Postecoglou's top-four admission, reemphasizes Spurs' long term development goals

There's no question that Spurs fans are ecstatic about the prospect of reentering European football next season, with a potential top-four finish in the Premier League on the horizons of everyone's minds.

However, as the Tottenham manager has said time and time again, the vision in North London is bigger than that.

Speaking with the press after Tottenham's 3-1 win over Nottingham Forest, Ange Postecoglou took on the question through muffled laughter like a pro: "Yeah, go right for it, right from the start. Couldn't care less about the race for fourth mate. What I care about is the way the team is progressing. Pleased with today. It had a little bit of everything. We started the game well, not just the goal, I thought we controlled the game well," said the manager.

Certainly, 'Ange-ball' is a style of play which thrives when the team is in possession, and struggles when it's faced with a counter-attack.

Spurs held onto the ball 64% of the match compared to Forest's 36%, completing nearly double the number of passes as their opposition with 668 compared to 381 (FOTMOB); they truly showed what Spurs' new tactics are capable of when everyone is in sync.

Continuing, the gaffer stated, "Then we conceded from a counter attack which was obviously disappointing. I thought we lost our way a little bit towards the back end of that first half, but a super reaction and the whole second half we were really dominant."

The counter has been something Tottenham have struggled to defend this season, and Nuno Espirito Santo's side looked dangerous at times, despite sitting on the cusp of the relegation zone.

This too, Postecoglou commented on: "We played some good football and scored a couple of good goals and created a couple more against a team that is desperate for points and fighting for everything. I guess every team is fighting for something and I thought we handled it really well."

No matter who they go up against, the matches over the coming weeks should prove difficult. However, if Spurs keep their momentum up, and their injuries low, then they'll certainly be on their way to a glory much greater than that of a top-four finish.