Ange Postecoglou says that while he understands Gareth Southgate’s concerns about Tottenham’s post-season friendly with Newcastle, he insists he has similar concerns about meaningless international friendlies
It was announced earlier this month that Tottenham will face the Magpies at the famous Melbourne Cricket Ground in a post-season friendly on May 22, just three days after both clubs’ campaigns ended in the Premier League
While the trip marks a homecoming for the Ange Postecoglou native, it may not be ideal for the players so soon after a long and arduous season, especially with the European Championships in mind
starting in June
Gareth Southgate admits the friendly is not good news for the Three Lions ahead of preparations for the Euros (Evening Standard), with James Maddison, Kieran Tripper and Anthony Gordan expected to board the plane to Germany
Ange Postecoglou responds to Gareth Southgate’s concerns When Postecoglou was asked if the England manager was worried about Maddison being injured in this match, he replied (via Football
London): “I’m sure Gareth will become a club coach one day and he will have a different outlook than before
I don’t think Gareth said anything – and neither did any of the other national team coaches
“I used to be the coach of a national team and I used to sweat on weekends when the players played, whether it was a normal match or a friendly match, whatever the match was
The downside is there are quite a few club coaches on national team duty this week, so that’s the world we live in, man
When it was pointed out that it was a newly created match, the Spurs boss retorted: “Yes, it’s a bit like when new national team competitions are always included in the fixture list, isn’t it
Whether you are a club or national team coach, this is the world we live in
Postecoglou claims Tottenham carefully considered the pros and cons before deciding to play the friendly, asserting the match will help further increase the club’s popularity in the West Indies
He continued: “There has to be a balance
We think of it as a football club and it’s fair to say that if we were in Europe and had a really important season we probably would have made different decisions
We have considered everything and feel there is a real benefit to playing this game
“With all of this, there are always costs and benefits
You try to consider it all
My involvement in this is more related to the football aspect
It’s a club decision we make here, we take all these factors into account
We thought that with a very mixed season and few matches, it was the only chance for us
“I wouldn’t see this as something that would happen very often unless we thought the benefits would outweigh the costs
” On this occasion, as we balance everything, we felt this was a good opportunity to take the club to the other side of the world and help us continue to develop the football club
This is why the decision was made
The 58-year-old man confirmed that all members of the Tottenham team will go to Australia
He added: “Everyone is healthy
We literally leave right after the last game and we’re bringing out everyone who’s fit
There is no doubt that we will see more Premier League clubs playing these types of friendlies across Asia, Oceania and North America in the coming years, especially given the new financial regulations
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