Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou has said Champions League qualification is not a ‘golden ticket’ to future success and says his aims are higher than the Premier League’s top four.
Postecoglou side face top-four rivals Aston Villa in a huge fixture at Villa Park on Sunday, with the latter currently five points clear of Spurs in the race for Champions League football.
Spurs have a game in hand on the fourth-placed Villans and can put their fate in their own hands with a win this weekend.
However, Postecoglou said his ambitions do not end with securing Champions League qualification and says he is ‘not built to aim for anything other than the top’.
The Australian also warned that a place in Europe’s elite is no guarantee to future progress, with Manchester United and Newcastle struggling this season after top-four finishes last term.
“I don’t see the point on shooting for something that is not number one,” he said at his pre-match press conference.
“If you get to the Champions League does that guarantee anything for the following season?
“I am here to create a team that wins things. I am not built to aim for anything other than the top. If I fall short that is on me. I’m not trying to create a scenario where we are happy with anything other than being the best. What’s important is that coming out of this year we have a team that is going to challenge the following year.
“Qualifying for the Champions League is not Willy Wonka – it is not a golden ticket. It gets you a year in the Champions League but if you don’t build on that and grow from that then it is meaningless. There is plenty of evidence to support that, just from this season.”
