Ange Postecoglou made a claim about Spurs’ Europa League triumph after attending a Champions League match
Ange Postecoglou has landed a new job since being sacked by Nottingham Forest(Image: JUSTIN TALLIS, AFP via Getty Images)
Ange Postecoglou mentioned Tottenham after returning to England to run the rule over Liverpool as part of his new job.
It has been a tough 12 months for the Australian since he guided Spurs to Europa League glory last season. Postecoglou paid the price for Spurs’ 17th-place Premier League finish, being relieved of his duties just weeks after that famous victory over Manchester United in Bilbao.
He subsequently departed Nottingham Forest after just 39 days in charge. However, the former Celtic manager has returned to work following his appointment as a UEFA technical observer.
Among his earliest assignments, he was tasked with assessing Arsenal’s Champions League performance in January, while his most recent brief took him to Anfield to observe Liverpool’s second-leg encounter with Paris Saint-Germain.
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Postecoglou’s assessment of the match, which PSG won 2-0 to seal a 4-0 aggregate victory, has been made available on the UEFA website. The 60-year-old opens his piece by commending Liverpool’s pressing style, noting: “Ryan Gravenberch and Dominic Szoboszlai did a really good job of closing down the midfield space. They denied PSG that central area they like to play in.”
He went on to applaud the way Luis Enrique’s side adjusted, adopting a more direct approach. Postecoglou said: “Liverpool’s approach really made it difficult for them and if they’d just persisted in trying to play like they normally do, they may have got unstuck.”
During his time at Spurs, Postecoglou frequently faced criticism for refusing to temper his attacking philosophy when circumstances called for it. Yet, while reflecting on PSG’s victory, he acknowledged that Tottenham showed flexibility when necessary throughout their Europa League campaign.
He explained: “A key thing is to understand that, rather than having a predetermined idea about how things could transpire, you need to understand the game in front of you and the immediate task at hand. For coaches, experience teaches you that.
“The reality of it is, whether it’s pragmatism or simply understanding what the actual challenge is on the day, the paramount thing is being successful, particularly in Champions League knockout football because the margins are so fine.
“You can’t abandon your foundations, and if you look at Luis Enrique’s approach, there were still the elements you always see. But there was also a recognition that there was a different challenge to overcome.
“There’s a difference to knockout football in Europe, and the approach you take and recognising that, at certain stages, it’s not an abandonment of philosophy, it’s an acknowledgement of the challenge that’s before you and doing what’s required.
“And that certainly was our approach with Tottenham in the Europa League final last year, and it wasn’t saying that everything we’ve done up till now doesn’t matter.”
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