Prior to their match away at Brighton on Friday, Tottenham’s Ange Postecoglou had taken a lighthearted swipe at Spurs star and captain Son Heung-min when he was asked about the upcoming AFC Asian Cup at a press conference.
With a growing list of injury concerns and in anticipation of the absence of several players, including captain Son Heung-min, next month due to international commitments at the Africa Cup of Nations and AFC Asian Cup, the big Aussie was questioned about how he viewed these tournaments and he was quick on the rebound reminding the reporter of his success in the Asian Cup.
“You know I won it, don’t you?” replied Postecoglou, with a twinkle in his eyes and a smile curlling on his face.
“So I rank it pretty highly, I think it’s pretty important.
“A lot of European people think the Euros are pretty important – well, it’s the same for the Asian Cup or the African Cup of Nations.”
Postecoglou had been primarily responsible for coaching Australia to its first ever Asian Cup title in 2015 when they won dramatically in extra-time with a 2-1 margin over South Korea at Stadium Australia in Sydney. Son Heung-min had been on the opposing side on that occasion, and his now Spurs boss is eyeing a similar result in the 2024 campaign.
“I hope Sonny goes on and finishes runner-up to Australia again, mate,’ he told reporters.
“I’d be really happy about that.”