Ange Postecoglou defends Daniel Levy while Richarlison set for lengthy spell out
Ange Postecglou smiles during his post-match press conference after the 3-2 defeat to Galatasaray (Photo by Hakan Akgun/Anadolu via Getty Images).

Former captain Hugo Lloris called out Daniel Levy in his autobiography, which was released earlier this week, labelling the Spurs Chairman as unambitious, after the Frenchman said that Levy gifted the players a watch with the words "Champions League finalists" engraved into them in the days leading up to the showpiece in Madrid.

The Australian defended Levy, who made the eye-catching decision to appoint Postecoglou to succeed Antonio Conte, Cristian Stellini, and Ryan Mason, despite many around the globe being unaware of his nous to win trophies.

Postecoglou: "My dealings with Daniel anyway at the club... I haven't changed from the moment I took on this task. I know what ambitions I have for this football club and there's been nothing here that I feel has curtailed me achieving what I want to for this football club.

“A lot of that is in my own power, I control a lot of that. The rest of it is trying to get people along for the ride and to believe in what we're trying to do."

The 59-year-old has constantly reminded fans that he will not rest until he delivers silverware to N17, with that being his main aim, and he even said that he always wins trophies in his second season. Postecoglou feels Levy is not getting in the way of that.

  • Richarlison dealt huge blow

The Australian Head Coach was the bearer of bad news in his press conference on Friday, confirming that after further tests, Richarlison had suffered a "significant" hamstring injury, with Postecoglou refusing to put a timeframe on his return.

"He was very disappointed. I think I said in the lead-up, we tried to take a different approach, he worked awfully hard on his rehab but also his general fitness. He’d really trimmed down in terms of his conditioning. He was doing everything right, we eased him back into playing we didn’t want to overload him and unfortunately he broke down again.

“You saw last week the impact he had coming off the bench and setting up the goal.

“Disappointing for him, disappointing for us because we haven’t really had him at our disposal this year. But we’ll just keep working with Richy and try to get him back."

Postecoglou also confirmed that 17-year-old Mikey Moore will be unavailable again with a virus that saw him miss the trip to Turkey, whilst Timo Werner will also "probably" remain injured with a groin complaint.

There is some good news, with the possibility of defender Cristian Romero returning.

"Really out of the ones who are out, only Cristian could be back."

  • Winless Ipswich to provide a tough test

Ipswich Town are yet to win a game since gaining promotion from the  Championship last season, however, they have come incredibly close in recent weeks.

Against Leicester City last weekend, Jordan Ayew scored a 94th-minute equaliser to deny The Tractor Boys their first victory of the season, and a fortnight ago, they conceded a 96th-minute winner to Bryan Mbeumo, despite levelling the game in the 89th minute of that tie with Brentford.

Postecoglou is well aware of the dangers that they propose.

"Every league game has the potential to hurt you if you're not at your best. Ipswich will be no different. They got close last week, I think they've been close in a number of games this season."

The former Celtic boss was also full of praise for Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna, who was once a Tottenham Hotspur academy player and coach.

"Kieran McKenna has done an unbelievable job since he's been there and I think they continue to grow. It's always harder for clubs who get promoted who haven't gone down and got the benefit of parachute payments. 

“He's got them competitive in just about every game this year which is a credit to him and his players. We're expecting a tough one at the weekend, as we do every week."

  • Full of praise for Solanke

Dominic Solanke scored for the second successive game on Thursday night, as he reacted cleverly to a low cross from Pedro Porro to flick the ball past Fernando Muslera in the Galatasaray goal.

Having joined from Bournemouth for a fee in the region of £65m in the summer transfer window, the Englishman has enjoyed a good start to life in North London, registering six goals and two assists in 14 appearances to date.

In the summer, Postecoglou hailed Solanke as “the one he wanted” and he is living up to the Australian's expectations.

"We're really happy with Dom. Not just his goals but his general play. The way he's come into the club, he's become a bit of a leader on the field. Great for us, and I certainly believe there's more in him."