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<\/p>\nRodrigo Bentancur will be out until February after tearing an ankle ligament (Isaac Parkin\/PA)<\/p>\n
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Ange Postecoglou insists he will relish the prospect of taking injury-hit Tottenham to Premier League champions Manchester City this weekend.<\/p>\n
Spurs make the trip to the Etihad on a three-match losing run and with their list of absentees into double figures with Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, James Maddison and Rodrigo Bentancur among those sidelined.<\/p>\n
Tottenham boast a good record against Pep Guardiola\u2019s City with five wins from their last eight meetings, but that has come from playing a more pragmatic style compared to Postecoglou\u2019s attacking philosophy.<\/p>\n
Even with a growing injury list, the Australian is not about to ditch his possession-based, front-foot tactics any time soon despite a seemingly daunting visit to last season\u2019s treble-winners.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s always a challenge playing against City or any team Pep manages. You love that, you relish that, that\u2019s the arena you want to be in, measuring yourself against the very best,\u201d Postecoglou stated.<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, great if things were a bit smoother for us but it is what it is and I still think during this period for us, even last week, there were moments in the game when we played some fantastic football.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve got to crack on, we\u2019ve got to get on with it. We can\u2019t take our eyes off what we\u2019re trying to achieve here. For me that\u2019s always paramount to everything I do, every decision I make.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery time we put a team out there it\u2019s about us becoming the team we want to become. Through that process there\u2019s going to be some challenges, as there is now, some tough times and you just have to stay focused on what you\u2019re trying to achieve.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor me these are the important times because this will show what kind of football team we want to be. You can sort of shy away, say we have injuries, we\u2019re playing Man City away but you\u2019re either going to be a club that tries to knock off the big clubs or you are a big club. You are one or the other.<\/p>\n
It’s always a challenge playing against City or any team Pep manages. You love that, you relish that, that’s the arena you want to be in, measuring yourself against the very best<\/p>\n
\u201cMy hope and my ambition for this club is to make it a big club and to do that you have to be successful and win things. To win things you have to have a plan, stick to it and believe in it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Postecoglou confirmed that Bentancur is set for a \u201ccouple of months\u201d on the treatment table with a torn ankle ligament sustained in last weekend\u2019s 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa.<\/p>\n
While disappointed for the Uruguay international, Postecoglou has been impressed by his attitude after only returning from an ACL injury last month.<\/p>\n
He added: \u201cWe\u2019re still getting some information, but it\u2019ll be well into early next year. A couple of months at least.<\/p>\n
\u201cTalking to him yesterday, he\u2019s such a positive guy. If it was me I\u2019d be a hell of a lot grumpier around the place.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s got a really positive outlook. He knows that he\u2019s been through a tough time and now he\u2019s got to go through a shorter tough time but he also knows that, and he felt it when he was out there, that he hasn\u2019t lost anything as a footballer.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s the important thing. I think that\u2019s given him the incentive to be back as quickly as possible and again make an impact for us.\u201d<\/p>\n
This week has also seen talk of sin bins being introduced in football after the International Football Association Board (IFAB) backed the idea that temporary dismissals of players for offences such as dissent and specific tactical fouls could be implemented.<\/p>\n
But Postecoglou responded: \u201cBin it mate, bin the whole idea. Just forget about it.\u201d<\/p>\n