“Though it was a joke but I wasn’t happy about it”: Son Heung-min reacts to Ange Postecoglou cheeky joke at him when he was asked about the upcoming AFC Asian Cup at a press conference.
Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou has made a cheeky joke at Spurs star Son Heung-min’s expense when he was asked about the upcoming AFC Asian Cup at a press conference.
Spurs have a growing list of injury concerns and next month will be without several players, including captain Son Heung-min, due to international commitments at the Africa Cup of Nations and AFC Asian Cup.
Postecoglou was questioned about how he viewed these tournaments and he wasted no time in reminding the reporter of his success in the Asian Cup.
‘You know I won it, don’t you?’ smiled Postecoglou.
‘So I rank it pretty highly, I think it’s pretty important.
‘A lot of European people think the Euros are pretty important – well, it’s the same for the Asian Cup or the African Cup of Nations.’
Postecoglou coached Australia to its first ever Asian Cup title in 2015 with a dramatic 2-1 extra-time win over South Korea at Stadium Australia in Sydney.
Son Heung-min was on the losing side on that occasion, and his Spurs boss is hoping for a similar result in 2024.
‘I hope Sonny goes on and finishes runner-up to Australia again, mate,’ he told reporters.
‘I’d be really happy about that.’
Tottenham will travel to Brighton on Friday (AEDT) and will be without Cristian Romero, who will require up to five weeks to recover from a hamstring strain.
Romero, with his mobility, aggression and experience in the heart of the defence, is a player for whom they have no like-for-like replacement.
Tottenham struggled when the Argentine was sent off against Chelsea in November. They went on to lose that game and took just one point from the three matches he missed through suspension. They have improved again since his return.
‘It’s another challenge for us, with two games in a short space of time and a smallish squad available,’ said Postecoglou.
‘We’ll tackle it like we’ve tackled everything else. We’ve just got to get on with it.
‘You can see other clubs going through it as well. We’ve been going through it for quite a while, but I like the attitude everyone is taking internally.’
