Spurs Put Profit Ahead Of Players With Melbourne Friendly
Hours after their 3-0 win over Sheffield United in their final Premier League match, Tottenham Hotspur embarked on a journey to Australia for a post-season friendly. Ange Postecoglou’s squad is set to face Newcastle United at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), on Wednesday.
The decision to travel has sparked criticism from climate change advocates and raised concerns about player fatigue amid an already crowded schedule. Newcastle defender Kieran Trippier voiced his disapproval, saying, “It’s not ideal because it’s a tournament year. I understand why the club are doing it. I’ve done it at Tottenham and [Atlético] Madrid but from my own experience of it, in a tournament year it’s not ideal.”
Responding to these concerns, Postecoglou explained the difference in circumstances between Tottenham and Newcastle. “Our situation is a bit different from Newcastle’s. They’ve had a European season, Champions League, it’s been a big season. We haven’t. It’s no secret part of this [is] exposure but also revenue for us,” he noted.
Postecoglou clarified that such a fixture would not have been considered if Tottenham had been involved in European competitions this season. “I certainly wouldn’t have allowed it to happen if we were in Europe this year and had a bigger game schedule. I probably would have said no to it. And I don’t think the club would have expected us to go. If we’re in Europe next year, I don’t think you’ll be seeing this happen,” he emphasised.
Although acknowledging that the timing isn’t perfect, Postecoglou stressed that the context for his team is unique. “I don’t think it’s ideal. But I think each situation is unique. For us, on the back of our season, to play one more game two days after the end of the season, there is substance to it for us,” he added.
Tottenham’s travelling squad includes 24 players, with notable absentees being Cristian Romero and Pierre-Emile Højbjerg. Other injured players Destiny Udogie, Timo Werner, Ben Davies, Richarlison, Yves Bissouma, Giovani Lo Celso, Fraser Forster, Ryan Sessegnon, and Manor Solomon also missed the trip.
Additionally, Tottenham announced a pre-season tour to South Korea, where they will face Bayern Munich on August 3 at the Seoul World Cup Stadium as part of the Coupang Play Series 2024. This matchup may see reunions with former Spurs players Harry Kane and Eric Dier. This trip marks the fourth visit for Spurs to Son Heung-Min’s homeland.
As Tottenham balances post-season commitments and preparations for the next campaign, this fixture highlights the trade-off between financial incentives and player well-being.
Image courtesy Deposit Photos.
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![Headline: Ten Hag Laments Manchester United's Defensive Lapses in 3-3 Europa League Draw Against FC Porto Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag criticised his players for "switching off" during their 3-3 draw against FC Porto in the Europa League on Thursday. Despite taking a 2-0 lead within the first 20 minutes at Estadio do Dragao, United conceded twice in seven minutes to go into half-time level, before falling behind early in the second half. In a post-match news conference, Ten Hag expressed his mixed feelings about the result, saying, "We scored two great goals and then we switched off. We don't keep possession and defending, we're switching off. We concede the first goal totally unnecessary and then you light up the fire in this stadium and it becomes very tough." The Dutch manager revealed that he addressed the issues at half-time, but was disappointed with his team's defending for the third goal. "We addressed it at half-time and then you concede a third one, so unnecessary. It's no good defending again. That's also to do with some willingness in some moments," he said. Ten Hag also had to defend his decision to substitute Marcus Rashford at half-time, despite the forward scoring United's opening goal and looking sharp throughout the first half. Initially, the manager stated that the substitution was made to keep Rashford fresh for the upcoming match against Aston Villa on Sunday. However, he later hinted that the change was made because both of Porto's first-half goals had come from crosses on Rashford's side of the pitch. "Garnacho was my best player on Sunday by far and also in many other games," Ten Hag explained. "I think in the season as I assess it so far, he is bringing us so far the offensive threat by creating chances, assists, also scoring. Garnacho, we also had to play him as well and we have two very good players over that side." He added, "I have to watch [the game] back and I think over the left side definitely we didn't defend well tonight and Marcus also played a part in this. But, as I say, it had to do with Garnacho and nothing against Rashy." Despite the disappointing result, United managed to salvage a point thanks to a stoppage-time equaliser from substitute Harry Maguire. The draw leaves Manchester United with work to do in their quest to progress in the Europa League.](https://futbolchronicle.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/FC-Porto-v-Manchester-United-UEFA-Europa-League-202425-League-Phase-MD2-5.jpg)
Ten Hag Laments Manchester United’s Defensive Lapses in 3-3 Europa League Draw Against FC Porto
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