Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand has shared something Ange Postecoglou told him previously.
Tottenham Hotspur are performing well above what many would have expected going into the 2023/24 campaign.
Daniel Levy was tasked with some serious work to do over the summer which involved finding himself a new manager for the first team and dealing with Harry Kane‘s situation.
In searching for Antonio Conte’s successor, Levy appointed Ange Postecoglou who had never managed in any of Europe’s top leagues.
And having lost the club’s record goalscorer to Bayern Munich, it would only be natural that many outside of the club would have had low expectations.
However, Spurs now go into their game on the weekend against Newcastle United sat in fourth spot.
And there is the possibility that even a fifth place finish could be enough to earn Tottenham qualification for the Champions League.
But the Spurs boss insists that he is not satisfied with the job he has done so far despite Tottenham being inside the top four.
The 58-year-old maintains the notion that he is here to win silverware and not just play Champions League football.
What Ange Postecoglou told Rio Ferdinand is key to how Spurs will develop
Considering Tottenham have had to deal with quite a lot going into the season it has been a huge success so far.
The job still isn’t finished, though, as Spurs only sit fourth on goal difference going into their game on the weekend.
But given the mass injuries to key players which Tottenham have had to deal with, there is a lot to be pleased about.
Tottenham only sit 11 points off the top and that could be reduced provisionally to eight points with a win at St. James’ Park.
Players like Micky van de Ven and James Maddison have arrived in the summer and seriously upgraded the options which Postecoglou inherited.
However, these are just two of the players who Spurs have had to be without for large periods of the season.
TalkSPORT man Alan Brazil has recently stated how he feels Maddison is actually Tottenham’s best player.
And Tottenham legend Ledley King has waxed lyrical about Van de Ven following his display on the weekend against Nottingham Forest.
Speaking on the Vibe with Five podcast, Ferdinand recalled how impressed he was with something which Postecoglou said to him earlier in the term.
“He’s so hell bent on what he believes in. And, ‘this is us’, and he’s unapologetic about it,” Ferdinand said.
“And he said it to me an interview, ‘Listen, if I start changing the way I play based on like injuries or form when are they going to believe me? When I do try and say we got to go back to what I said originally?’
“And there’s a lot to be said for that. And he’s somebody that, as I’ve said to you, has come in straight away there’s some coaches who you get their style immediately and this is one of them.”
Not everyone is loving what Postecoglou has to say
Although Ferdinand loved what he heard from Postecoglou, there are some that do not feel as warmly towards the Australian.
TalkSPORT reporter Alex Crook has been strongly against the Spurs manager from the early stages of his time in north London.
And he has recently admitted that he has not been a fan of the way the 58-year-old speaks at times in press conferences.
“I felt really sorry for this guy reporting was Emma Saunders, wasn’t it? Because I thought was a reasonable question. You know, you’ve got to go over the top four, you get heavy defeat away from home,” Crook said.
“‘What does this do for your aspirations of getting into the top four?’ It’s not a difficult question to answer and I thought the answer it facetiously I think he was rude. And then you say kept up, sarcastic witty response. I didn’t think it was funny or witty. I thought it was a little bit disrespectful. I think he is very spiky in post-match interviews.”