Ange Postecoglou has labelled Tottenham’s post-season friendly in Melbourne as a “unique opportunity” but admitted it is unlikely to become a regular occurrence.
Spurs announced earlier this month they would visit Australia after the Premier League season concludes to take on Premier League rivals Newcastle in an exhibition fixture.
The Melbourne Cricket Ground clash on May 22 has been roundly criticised due to player welfare concerns and for a lack of regard for the environment, a matter of weeks after Green Football Weekend.
View this post on Instagram
Postecoglou defended the merits of the post-season friendly, which will see the 58-year-old return to his home city.
“We leave straight after the last game (at Sheffield United) and we’ll be taking everyone who’s fit,” Postecoglou revealed.
“We thought that with our season being so disrupted and not a lot of games, this was a unique opportunity for us.
“I wouldn’t see this as something that would happen on a regular basis unless we felt the benefits would outweigh the costs.
“On this occasion when we balanced everything up, we felt it was a good opportunity to take the club to the other side of the world and help us continue to grow the football club.”
England boss Gareth Southgate was recently asked about the friendly, which will involve Euro 2024 hopefuls Kieran Trippier, Anthony Gordon and James Maddison, and predicted post-season fixtures will happen more often.
Southgate expressed his hope that none of his players would suffer injuries.
But Postecoglou insisted: “I’m sure Gareth will be a club coach one day and he’ll get a different perspective, as he has been in the past.
“I don’t think Gareth has said anything, or any other national team manager.
“I was a national team manager. I used to sweat over it at the weekend when the players were playing whether that was a normal game, a friendly game, whatever game it is.
“The flip side of that is there were quite a few club coaches on edge with national team duty this week so it’s the world we live in.
“There has to be a balance. We’ve thought it through as a football club and it’s fair to say if we’d been in Europe and had a really big season, we probably would have made a different decision.
“We weighed everything up and felt like there was a real benefit to playing this game.”
Before the trip Down Under, Spurs will aim to get their Champions League qualification hopes back on track at home to Luton on Saturday.
Tottenham are boosted by the return of Micky van de Ven after a recent muscle injury, while Richarlison is fit despite a knee issue preventing him from getting minutes for Brazil this month.
Richarlison has made headlines after opening up about his mental health struggles during an interview with ESPN Brasil this week.
The Brazil forward, who back in September expressed his intention to seek “psychological help”, revealed he was in a state of depression after the 2022 World Cup and “wanted to give up”.
Postecoglou knows Richarlison is not alone in feeling that way as a footballer, adding: “It’s not that uncommon. It’s not, not in my experience.
“They’re human beings, but for the most part it’s always dealt behind closed doors.
“I guess it’s striking because players or managers or people involved in football haven’t come out publicly before.
“But I can assure you…there are problems that players and people involved in our industry deal with. The amount of money you have in the bank balance or your fame doesn’t shield you from that.
“It’s a credit to him. He could have dealt with this privately obviously but I think the public aspect of it, it’s a brave decision for him.
“More importantly it’s hopefully a great conduit for others to reach out and seek help when it’s required.”
Man Utd decision was 'now or never' for Amorim
Ruben Amorim says the decision to move to Manchester United during the season was made for him, after he was told it was "now or never".
The 39-year-old Sporting Lisbon coach is set to make the move to Manchester on November 11, despite wanting to wait until the end of the season to make the switch.
The move was announced on Friday, with Amorim agreeing on a contract that will keep him at the club until 2027.
He becomes the sixth permanent manager at United since Alex Ferguson's departure 11 years ago.
Sporting have made a flying start to the season with 10 wins from 10 putting them top of the Primeira Liga table, but Amorim was keen to attest he would have preferred to continue his victorious streak.
"The season started, we started very well, and then Manchester United came, they pay above the compensation clause and the president defends the club's interests," he explained.
"I never discussed anything with the president. For three days, I said I wanted to stay until the end of the season, but then I was told it was not possible.
"It was now or never, or Manchester would go for another option. So, I had three days to make my mind up, to make a decision that radically changes my life."
Amorim brought substantial success to the Portuguese capital, winning two league titles in the space of four seasons after the club had failed to do so in the 19 years prior.
Despite being one of the most promising coaches in the game, the Lisbon-born manager asserted that only a call from Manchester would persuade him to leave his home club.
"I've had other opportunities - the president and [director of football] Hugo Viana can confirm this," he added. "It's not the first or the second time that I have been requested by another team, and I don't want another team.
"After Sporting I wanted that one, Manchester, and I want that context because that context allows me to do things my way, and the club believes me that way.
"There's a time when I have to take a step forward in my career. That's what happened. It was harder for me than any Sporting fan, believe me, but I had to do this."
Newcastle United 1-0 Arsenal: Isak header dents Gunners' title bid
Alexander Isak headed Newcastle United to their first Premier League win in five games as they beat Arsenal 1-0 to dent the Gunners’ title hopes.
The decisive moment came in the 12th minute when Isak combined with Anthony Gordon, heading the ball into the roof of the net to continue his fine form at St. James’ Park.
Arsenal rarely threatened throughout, registering just one shot on target, which came in the first half when Mikel Merino saw his effort blocked on the line by Lewis Hall.
Isak threatened a second for the hosts on the hour mark, but his attempt stung the palms of David Raya, while Declan Rice’s deflected strike narrowly evaded the far post just under a minute later.
The win moved Newcastle into eighth place in the table, while Arsenal remain third but could find themselves eight points off the top should Manchester City beat Bournemouth later on Saturday.
Data Debrief: Alexander the Great
Having marked his return from a toe injury with two goals in as many games, Isak's return to form for Newcastle is a welcome boost for Eddie Howe.
The Swede has now scored in three successive appearances in all competitions for Newcastle for the first time since January last season, and has been directly involved in 18 goals in his last 17 Premier League starts at St. James’ Park (16 goals, two assists).
Isak's header also saw the Magpies claim a third win in their last four Premier League home games against Arsenal (L1), as many as their previous 23 beforehand (W3 D8 L12).
For Arsenal, meanwhile, their poor run continued. After losing just one of their first 25 Premier League games in 2024 (W21 D3), they have since lost two of their last three (D1).
The Gunners have also now lost successive away matches in the league for the first time since May 2022.
T&T's captain David, striker Garcia welcome Yorke's appointment as Soca Warriors Head coach
Trinidad and Tobago’s captain Aubrey David and Greece-based striker Levi Garcia welcomed the appointment of former player Dwight Yorke as the new senior Soca Warriors Head coach.
Both David and Garcia believe Yorke’s appointment augurs well for the future of the Soca Warriors setup, as both pointed to his experience and knowledge of the game as key components to nurture young talent and, by extension, drive development.
“I’m excited about Dwight Yorke’s appointment. His experience and knowledge of the game would be a massive plus for us. He has played at the highest level and led our country to our first World Cup, so he surely knows what it takes to get us there again,” Guatemala-based defender David stated.
“I am very hopeful that his leadership will inspire a new era of success and development in Trinidad and Tobago football,” he added.
Garcia echoed similar sentiments, while pointing to the fact that the former Manchester United star also have huge task of qualifying the Twin Island Republic to the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup.
“I wish him all the best. I think he can get the job done. I really and truly believe that with the experience that he has had, and all that he has done, hopefully it could work out with his coaching career, and we could come together as one and give the country that boost,” Garcia stated.
“Hopefully, he will be able to bring out the best not only in the team but in some of the youngsters to secure their future,” he noted.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
