Does a manager discuss the level of a hard-hitting crisis? Coach Postecoglou's flippant remarks, which discouraged prospect Yang Min-hyuk, are destroying Tottenham

Jan 04, 2025

"No special plans. It came from the other side of the world below EPL levels."

Even if it's the same thing, it's different 'Ah' and 'uh' is different. Tottenham Hotspur coach Enze Postecoglou's words about young prospects actively recruited by the club do not show anything like 'Consideration' or 'Hope'. It's just a disrespect under the guise of coolness.

In addition, it also contains an extremely narrow view of the Korean professional football (K League). He seems to have forgotten his situation, which is on the verge of being dismissed due to his disastrous performance.

Coach Postecoglou gave a harsh evaluation of Yang Min-hyuk (19), a 'Shin Sung'. He said he didn't make any special plans because he was young and came from a low-quality K-League.

Tottenham will play Newcastle in the 20th round of the English Premier League (EPL) in the 2024-2025 season at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England on the 4th (Korea time). Currently, Tottenham is sluggish in 11th place in the league (24 points, 7 wins, 3 draws, 9 losses). For Postecoglou, a rebound is urgently needed.

At this rate, it may be difficult to guarantee a term of office. Last season, he finished fifth in the league, raising hope, but his performance has fallen significantly this season due to a series of injuries to the defense. He has allowed as many as nine runs while scoring five goals in the last three games. In the end, he failed to win with one draw and two losses. This is the background of rumors that Postecoglou will be replaced during the season.

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However, in a pre-interview conducted ahead of the game, Postecoglou made remarks that could anger Korean soccer fans. This is because he evaluated Yang Min-hyuk, who is newly joining the team, in a way that he is not even in his sleep.

Regarding Yang Min-hyuk, who recently joined the team, he said, `I have no special plans. I'm letting them adjust well. Still very young, from the other side of the world. The level of competition there (K League) is incomparable to the level you will meet here (EPL). It's a completely different stage. "I think having Son Heung-min will be of great help. I'm trying to help them adapt quickly inside and outside the club. I don't have any special plans, and I'll watch them adjust and proceed accordingly" he said.

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It is a completely different story from Tottenham's expectations of Yang Min-hyuk. Tottenham were serious about recruiting Yang Min-hyuk. I appreciated his possibilities.

It was understandable. Yang Min-hyuk entered the professional stage last year by signing a semi-professional contract with K League 1 Gangwon FC as a high school student. He then showed amazing skills from the beginning of the season and won an official professional contract in six months. Tottenham recruited Yang Min-hyuk in July last year when the season was in full swing.

Even after signing with Tottenham, Yang Min-hyuk performed unchanged. In the end, he appeared in all 2024 K League 1 games (38 games) and scored 12 goals and 6 assists to win the Young Player Award. It was a sacred place with a bright future.

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Tottenham, who appreciated this capability, asked Yang Min-hyuk to join the club as soon as possible. In the end, Yang Min-hyuk moved to England a month earlier than in January this year, when he was originally scheduled to join the team. He left the country on December 16 and has been building up for Tottenham. On January 1, 2025, he completed his registration as a player.

Therefore, local media are wondering when Yang Min-hyuk's EPL debut will be. Most of them are expected to play against Tamworth in the round of 64 FA Cup on the 12th. Tamworth is a semi-professional team in the fifth division, so I think it will be less burdensome.

In fact, it is true that Yang Min-hyuk is not good enough to appear on the EPL stage right away. Coach Postecoglou has a point.

However, they usually don't evaluate young players recruited with expectations, saying, `There are no special plans.' They tend to use more euphemisms or words.

The club also asked Yang Min-hyuk to join the team as soon as possible, but that's not what we expect to help us play the league right away. It means to join as soon as possible and shorten the adaptation period.

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Considering the club's position, Postecoglou could have said in a more euphemistic way that Yang Min-hyuk needed more time to adapt to the league. However, he referred to the 'League level difference' beyond the reference to his young age. It is a very rude remark and a remark that rather dampens the momentum of Yang Min-hyuk.

This attitude is similar to that of Rodrigo Bentancur, who made a 'racist remark' against Son Heung-min in the past. Bentancourt told a local television program in July last year that Son Heung-min was "all Asians have a straight face."' has once made a statement from a racist concept.

However, Coach Postecoglou did not consider it a big deal. He also defended Bentancur's remarks as a `mistake.'

However, the FA's independent regulatory committee suspended Bentancourt for seven games and fined her £100,000 for violating regulation E3 related to media interviews. This is an example of Postecoglou's defense being wrong.

This series of statements and consistent attitudes mean that Postecoglou has a very stubborn, inflexible mind. This is also evident in his tactical characteristics. Last season 'strong football' brought Tottenham to the top of the table, but the limitations were clear.

This season, his monotonous tactics are all exposed to the opposing team and no longer work. Nevertheless, Postecoglou does not accept the change and remains stubborn. Rather, he gets angry at criticism from local media and criticism from fans, and "I don't change." I've lived like that all my life," he even responded.

As a result, Postecoglou is increasingly losing the trust of fans and the media. At the same time, Tottenham is also losing momentum to move up to the top. All of this came from Postecoglou.

This article was translated by Naver AI translator.