Ange Postecoglou has unfortunately spent most of the 2023/24 campaign defending his bold philosophy at Tottenham.
The Australian’s brave defensive line at Tottenham – which operates high up the field – has been questioned by a number of pundits, with Sky Sports even running a feature analysing the style of play.
Admirably, Postecoglou has ignored these comments, hitting back at reporters by saying “bring it on” to the doubters.
Football London quote the 58-year-old as saying: “I ain’t going to change but bring it on. It doesn’t just test me, it tests the players, it tests the club. How resolved are we about doing this? Look at all the top teams, they’ve all been through the process, through the tough times.”
Now – however – Ange Postecoglou has surprisingly been told to change his setup by the agent of one Tottenham player, which will surely anger the man born in Greece…
Radu Dragusin agent tells Ange Postecoglou to change things
Well, Florin Manea – the agent of Radu Dragusin – has not stopped talking since his client sealed a £26m move from Genoa to Tottenham in January.
The 43-year-old has told everybody how much money he made from the deal, while also sharing what Tottenham staff have said about the Romania international’s efforts in training.
Now – however – Manea has certainly crossed the line by telling Postecoglou how to set up his defence, in order to accommodate Dragusin.
The Tottenham No.6’s agent is quoted by Calcio Napoli 24 as saying: “The coach has said many times that he doesn’t want to play three (at the back). He knows better, but he concedes a lot of goals for Tottenham (with the current style of play).
“Playing with three gives you more security and you won’t concede too many goals. Tottenham concede a lot of goals from set pieces. I think Dragusin will find space in the future because Tottenham need his power.”
Tottenham boss will surely be furious
Whether you think Dragusin should be starting or not, these comments are well out of line from Manea.
If Postecoglou won’t listen to experienced pundits when it comes to adapting his style – Jermaine Jenas is one prominent media presence who questioned the tactics – he certainly won’t like being told what to do by an agent.
It also comes across as selfish from Manea – it could be argued that he simply wants to see his client playing, so he can help raise Dragusin’s value and make more money in future.
Ultimately, we highly doubt these comments went down well at Hotspur Way – to say the least.