Ange Postecoglou has been busy in the media while club football has been off for the international break.
In that time, the man from Down Under has had to address both footballing criticisms and personal affairs.
Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou explains the influence of his father on his leadership style
Speaking to Sky Sports ahead of his side’s Premier League game against West Ham, Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou discussed, among other things, how his father affected his personality and the way he coached his teams.
“My dad was a man of his generation. He wasn’t what we would deem the perfect parent in today’s terms because he was hardly around, working hard. But that rubs off on you.
“Hard work is something that I talk about a lot. It’s one thing to be passionate about something, but are you willing to match that passion with outworking everyone else?
“We were immigrants, and he understood the value of treating every person the same. I’ve tried to do that, particularly in football. I deal with young people from all different sorts of backgrounds, cultures, and values. I need to appreciate that.”
The 59-year-old has been under pressure and has to go on the offensive in order to defend his style of play and going about things in football.
The Lilywhites have three defeats, one draw, and six wins from their first ten games of the season.
Never not a hard worker
A lot can be said about Postecoglou, and while one cannot shy away from the fatally-flawed nature of his footballing philosophy, one also cannot deny that said philosophy stems from the same foundations that make him a magnetic personality—one you simply cannot can enough of—and a tireless worker.
During his time at Tottenham, Postecoglou has time and again demonstrated his loyalty to his players along with his affinity towards defending them publicly when trouble comes from the outside; his support for Richarlison (after he opened up about his mental health struggles last term), Dominic Solanke (after his sluggish first few games for Spurs), and Brennan Johnson (after he deactivated his social media feeds on the back of abuse) are testament to that.
Tottenham will ultimately have to dismiss Postecoglou for the sake of results, but one hopes he remains in the picture of elite-level football all the same; the sport is better with him in it.
