Six Sydney FC stars owe a lot to Ange Postecoglou … but still aim for shoot him down in ACL
Ange Postecoglou helped the careers of six Sydney FC players but when the Sky Blue’s take on the former Socceroos coach’s Yokohama F Marinos side there’ll be no thoughts of returning favours.
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It’s not quite the team that Ange built, but a whole bunch of Postecoglou proteges aim to shoot down the former Socceroos boss in the Asian Champions League.
Six of Sydney FC’s likely starting XI to take on Yokahama F Marinos in Japan on Wednesday can thank Postecoglou for at least one major milestone in their careers over the past decade.
Many of them tasted success under Postecoglou, and the experience has sharpened their appreciation of the challenge that the Sky Blues face in their opening ACL outing of this campaign.
At either end of the pitch, Sydney goalkeeper Andrew Redmayne and striker Kosta Barbarouses were signed to Brisbane by Postecoglou and earned championship medals, albeit almost entirely off the bench in Redmayne’s case.
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Right back Rhyan Grant received his first international call-up under Postecoglou, while centre backs Alex Wilkinson and Ryan McGowan both played at a World Cup thanks to him – in Wilkinson’s case, just seven months after being given an international debut aged 29.
Midfielder Luke Brattan was given his A-League debut by Postecoglou in 2010 and was “a massive part of my career, he gave me my first contract so I’m forever grateful”.
Whether that insight that all six have gives them any edge is debatable, quite apart from the fact that Sydney face the side Postecoglou turned into Japanese champions and who won their opening ACL tie away to Jeonbok Steelers last week.
“Whether it helps or not (to know Postecoglou so well) … I don't know,” said Wilkinson. “You've still got to have a game plan to counter it. It gives us an idea of how they're going to play, at least.
“It's an attacking brand of football, possession-based, a high back line – that's his style ever since Brisbane.
“He's a coach who will stick to his principles, even to the detriment of results. He's very head strong in how he wants to play, how he wants his team to be with and without the ball.
“Even if the results aren't coming he persists and persists and persists, because he has that belief that when the team starts doing it right, the results will come.”
That has proven spectacularly true at Yokohama, where Postecoglou added to the four domestic titles and an Asian Cup won previously.
“Japan was always going to be one of his tougher challenges – going to a country where you don't speak the language, having to deal with the majority of the playing group not speaking your language, is a huge challenge,” said Wilkinson.
“But one thing Ange has shown is that where he's gone, he's been successful – in the NSL, in the A-League, with the Socceroos and now Japan.
“It takes time, the way he likes to play. He has to get his point across and change the way the team has played.
“But he has that drive and ambition, and that takes you a long way to being successful.”
Originally published as Six Sydney FC stars owe a lot to Ange Postecoglou … but still aim for shoot him down in ACL