Tottenham Hotspur boss Ange Postecoglou is ‘desperate’ not to be seen as ‘an Australian caricature’ in England, says journalist Sam Matterface.
The Lilywhites tactician has endured an up-and-down start to his second season in North London, winning only five of his opening 11 games in the Premier League.
Last weekend’s shocking 2-1 loss at home to Ipswich Town has only deepened the scrutiny on Postecoglou, whose side dropped to 10th in the table before the international break.
Amid a tumultuous start, the Australian tactician’s mood in the press conferences has definitely changed, and now Matterface has explained the reasoning behind that.
Speaking on the Premier League All Access podcast, he revealed that Postecoglou is keen to avoid adopting the playful character and being seen as ‘an Australian caricature’:
“What I've been told is, is that he's so desperate not to be seen as sort of an Australian caricature.
“He doesn't want to be Jesse Marsch 2, he doesn't want people to throw the sort of Australian Ted Lasso thing at him.
“So he tries to sort of not be the playful, happy character and tries to be serious, that's what I’ve been told.
“It doesn't come across very well. And Mark Scott of Match of the Day has had two rather difficult exchanges with him in a couple of weeks. I know Crook and I have both had interesting exchanges with him as well over the last year.”
Postecoglou, who signed a four-year contract with Tottenham in the summer of 2023, had a strong start to his first season, going unbeaten in his first 10 Premier League matches and leading the table in October.
However, he won only 12 of the next 28 league matches in 2023/24, falling short of a top-four finish and finishing his debut season in North London in fifth place.
This season’s beginning has also been rocky, and now questions over Postecoglou’s long-term future at Spurs have resurfaced, with the club sitting in the middle of the table after almost a third of the campaign has passed.
However, signs currently suggest the Australian is under no imminent danger of losing his job in England, despite those around the club growing frustrated with recent results.