Tottenham Hotspur assistant coach Mile Jedinak says that the team will continue to put faith in the “Angeball” principles of coach Ange Postecoglou after Saturday’s 3-0 defeat at the hands of Fulham.
Crashing back to earth after a 4-0 win over Aston Villa the matchday prior, Spurs had a major dent put in their hopes of Champions League qualification when they succumbed to the shock loss at Craven Cottage.
A win over their London rivals would have vaulted Postecoglou’s side above Villa and into fourth position on the table, only to be consigned to defeat with one of their worst performances of the season.
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“No one wants to lose football games,” Jedinak told ESPN. “But we’ve got 10 games to go, and you know we’ll be doing everything we can to make sure we finish the season strong.
“From our perspective, it’s been the same process from the start. We’ve just tried to stick to our processes week-in and week-out and continue on that path, and where that path will get us at the end remains to be seen.”
Formerly working as a youth and loan development coach at Villa, Jedinak was named an assistant coach at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium soon after Postecoglou’s appointment ahead of the 2023-24 season.
The 39-year-old had served as captain of Australia during Postecoglou’s time at the helm of the Socceroos, bringing familiarity with a system that, though associated with trophies at every stop of the coach’s career, normally requires a period of bedding in.
“When we did come in, we worked with the boys all the time,” he said. “To see them grasp the concepts on how we wanted the team to play; they’ve given us every single amount of effort and energy — [so have] the coaches and the staff — and it’s not been a coincidence [Postecoglou’s system was implemented quickly].
“It’s nice. You see that process evolving and you see the team evolving and that’s something that I know gets us excited as coaches.
“We’re only at the start of this journey and you know, we’ll keep pushing to keep improving day by day.”
Jedinak was speaking at the formal announcement of Spurs’ tour of Australia that will see them face fellow Premier League powers Newcastle United on Wednesday, May 22 at the 100,000-capacity MCG, in Postecoglou’s home city of Melbourne.
That fixture will occur just days after the end of the two sides’ respective seasons against Sheffield United and Brentford and weeks before several players from both clubs represent their nations at the Euros and Copa America.
Spurs chief football officer Scott Munn, also returning to his home city of Melbourne for the announcement, confirmed that Spurs would bring an almost full-strength squad Down Under.
“The international window doesn’t start until after the tour,” said Munn. “All players will be available unless surgery or extenuating circumstances. I think there’s only one player [Timo Werner] who’s getting married that weekend, so he probably won’t travel.”