Spurs still going ‘full throttle’ and ready for Angeball’s MCG homecoming

It’s been just over a decade since Ange Postecoglou installed Mile Jedinak as captain of the Socceroos, giving the immaculately bearded midfielder an unrivalled perspective on the methodology behind his managerial magic.

So when it comes to Tottenham Hotspur, he’s seen this movie before. And it’s worth sticking around for the ending.

“If you know Ange well enough, when he starts to get those things going ... it happens,” Jedinak told this masthead.

Things haven’t quite happened yet, but they are still very much happening. In their last two outings, Spurs have produced arguably their best and worst performances under Postecoglou: a 4-0 win away to Aston Villa, their closest rivals in the race for UEFA Champions League qualification, and then a shock 3-0 defeat to Fulham which nobody really saw coming.

It’s been that sort of season for Tottenham, who were unbeaten in Postecoglou’s first 10 matches in charge, but have since won just nine times in 19 outings across all competitions. They have taken plenty of steps forward and a few backwards.

As far as Jedinak is concerned, if you add it all up, they’ve made significant progress, but they still have a ways to go in becoming the team Postecoglou wants them to be.

Former Socceroos captain Mile Jedinak (centre), now supporting Ange Postecoglou at Tottenham Hotspur, joined Melbourne Victory players Daniel Arzani and Lydia Williams to promote a three-match series of soccer games that will be played in Melbourne in May.Credit: Getty

Jedinak, now 39, has watched it all unfold up close. He takes in their matches from high up in the grandstand with the rest of the club’s analytics boffins, often pulls on the boots for training drills to help demonstrate key points during Postecoglou’s sessions, and has a quiet chuckle to himself at the back of the press conference room whenever the English media tries to goad his boss into conceding they are no longer in the “title race”, knowing full well that he is not in the business of limiting anyone’s ambitions.

“I wouldn’t want to put a cap on anything either,” he said.

“That’s not how we think. It’s part of the process, understanding the squad and the dynamic of it, and how they respond in those moments of adversity. That’s why it is a season with 38 games; it’s going to give you different challenges. We’ve faced some of that, and come out of that, but it’s been something we’ve all embraced, as a group, as a staff, as a playing squad and as a club.

“We keep trying to push forward. We’re going to push right to that last game and expect to go full throttle right up until then.”

Spurs now have 10 games left this season; three days after their final Premier League fixture, away to Sheffield United, they’ll be hopping on a plane bound for Melbourne for a friendly against Newcastle United at the MCG on May 22.

Two days after that an A-League All Stars double-header will be held at Marvel Stadium involving Newcastle and Arsenal’s women, including star Matildas trio Caitlin Foord, Steph Catley and Kyra Cooney-Cross, whose involvement in the game was written into the deal to bring their club to Melbourne.

Despite the proximity of Euro 2024, which begins on June 14, Spurs will be contractually obliged to bring a full-strength squad to Postecoglou’s hometown. It will be Tottenham’s second trip to Australia this season. Their first official match under Postecoglou was played in Perth last July.

“I love the fact that people get the opportunity to come and watch us play,” Jedinak said. “It wasn’t that long ago when these opportunities weren’t around, so it’s nice to get things over here on a regular basis.

Matildas players Steph Catley, Kyra Cooney-Cross and Caitlin Foord will play an exhibition game for their English club side Arsenal in Melbourne in May.Credit: Getty

“We are a global brand, we’ve got 11 supporter groups in Australia, two in Melbourne, and no doubt they’ll get they’ll get right behind us when we do come out here, fantastic. Even from the experience we had in Perth in the preseason, people turning up – I think we had 6000 at our training session. Hopefully, we get those numbers again, when we do have our training session here as well.”

Postecoglou, Jedinak and Tottenham’s chief football officer Scott Munn – the former CEO of Melbourne City – remain very much dialled into the Australian game.

In the mornings at Hotspur Way, the club’s training base in north London, the televisions are routinely tuned into live A-League matches.

Earlier this year, the office was glued to the Socceroos’ Asian Cup quarter-final against South Korea, which ended in a heartbreaking 2-1 defeat after some late magic from Son Heung-min.

Tottenham’s match in Melbourne on May 22 will be a homecoming for manager Ange Postecoglou.Credit: Getty

Jedinak did not want to touch the ongoing debate about the style and tactics of the Socceroos under Graham Arnold, whose side resumes their World Cup qualification campaign on Thursday night in Sydney against Lebanon.

“Stylistically, there’s obviously a difference there [to when Postecoglou was coach], which is absolutely fine,” he said.

“Everyone brings their own element to that, and the team’s doing what they believe is going to get them the outcomes that they want to try and achieve. And that’s worked. It obviously worked at the World Cup, the boys are embracing it, they see that as the way to get the outcomes they want, and that’s the way it is with the group at the moment, and that’s the way he’s going forward.

“I think you’ve just got to respect that that’s what’s in place at the moment. They’ll always have my support. Football can be done in different ways and people’s opinions are what they are.

“As long as the boys are performing and performing well, that’s the that’s the thing that I’ll be looking at the most.”

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