Tottenham return to Europe this week as the expanded UEFA Europa League kicks off.
It’s a chance for them to build some winning momentum after last week’s win over Brentford.
Ahead of the game, Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou was asked about the philosophy of one of his rival counterparts.
Ange Postecoglou discusses Arsenal “dark arts” ahead of Europa League opener
Ahead of Tottenham’s opening Europa League fixture, Ange Postecoglou was asked about Arsenal and Mikel Arteta’s “dark arts”.
The Gunners’ pragmatic antics were on full display once again against Man City as they dropped two crucial points at the very last minute. The week before, they had beaten Tottenham 1-0 in the North London Derby.
“[Laughs] You make it sound like it’s good versus evil, Batman versus….whoever, I don’t know.
“Look, I think it’s all part of the game. It’s always existed. I’m not a big fan of it but it’s been effective, an effective tool, and my thinking has always been that, ‘If a team’s gonna go down that route, we need more discipline,’ because at the end of the day every manager’s goal is to try and unsettle the other team one way or another, and some try to do that by disrupting any sort of momentum from the opposition.
“It just depends on which side of the coin you fall down on. The reason I do what I do is because I feel comfortable in that space and see no reason to change my approach.”
Postecoglou and Co face Azerbaijani side Qarabağ on Thursday evening.
You do what you gotta do
What Arteta has demonstrated us in his time at Arsenal is that he has a style of play he wants to implement, but he isn’t shy of resorting to other ways for the sake of getting results against tougher oppositions.
He has won two trophies at Arsenal, and the fact that he’s willing to be pragmatic gives him the edge over Postecoglou in the long term.
More Tottenham News:
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- Former scout believes £25m star isn’t interested in Tottenham exit despite Inter Milan interest
After all, one can always respect the Aussie coach’s approach to ride or die by playing his way and only his way, but his employers may want to think differently.
