Ange Postecoglou has opened up on the atmosphere at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the title race and Guglielmo Vicario ahead of Spurs’ game at Crystal Palace on Friday evening

Ange Postecoglou issued a brilliant response when asked about the post-match music at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

Ange Postecoglou has joked that Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is turning into a nightclub rather than a fortress. Following last year’s failure to qualify for Europe after finishing eighth in the Premier League table, it has been all change in north London this term with the Lilywhites currently leading the way in the league.

Tottenham supporters have lapped up Postecoglou’s attacking brand of football and the atmosphere both during and after a game has been on another level since he took on the job. With the music, including ‘Islands in the Stream’ by Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers, pumping at the end of a game now following Spurs’ home victories and supporters duly soaking up every precious second, Postecoglou is loving the post-match celebrations and has quipped that their home is now reminiscent of a nightclub.

“Ah mate, I’ve got no idea,” he said when asked about the post-match music and who is the DJ in the Tottenham dressing room. “And I stay out of the dressing room partly because of the music choices of the players. Most clubs want to turn their grounds into a fortress – ours is becoming a nightclub, mate. I’m all for it, whatever makes people happy that’s my thing.”

As a result of Tottenham’s fine start to the 2023/24 season, expectations have been raised and Spurs have been mentioned in some quarters as title contenders due to their position at the summit of the league table. Intent on bringing the good times back to the club and leading them to the silverware they desperately crave, Postecoglou believes that Tottenham should be in a position to challenge for trophies every season.

“I didn’t come here to not be successful,” said the Australian. “This club has all the fundamentals to be successful. The expectations should be there. Part of the reason why there’s been this real desperation for a trophy is because they feel that’s the space they should be in.

“That is the expectation. That’s the reality. But what drives me isn’t raising or trying to dampen expectations. What drives me is trying to build something that will realise the ambitions that this club has at this particular moment. People’s perceptions don’t concern me too much. This is a big club and should be in a position to challenge for trophies every season in my opinion.”

So when will the head coach be comfortable saying Tottenham are in a potential title race? Well, Spurs fans may have to wait quite some time for the boss to say those words even if their stunning form continues over the coming months.

“Look if we’re in this position around 36, 37 [games]… you know… I might look at the subject,” he joked.

Having experience of leading a team to the top of the league following his previous jobs during his managerial career, including his last role at Celtic, Postecoglou certainly knows a thing or two about managing expectations and getting results. So is it a case of getting stuck into his players in training or encouraging laughter to ensure they remain around the top?

“Those are not the only two options, you know,” he said. “It’s not jokes or giggles or me coming in and throwing my significant weight around. I am the same, it doesn’t matter, I am hoping that when people see me they don’t know where we are, what position we are.

“Like you said, at Celtic we were on top for a very long time but at the beginning when we were on top, I don’t think people saw anything different in my demeanour. I don’t think they will (here).

“It is one thing I do…it’s not about staying kind of level-headed or getting carried away with either thing. It’s just that, my role in that context to be the one thing that people can rely upon to be consistent. In that I have one objective all the time: how can we be better?

“When that is your objective, it doesn’t really matter where you are on the table or kind of what the outside noise may or may not be doing. It is about the players and the staff and everyone involved with the football club, looking at me. The one thing I do is I come in every day, I am buzzing about doing what I am doing. You know, that’s the kind of demeanour I have consistently.”

One player who has played a major role in Tottenham’s impressive start to the league season is goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario. Signed from Empoli after some standout performances in Serie A, the Italian has transferred his form from his home country to the Premier League.

Heaping praise on his goalkeeper, Postecoglou has revealed the one question that his shot-stopper asked him before agreeing to join the club.

“Hard for me to say, I have never kind of.. I sometimes think we stereotype people and I have been one who has been trying to break the notion that because a certain player or individual has come from a certain place that he will struggle,” said the 58-year-old when asked why Vicario has done so well following his move from Italy.

“They are all individuals. That is why I have always recruited from different parts of the world and not worried about it. My Celtic experience of people saying that ‘players from Japan will find it hard to adjust’ and because I don’t look at it as a player from Japan and I don’t look at Vic as goalkeeper goalkeeper from Italy.

“I saw Vic as a person, a) as a goalkeeper who had outstanding attributes. And after speaking to him as a person I thought that he will fit in perfectly because he did not come trying to prove a point. He came here to be the best goalkeeper he could possibly be.

“He comes in every day wanting to improve and he has got great self-belief but at the same time a humility around him and he wants to work hard every day. He is in here every day and if we have a day off he is the one player who comes in to do something. And when you have people like that coupled with his attributes as a goalkeeper they give themselves a good chance be successful and to fit in comfortably. It is a great environment for him.

“Rob Burch has got a great relationship with him and that is very important for the position as it is the one position where that one-on-one relationship with the coach is important. That is the one question which Vic asked me before he signed was ‘who is the goalkeeping coach going to be’ as he knew that would important.

“Rob has created a great environment. Vic has the fortune of training with guys like Fraser [Forster] who is unbelievable training, his attitude, work ethic, his quality, it will raise Vic’s quality as well. Young Brandon Austin is improving all the time. And he has got a legend of the club and one of the greatest goalkeepers ever beside him.

“A lot of it is being driven by him wanting to be better. When we signed him I was not looking at him as a risk as he was as a foreign goalkeeper, I don’t look it as that way.”

Asked about if he saw something in Vicario when he grew in confidence, he added: “No. It was kind of my priority was that if we were going to sign a keeper, then we need to do it early. We need to get him in pre-season so those kind of things. West Ham he conceded a couple of goals and he had no saves to make.

“To build confidence with goalkeepers you want to make saves but he worked through that process. That was really important for us. It would have been more of a challenge for us if we signed him on the eve of the season. The club was great in ensuring that we got him in early. That helped us.”