Ange Postecoglou vowed to enjoy Celtic’s record-breaking treble for as long as he could before someone “drags” him away to focus on other issues as he continued to dodge questions over his future.
Postecoglou is odds-on favourite to take over at Tottenham and refused to give any indication on whether he would be departing Celtic Park after making it five trophies in two seasons with a 3-1 Scottish Cup win over Inverness.
Many Celtic fans fear their manager is London-bound and he would not give any assurances to the contrary.
“I will say to them what I said to the players, let’s enjoy this,” he said. “I deserve to enjoy this, the people around me deserve to enjoy this.
“Whatever other people want to focus on and talk about, I am not going to miss enjoying this moment with this group of people but also I owe it to my family, my friends, all of those closest to me.
“Everyone works hard and makes sacrifices to enjoy these moments. I understand that other people who aren’t invested in it want to ask these questions but for me, right now, the most important thing is that we reflect and just be in the moment of creating something special.”
When it was pointed out that fans who are heavily-invested in Celtic are among those asking the questions, the 57-year-old said: “Yeah, but they deserve to enjoy this moment because, irrespective of what happens in the future, why would you not want to enjoy this moment just for what it is? It’s something historic.”
When asked if he anticipated being in Glasgow next season, the former Australia head coach said: “I anticipate enjoying this moment for the next 24-48 hours, as long as I can, before someone drags me away and takes my attention away from enjoying something that’s been hard-earned.
“The reality is, there’s probably players in that dressing room who won’t be here next year. That’s the nature of football.
“But I want them to enjoy it, I am going to enjoy it, and that’s all I am going to focus on until someone grabs me by the collar and tells me that I have to answer certain questions.”
Al Ahli 1-2 Al Hilal: Malcom saves league leaders' winning streak
Malcom’s stunning solo goal finished Al Hilal’s second-half comeback to earn a 2-1 win over Al Ahli in the Saudi Pro League on Monday.
The forward started his run from inside his own half before slotting in the winner, after teeing up Aleksandr Mitrovic for the equaliser just after the interval.
Feras Al Brikan had given Al Ahli the lead in the 30th minute, but the hosts could not hold onto it against the league leaders.
Al Hilal continue their unbeaten league campaign to a 30th match, moving 12 points clear at the top of the table, while Al Ahli remain in third, now 22 points off the AFC Champions League spot.
Data Debrief
Malcom was one of Al Hilal's most influential players; as well as playing a hand in both goals, he had the joint-most shots (five), and the joint-most shots on target (two), and created two chances for his team.
Al Ahli also struggled to cope with Mitrovic's threat, as the Serbian created an xG of 0.61 from his five shots, having 11 touches in the opposition box.
Postecoglou: Spurs have a confidence problem to overcome
Ange Postecoglou says that Tottenham need to "overcome" their low confidence after suffering a 4-2 defeat to Liverpool on Sunday.
Spurs slipped to their fourth consecutive Premier League defeat, being left to bemoan their slow start as they found themselves 4-0 down by the hour mark thanks to goals from Mohamed Salah, Andrew Robertson, Cody Gakpo and Harvey Elliott.
Richarlison came off the bench to salvage some pride for Spurs, scoring one before setting up Son Heung-min for a goal on his 300th Premier League appearance.
Spurs had the opportunity to cut the gap to the top four after Aston Villa’s defeat to Brighton, but they remain seven points off a Champions League spot.
Postecoglou’s side still have a game in hand over the Villans, though he was sure that Spurs would be able to put their recent poor run behind them.
Asked if Spurs had a confidence problem, Postecoglou told Sky Sports: "Maybe in the front third there is.
"It probably is a bit of a lack of confidence, but again, that's something the guys have to work through.
"You have to find a way to overcome that because, ultimately, if you don't put pressure on the opposition in the front third after you've worked your way up there, they're going to get comfortable with their position."
Spurs have won just one of their last nine Premier League away games, failing to win any of the last five.
Despite that run extending at Anfield, Postecoglou highlighted what he thought was an improvement on their recent performances.
He continued: "Obviously a hugely disappointing outcome for us but at least we were more like ourselves today in terms of our football.
"Our last two away games at Newcastle and Chelsea, apart from the results which weren't great either, we just didn't try and play our football.
"I thought today, even in the first half, some of our football, our pressing was back to where it should be."
Klopp hails 'special' Anfield following Tottenham win
Jurgen Klopp says Anfield "was a special place" after Liverpool got back to winning ways at home against Tottenham in the Premier League on Sunday.
The Reds cruised into a 4-0 lead against Spurs by the 59th minute as Mohamed Salah and Harvey Elliott played starring roles, with Andrew Robertson and Cody Gakpo also getting on the scoresheet.
They were set up for a slightly nervous finish by Spurs, with substitute Richarlison coming on to score and assist late on to half the deficit to 4-2 by the final whistle.
Victory kept Liverpool’s very slim title hopes alive after a recent dip in form that saw them take just one win from five before this, and Klopp was pleased with the Reds’ reaction in his penultimate game at Anfield.
"We are outstanding until we are not," the German told Sky Sports. "It was a really good game. Tottenham can put pressure on Aston Villa again for the Champions League. In high-performance things, you need a spark.
"Anfield was a special place today. We were 4-0 up, I made the changes, and we lost organisation. Tottenham showed how good they could be. I was happy with the performance.
"We were good in pretty much all areas offensively. The passes were good. So many things were good. We stayed calm. As long as they don't break the lines, then it's fine. Let them pass. I liked our game a lot. The goals were outstanding.
"You do it when you do it and if you miss it, then you miss it. If we win all three, then we can achieve the fifth-highest points tally of Liverpool.
"I would be lying if I said I was at my highest emotion, but I have another game. In two weeks’ time is another day. I have said it before, I love absolutely everything about this club."
Salah was restored to the starting line-up against Spurs after making headlines last weekend for a spat with Klopp on the sideline before he was brought on as a substitute.
He scored the opening goal for Liverpool and became the first player in Premier League history to score 10+ goals and provide 10+ assists in three consecutive seasons. He is also only the second player to tally 10+ in both in five separate seasons in the competition overall, after Wayne Rooney.
After assuring that the rift between him and Salah was resolved in the build-up to this game, Klopp was quick to praise his star man.
He added: "Mo was outstanding, he played a really good game. His side with Harvey [Elliott] was good. I was pleased for him.
"None of the boys want to play not great, why would they? Mo showed what he is capable of."
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