Ange Postecoglou is the toast of the Premier League with Tottenham and Socceroos star Jackson Irvine has revealed just how the Australian trailblazer inspired his team.
Postecoglou has taken England by storm – high-flying Tottenham are top of the table through eight rounds as the Premier League returns this weekend following the international break.His transformation of Spurs saw the A-Leagues and Australian legend become the first manager ever to be named Premier League Manager of the Month in each of his first two months in the competition.
Irvine knows Postecoglou better than most, having worked with the Tottenham boss during his time in charge of the Socceroos between 2013 and 2017 and he provided an insight into the 58-year-old’s emotional team talks.
“He used to do his team talks about three hours before the game, before we have even done the pre-match,” Irvine – now captain of 2.Bundesliga leaders St Pauli in Germany – told TalkSPORT.“He would have you so hyped, I think it would have been unsafe to send us directly onto the pitch after one of his talks. We’d have been sent off after about 10 seconds.”
Tottenham return to action with the visit of London rivals Fulham on Tuesday (AEDT).
Spurs have already beaten Manchester United and Liverpool this season, while they earned a draw away to Arsenal in the north London derby.
Irvine, when quizzed on Postecoglou further, added: “Inspirational. It was the belief he brought to the group.
“Obviously, Australia was not a team with household names or blessed with players playing at the highest level.
“But the identity of the team that he always tried to instil in us was just that belief that we were capable of competing with teams at the highest level.
“He has brought that everywhere he has gone. You see it, not just in the players but the club itself, the fans, the community.
“That belief, that bit of substance, and the way he communicates, it is so eloquent and it is no great surprise that we have seen early success.”
