Ange Postecoglou has said that he is not prepared to choose between silverware and a top-four Premier League finish this season, but accepts he may be “ridiculed” if Tottenham fall short of both.
Spurs finished fifth last term in the Australian’s first season in charge, missing out on Champions League football by just a couple of points as Aston Villa, who they host on Sunday, pipped them to fourth.
Tottenham have not tasted major silverware since winning the League Cup in 2008, and Postecoglou has regularly spoken about the need for sustainable growth within his team in order for Spurs to start lifting trophies once more.
Asked whether he is prioritising silverware over a top-four finish, Postecoglou replied: “No, no. I want it all. I want it all. I want everything.
“And it sets me up for people to maybe ridicule me at the end of the year because I said I want it all and [if] I fall short of that, but I'll take the biggest one [check] I can and see what comes out of it. We'll go for everything.”
Villa manager Unai Emery turns 53 on Sunday when his side visit the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Postecoglou said wryly: “A miserable day for him I hope. I’m the oldest in the competition, so I’m not going to mention birthdays.”
Postecoglou has a reputation for building strong form at every club he manages, and he is seeing signs of the same starting to be established at Tottenham.
“It's been strong and it has to be,” he said. “The supporters play a big part in that. I thought they were brilliant on Wednesday night [against Manchester City], and that's part of it because if they can generate that energy in the stadium, the players certainly feed off it and it makes oppositions uncomfortable.
“Particularly with the way we play because we want to be at the opposition all the time and if the crowd is up all the time, it gives the opposition the sense they can never get composed or recover. It's a big part of it and hopefully we continue to grow.
“Of course we need to give our supporters a reason to make that atmosphere but when it goes hand in hand like it did on Wednesday night, it's a great place to be and certainly can help us in terms of becoming the football team we want to.”
