The major Australian’s success with Spurs winning the Premier League is encouraging for Africans as well.
Because of the international break, Tottenham Hotspur will maintain their lead over the competition in the Premier League for at least another two weeks, continuing Ange Postecoglou’s ascent to the top of English football.
Since the Lilywhites won the league and cup double in 1961, Spurs’ surprisingly strong start, in which they are tied for first place with north London rival Arsenal, is unparalleled. Additionally, it marks the first time they have held the top spot since December 2020. It’s not surprising that so many Spurs supporters are now willing to show off their replica shirts in public.
The fast start is also an early confirmation of Postecoglou’s selection, which was first questioned by doubtful supporters who hoped for a high-profile option like Julian Nagelsmann or Luis Enrique and was initially criticized by several pundits.
The large Australian’s accomplishments with Scottish powerhouses Celtic, where he won three straight league titles before winning the treble last season, helped him land a job with a team that is fervently trying to get back into the top echelon of English football.
of addition to producing results, the 58-year-old former defender, who earned four caps for Australia, has the squad playing the attacking style of soccer that has always been associated with the great Spurs teams of the past.
The gloomy, uninteresting results that Postecoglou’s predecessors Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte provided are in sharp contrast to Postecoglou’s approach.
Hollywood casting calls
The new Spurs manager is upfront about how it was harder for him to succeed in the top leagues because football is less popular in Australia than it is in Europe or South America. After Eddie Howe declined the position, he was finally hired by Celtic in June 2021, ending a frustrating 25-year search for employment with a major European team.
They simply didn’t know who I was, so it was like trying out for those Hollywood auditions and getting turned down. It was really gloomy. He admitted to former Tottenham striker Gary that he had been trying for a breakthrough for 25 years in the game.
“I never imagined I’d arrive here, and not because of my talent. I simply believed that nobody would act in that manner and that it would never occur. You’re better off getting fired three times in Europe and continuing to succeed on the other side of the planet, people would say to me.
It’s not like he hasn’t had any success; a year after leading Australia at the World Cup in Brazil, he won the Asian Cup with them in 2015. In addition, he helped the Socceroos qualify for the 2018 World Cup. However, he left the Socceroos six months before the tournament to join the Japanese team Yokohama F Marinos, who he helped lead to their first league championship in 15 years in just his second season.
Due to Postecoglou’s outstanding start in the most competitive league in the world, managers from other lesser footballing nations may unintentionally gain employment with European teams.
Many African coaches are on the outside looking in, just waiting for the big break. Pitso Mosimane has been projected to make it big in the European leagues after winning three African Champions League championships, two with Mamelodi Sundowns and one with Al Ahly of Egypt.
not prepared
However, there is still time for Mosimane to secure a transfer to Europe. Last season, he led Al Ahly to promotion to the Saudi Premier League before being abruptly fired and replaced by the German Matthias Jaissie. This season, he has had a more difficult campaign with United Arab Emirates team Al Wahda.
After Al Ahly won the Champions League title two years ago, he struck a dour tone by declaring: “Europe is not ready for African coaches. You can’t tell me Wayne Rooney, the then-manager of Derby County in the lower league, is better than me.
In 2022, Walid Regragui and Wydad Casablanaca won the Champions League, and seven months later, Morocco won the World Cup in Qatar, becoming the first African nation to advance to the semifinals.
Benni McCarthy already has a foot in the door at Manchester United as a member of Erik ten Hag’s coaching staff, while Quinton Fortune, an assistant coach at Deportivo Guadalajara in Mexico, held a similar position at Reading in the English Championship in 2020.
Michael Essien of Ghana, who won the Champions League with Chelsea, is pursuing his Uefa Pro Licence accreditation and seems ready for the next level.
The former Ghanaian international, who was once considered one of the best holding midfielders in the world and was a member of the technical staff of Danish Superliga club FC Nordsjaelland, is optimistic that Africans will soon make their mark as managers in Europe’s top divisions.
Essien told German television Deutsche Welle, “I think it’s only a matter of time before you start seeing our generation of footballers becoming top-level coaches.”
Essien is one of a large number of newly retired African football players looking for coaching chances in Europe. Although there aren’t many prospects for African coaches, he thinks that will change in the near future. “If you are intelligent, passionate about the game, and still want to do something in the industry,”
Yaya Toure has all the qualifications to become a top manager. He is a four-time African footballer of the year, a Champions League champion with Barcelona, and an Africa Cup of Nations champion with the Ivory Coast. At the beginning of the season, he accepted a role as assistant coach at Belgian top-flight team Standard Liege after an impressive brief time with Tottenham Hotspur Under-16.
