Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou has spoke glowingly about Newcastle United ahead of their friendly in Australia.
The two Premier League clubs are set to meet in Melbourne on Wednesday, just days after their competitive seasons came to an end. Newcastle United were hoping they could finish the campaign very strongly and leapfrog Spurs, but that did not happen.
Instead, the Magpies had to settle for seventh. It could be enough to qualify for the Europa Conference League, but only if Manchester City win the FA Cup on Saturday.
That would be a brilliant end to a tough season that has seen Newcastle struggle with injuries for most of the campaign. Eight senior players missed more than 20 games due to injury, while there was the added complication of losing Sandro Tonali to suspension.
Ange Postecoglou impressed with Eddie Howe at Newcastle United
Despite all this, Ange Postecoglou has praised the job that Eddie Howe has done, and has spoke very highly about Newcastle United ahead of Wednesday’s friendly.
Speaking to Sky Sports News, Postecoglou has looked back at his meetings with the Magpies this season before reflecting on Newcastle’s ‘difficult’ campaign.
“We’ve had two cracking games. At our place, we played really well that day and then we got absolutely smashed up in Newcastle,” he said.
“Look, Eddie’s done a great job. It’s another massive club, a real passionate supporter base and obviously it’s changed a bit over the last couple of years with the ownership and the kind of footballers they’ve got up there.
“They were in the Champions League this year which I think has made it really difficult for them with the squad they had.”
Tottenham and Newcastle to meet on neutral ground after two very different matches
The two matches that Newcastle and Tottenham played against each other this season were both very different.
They first met in North London, where Ange’s Spurs side were dominant. Newcastle struggled to get close, with Tottenham’s expressive brand of football giving them a comfortable 4-1 win.
It was a different story at St James’ Park, as Eddie Howe ensured that lightening would not strike twice. He came up with a bespoke system to stop Postecoglou’s side, and made sure it was kept secret until the game actually kicked off.
Newcastle blew Tottenham away that day, winning 4-0. As Postecoglou says, his side got smashed up.
Now they are preparing to meet again, but under very different circumstances again. This time it is a post-season friendly in Melbourne, where the result does not really matter.
It is a bit of a homecoming for Postecoglou, while the same can be said for Newcastle United teenager Garang Kuol. He is in the Magpies’ squad, and will be hoping to make his first ever appearance for the club.
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