Australia star Jackson Irvine has revealed how Ange Postecoglou’s team talks drastically affected the squad emotionally before kick-off.
The new Tottenham boss is a firm fan favourite with the Spurs faithful amid a brilliant start to life in north London.
Postecoglou’s side are top of the Premier League
Irvine has revealed how Postecoglou got the players so pumped up before matches
Irvine has revealed how Postecoglou got the players so pumped up before matches
Spurs are top of the Premier League and are unbeaten, having defeated Liverpool and Manchester United, while managing to get a draw at Arsenal.
One reason why it has not taken long for his new players to take to his methods so quickly is down to his outstanding charisma.
This is no new policy for Postecoglou, who was in charge of Australia from 2013 to 2017 when the nation needed new blood, including Irvine, who was just 20 at the time.
Speaking on talkSPORT Drive, Irvine was full of praise for the Aussie coach and said his team talks would have made him ‘run through a bowl of spaghetti’.
The St Pauli star said: “He used to do his team talks about three hours before the game, before we have even done the pre-match.
“Because, honestly, you get so emotional and so hyped up that you want to run through a bowl of spaghetti and stick your head in it.
“He would have you so hyped, I think it would have been unsafe to send us directly onto the pitch after one of his talks. We’d have been sent off after about 10 seconds.”
Irvine made his international debut a week before Postecoglou took over in October 2013.
Postecoglou managed Australia from 2013 to 2017.
Australia were keen to move on from their Golden Generation of players including Lucas Neill, Brett Emerton, Mark Schwarzer, Craig Moore, Scott Chipperfield and Harry Kewell.
Irvine was on loan at Kilmarnock at the time from Celtic but when asked what Postecoglou was like by talkSPORT’s Darren Bent, the midfielder was full of praise.
“Inspirational,” he stated. “It was the belief he brought to the group.
“Obviously, Australia was not a team with household names or blessed with players playing at the highest level.
“But the identity of the team that he always tried to instil in us was just that belief that we were capable of competing with teams at the highest level.
“He has brought that everywhere he has gone. You see it, not just in the players but the club itself, the fans, the community.
“That belief, that bit of substance, and the way he communicates, it is so eloquent and it is no great surprise that we have seen early success.”
Tottenham are back in action on Monday night when they host Fulham as they look to continue their stunning start to the season.
