When questioned about the impending AFC Asian Cup during a press conference, Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou made a cheeky joke at the expense of Spurs player Son Heung-min.
Spurs have a growing list of injury concerns, and several players, including captain Son Heung-min, will be unavailable next month due to international commitments at the Africa Cup of Nations and the AFC Asian Cup.
When asked how he saw these events, Postecoglou lost no time in reminding the reporter of his triumph in the Asian Cup.
‘You know I won, don’t you?’ Postecoglou joked.
‘So I think that’s pretty important, so I rank it pretty high.’ Many Europeans regard the Euros as quite important; the same may be said of the Asian Cup or the African Cup of Nations.’
Postecoglou led Australia to their first Asian Cup trophy in 2015, a 2-1 extra-time victory over South Korea at Sydney’s Stadium Australia.
Son Heung-min was on the losing side that day, and his Tottenham manager is aiming for a similar outcome in 2024.
‘I hope Sonny finishes second to Australia again, mate,’ he told reporters.
‘That would make me very happy.’
Tottenham will travel to Brighton on Friday (AEDT) without Cristian Romero, who will be out for up to five weeks due to a hamstring problem.
Romero, with his agility, aggression, and expertise at the center of the defense, is a player without a comparable substitute.
When the Argentine was sent off against Chelsea in November, Tottenham struggled. They went on to lose that game, taking only one point from the three games he missed due to suspension. They’ve improved since his return.
‘With two games in a short period of time and a limited team available, it’s another challenge for us,’ Postecoglou said.
‘We’ll attack it like we’ve attacked everything else. We just have to get started.
Other clubs can be seen going through it as well. We’ve been working through it for a while, but I admire the internal attitude everyone has.’
Leave a Comment