Ange Postecoglou has joked that he already told Son Heung-min he has forgiven him for scoring against his Australian side in the 2015 Asian Cup final.
Son was not at his best during much of the 2022-23 campaign, with the forward later revealing that he was playing through pain caused by a hernia injury, which he subsequently had surgery on (Evening Standard).
However, the 30-year-old will be relishing the prospect of playing under Postecoglou, with his sides having a reputation for pinning opponents back and creating plenty of chances.
Postecoglou and Son were rivals in the past
The new Spurs head coach has revealed that he and Son have already crossed paths when his Australian side went up against South Korea in the finals of the Asia Cup, with Son netting a late equaliser in regular time before Postecoglou’s men secured the win in extra-time.
The 57-year-old said in an interview on the club’s official channel: “Firstly I also have a relationship with Sonny because he scored against me for Korea in the Asian Cup final.
“We were one minute away from winning it and Sonny scored. We got him in extra time and I’ve already said to him that he’s forgiven for that.”
During the interview, Postecolgou was also asked about the one thing that he considers a non-negotiable and the former Celtic boss did not hesitate to point to his philosophy of free, flowing, attacking football, insisting that he has never veered away from it.
He said: “I think the major thing about my journey in football career as a manager is that really early on I had this part of me that just decided that my teams were going to play a certain way.
“Irrespective of the league I was in, the challenge I had before me in terms of whatever club I was picking up and whatever state they were in, I needed my teams to play in a certain way for me to really feel like it was my team.
“I’ve been non-negotiable in that the whole way and made this decision really early on in my career that this is the kind of manager I’m going to be and this is how my teams are going to play.
“Along the way when I’ve had times when it could have gone either way, me sticking to my core beliefs and values have allowed me to get through those moments and have success.
“It’s not just about regret [if you don’t]. It’s that people will then believe in you more because they see that you’re not doing it for any other reason than that is what you confirm in your mind and what you know will get you to where you want to go.
“People will see that that never wavers even in the most extreme of pressure.
“People will know you’re saying what you really believe, not just saying it because you saw somebody else do it or somebody else told you to do it.
“It’s an extension of who you are and to me, my teams and how they play are an extension of me as a person.
“People are never in any doubt whether they’re around me or working with me that this is not going to change. It’s how we’re going to be.”
Spurs Web Opinion
When a manager asks a team to adopt a high-risk approach, it is important that he completely doubles down on it and sticks to his belief even in the face of adversity.
Otherwise, doubts will start creeping into the players’ minds when results do not go their way. It is clear from the way Postecoglou speaks that he will not veer away from his tried and tested approach irrespective of the results.
