the Spurs head coach is urging his squad to embrace the opportunity to “break the cycle” and put an end to jibes about the club’s 17 years without a trophy.
When Spurs were gearing up for the Champions League final against Liverpool six years ago, then head coach Pochettino brought his squad on a team bonding session where they stepped barefoot on burning embers and put arrows to their throats.
But after a season where Postecoglou has faced an injury crisis he has described as unprecedented, all risks will be avoided before the showdown with Manchester United.
“We’ve got enough injuries,” Postecoglou said. “I’ll put them in cotton wool for the next ten days. “Seriously, with the way things have gone this year, any extra curricular activities are going to be at a minimum.”
On Sunday the sight of star midfielder Dejan Kulusevski hobbling off after a bang to the knee in defeat to Crystal Palace offered Postecoglou fresh cause to wince. “Sod’s law,” he said.
And with James Maddison and Lucas Bergvall already sidelined, Spurs are desperate for Kulusevski to be fighting fit by next Wednesday.
“We’ll see,” Postecoglou added. “It looks like a knock at this stage but we're going to let it settle for 24 hours then assess it. The initial thing was it's more of a knock than anything more significant.”
He did have more promising news regarding club captain Son Heung-min, though, after he came off the bench against Palace following a month out with a foot injury.
Son will feature again away to Aston Villa on Friday but Postecoglou insists he will not let his heart rule over his head when picking his starting XI against United.
"It comes down to getting him ready to play and then making a decision," he said. "It's nothing more than that.
"One thing I do know about finals is there are always moments and players who can change it. But it's going to take a collective effort, it's what we do as a team that will be much more important than individuals on the day.”
Postecoglou says that in conversations with his players over the next few days he will attempt to tap into "something greater" that "can be powerful on the day" than the mere physical prize on offer.
And that will most likely zone in on how they can be the men to change the narrative that has followed Tottenham around for the best part of two decades.
"When you look at the historical backdrop of this club and what it’s been through in the last 20-odd years, I feel like it could be a turning point in terms of the way the club is perceived but also more how it perceives itself which I think is the biggest thing," he added.
“I often say to the players that at the end of your careers, what you want to be able to do is go back to the clubs you served and know you’ve made an impact.
“The photos I see up on the walls at the stadium are all of Bill Nicholson, the 1984 (Uefa Cup) winning team. Fair to say a lot of them are in black and white. Can we get this group up on that wall?”
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