Ange Postecoglou and Guus Hiddink spend time with Socceroos in London
Having guided EPL giants Tottenham to the top of the league since taking over former Socceroos coach Ange Postecoglou has stirred up the Australian players ahead of clash with England at a special meeting in London.
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Ange Postecoglou has reminded the Socceroos of the “impact” they will have on future generations of Australian footballers when they play at the iconic Wembley Stadium against England on Saturday morning.
Former Socceroos mentors Postecoglou and Guus Hiddink addressed the players after being invited to a team lunch in London by national coach Graham Arnold.
“It was a great touch for the boys to see two of the greatest Socceroos coaches ever in Guus and Ange in with the rest of the boys,” Arnold said.
Postecoglou, who has taken the English Premier League by storm since being appointed Tottenham Hotspur manager in June, spoke to the players about the significance of this weekend’s match.
“(It’s) the impact you can have for future generations,” he said to the squad.
“You play at a stadium like that, make an impact – it’s not just for you.
“There’s going to be a little boy or a little girl who are going to look at that and say ‘one day that’s going to be me’.”
Postecoglou also told the players of the need to work a “little bit harder” in the football world because they were Australians.
“It wasn’t that long ago I was here (as Socceroos coach). Now I’m in the Premier League and everybody loves me, but trust me I haven’t changed one bit,” he said.
“I’m the same person but because I was Australian, because you’re Australian, sometimes you’ve got to work that little bit harder. There’s nothing wrong with that.”
Postecoglou later said he was delighted to have been invited into camp.
“I had a free afternoon and they said to come over for lunch, so it was good to catch up with everyone,” he said.
“It’s good to see some familiar faces. Jackson (Irvine), Milos (Degenek), Maty (Ryan), Aziz (Behich) … Massimo (Luongo) – it was good to see him back.
“I hadn’t seen those boys since I left Australia (in 2018), so it was great to connect, and good to see some young faces in there.”
Postecoglou also appreciated the chance to spend time with Dutchman Hiddink, who coached the Socceroos at the 2006 World Cup, and Arnold.
“Guus made a major impact in Australian football, so it was good to spend some time with him and with ‘Arnie’. He’s doing a great job with the Socceroos,” Postecoglou said.
“I’m looking forward to the game. Wembley, 90,000 (people) … I’ll definitely be there. I pencilled it in a while back.”
Arnold said Postecoglou and Hiddink were part of the Socceroos “family” that was underpinned by a strong culture.
“It was typical Ange and Guus. They don’t want to be a distraction, but to bring them in … has been great,” he said.
Hiddink said he liked the “direct mentality” of the Socceroos and appreciated the chance to meet Postecoglou and again spend time with Arnold.
“We’re three coaches who worked with a lot of fun (people) with the national team,” Hiddink said.
Originally published as Ange Postecoglou and Guus Hiddink spend time with Socceroos in London
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