Ange Postecoglou says Tottenham are still a “long way” from playing the football he wants after he fended off talk he could leave at the end of the season to replace Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool.
Klopp announced last month he would depart Anfield at the conclusion of the campaign following nine years at the club.
Liverpool have reportedly placed Postecoglou on a shortlist of candidates to replace Klopp, with Bayer Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso seemingly at the top of the pile, but the Spurs boss insists his focus is on finishing this season strongly.
“I may be on a shortlist? I don’t think I want to say anything about that because I don’t think that’s ever going to enter my brain space for what is my priorities in life and my profession right now,” Postecoglou said ahead of Saturday’s visit of Wolves.
“Well, I am (just getting started at Tottenham). Not just feel — I am. I’ve only been here seven months, so that’s self-explanatory.
“I’ve been at pains to say we’ve still got a long way to go in terms of the football we want to play, the team we want to be, the squad we want to have.
“We’ve had two positive windows, I think we’ve had a decent campaign so far, but we’ve got a long way to go.
“That’s the funny space when we talk about managers. When we’re not going well, then there’s questioning about whether we’re going to be here.
“When you’re potentially going OK, there’s still question about whether you’re going to be here. The reality of it is – most of it is out of our hands.
“I’m never worried or thought about that. I’ve got a history of 26 years of management where you can see pretty clearly what I do.
“I rely on that as my explanation as to where my thought processes are with all those kind of things.
“Right now it’s about finishing the season strong with Tottenham and making sure we’re trying to establish a really strong foundation for who we want to be in the years to come.
“That can only happen if I’m totally focused on what these last 14 games can bring for us.”
Asked if links to Liverpool were a compliment, Postecoglou added: “It depends. If it’s just people throwing up names, then who cares?
“It doesn’t matter, but at the end of the day, if I’m doing a good job then hopefully people will acknowledge that in one form or another — whatever that form is. But so-called ‘chat’, really? That’s of no interest to me.”
What Postecoglou has to deal with in the immediate future is being without both recognised full-backs for the visit of Wolves.
Pedro Porro suffered a muscle strain in training this week, while Destiny Udogie was forced off at the end of last weekend’s dramatic 2-1 win over Brighton with a minor issue.
Postecoglou is hopeful both will be back for Tottenham’s home fixture with Crystal Palace on March 2, with the club not in action next weekend due to Chelsea’s involvement in the Carabao Cup final.
Ryan Sessegnon (hamstring) has also returned to training, but Spurs’ back-up goalkeeper Fraser Forster has fractured his foot and is set for a “couple of months” on the sidelines.
Club Brugge 1-1 Fiorentina (3-4 agg): Viola seal Europa Conference League final return
Lucas Beltran was Fiorentina's hero as his late penalty in a 1-1 draw with Club Brugge ensured they progressed to the Europa Conference League final.
Beltran held his nerve from the spot to score an 85th-minute equaliser, earning a draw on the night but a 4-3 aggregate victory.
Fiorentina won the first leg 3-2, but Hans Vanaken's 20th-minute opener levelled the tie, on Wednesday.
Christian Kouame hit the woodwork twice for Fiorentina, but the pressure finally told when Brandon Mechele caught M'Bala Nzola with a high boot.
Beltran made no mistake, with Fiorentina holding firm to seal their place in the final in Athens on May 29.
Fiorentina lost last season's final to West Ham, and the Serie A club will now face either Olympiacos or Aston Villa.
Data Debrief: Back-to-back finals for Viola
Fiorentina have reached a European final for the sixth time in their history, and the second time in a row, though they have only won one of their previous five attempts.
They have only achieved that feat once before, which was back in 1961 and 1962.
Rodgers promises Celtic's 'best version' in Old Firm clash
Brendan Rodgers has promised Celtic will be at their very best when they take on Rangers in the Old Firm derby on Saturday.
Rodgers’ side have a three-point advantage over their rivals and a superior goal difference going into the game, while a victory over Rangers would move them six points clear with just two games left to play.
Following the 3-3 draw in the Old Firm in April, Rangers stuttered with a draw and a defeat at the end of the first phase, while Celtic have won each of their last three matches to take control of the title race.
Going into the final league derby of the season, Rodgers is confident that his team are ready for the big test.
"When I look at the injuries and disruptions we've had this season, last weekend was about there in terms of availability, fitness and where the team is at," Rodgers told CelticTV.
"It's as good a place as we've been all season. When we will arrive into this weekend's game, this will be the best version of the team since I've been here."
Rodgers expects a raucous atmosphere at Celtic Park and highlighted how that helps the players in big matches.
He added: "The crowd in the Hearts game was brilliant for us. The emotion rolls down from the stands, and you see what it gives the players and how they respond to that.
"We will need the same at the weekend and I know we will get it. The supporters are liking what they see in the team. It should be a great occasion, and I’m really looking forward to it."
Leverkusen motivated by Roma loss in 2022-23
Bayer Leverkusen will use last campaign's Europa League loss against Roma as motivation to get the job done this time, so says Xabi Alonso.
Leverkusen were knocked out by Roma after a goalless draw in the second leg of the Europa League semis last season, losing the tie 1-0 on aggregate.
But a few things have changed since then with Alonso's side, who are now on an extraordinary 48-match unbeaten run this campaign, ending Bayern Munich's 11-year stranglehold on the Bundesliga title to secure their first trophy since 1993.
They are also a step closer to a treble, having beaten Roma 2-0 away in the first leg last week and reaching the DFB-Cup final against Kaiserslautern.
"We haven't forget (forgotten) last season, we felt it. We need to use this energy and hopeful we can celebrate at the end. We will put all of our focus on the full 90 minutes. We want to deserve our win and make the final in Dublin," Alonso told reporters.
The Spaniard, however, said Leverkusen will have to be on their toes despite their advantage as he believes Roma will continue to be dangerous opponents under manager Daniele De Rossi, who replaced Jose Mourinho in January.
"A second leg is always a dangerous situation no matter the result before," Alonso said.
"We are preparing to play well with good motivation and at our own game. We want to be aggressive, control and defend well as a team.
"We are expecting Roma to come with the hope of qualifying."
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