Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has lauded the attacking football implemented by Tottenham Hotspur under Ange Postecoglou, expressing his hope that the Australian's bold approach will ultimately be rewarded with a major trophy.
Speaking ahead of Sunday's Premier League meeting between the sides, Slot said: "For me, his brand of football is more important.
"If he can combine it with winning something, that would be so good for football in general. It would silence all those asking, ‘Is it too attacking?’ How can you possibly play too much attacking football?"
While Slot is eager to see Postecoglou’s methods rewarded, he added with a smile: "I hope he wins a trophy... just not the League Cup!"
Liverpool will face Spurs in the semi-finals of that competition, but the north London club almost missed out on a place in the last four. Their high-risk style led to Manchester United reducing their rampant 3-0 lead to 3-2 before Postecoglou's men eventually won a thrilling quarter-final 4-3.
While acknowledging that Spurs may face occasional setbacks, Slot believes they are in the mix to challenge at the top of the table.
"Sometimes results go against them but they are one of the teams who beat Manchester City, like us, but not every team beat them in the manner we did and Tottenham did.
"It is completely deserved in these two situations. It's great work that Ange is doing there."
Slot also spoke highly of Spurs’ revived football identity under Postecoglou, likening it to a return to the club's traditional attacking roots.
"I really have to give them credit," he said.
"If I look at Tottenham, I come from the Netherlands but I watched a lot of Match of the Day. You think of Paul Gascoigne, Glenn Hoddle, Gareth Bale.
"They have always played a certain brand of football for me, and had a certain identity, and Ange Postecoglou gives them that identity back completely."
As for Liverpool’s own league position, Slot was careful not to get carried away.
"As I’ve said for the last three or four months, judge the table after 19 games because then everyone has played the same opponents," he explained.
"We’ve now received a red card and dropped points. Tottenham away will be a tough one, just as Arsenal and Chelsea have already experienced. Don't focus on where you are early in the season, it’s about where you end up at the end of the season."
