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Ange Postecoglou’s potential Premier League move can break more stereotypes than one

The Premier League’s global appeal is reflected in the diverse backgrounds of players who grace its fields, showcasing talent from all around the world. From a mere 13 foreigners during its inception in 1992, the English top flight has had 113 different nationalities represented on the pitch in the last three decades.

However, when it comes to the managers in the league, it is a different ball game. Not a single non-European manager was in charge of a Premier League club when the curtains came down on the 2022-23 season on Sunday, painting a picture of an industry that has plenty of work to do in order to embrace diversity in coaching roles.

 

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Former Arsenal midfielder Patrick Vieira was the only black manager in the league until he was sacked, perhaps unexpectedly, by Crystal Palace in March. Meanwhile, American Jesse Marsch was the only non-European coach in charge of a club during the season but suffered the same fate as Vieira at Leeds United.

Due to a variety of reasons ranging from language barriers to work permit issues and cases of pure bias, even well-respected coaches from the footballing hotbeds of South America or Africa rarely get a look in at Premier League clubs – let alone someone from a region like Australia which is considered a footballing outpost by most.

But one name who could be about to surmount those challenges and make his way into the Premier League is Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou. Most Celtic fans did not hide their displeasure when the Glasgow outfit announced the Australian as the man to replace club legend Neil Lennon at the helm of the Parkhead side in 2021.

The Hoops were chasing Eddie Howe for months and the appointment of Postecoglou on a one-year rolling contract seemed best like a Plan B or C. Little was known of him outside of his home nation of Australia and Japan where he had just guided Yokohama F. Marinos to their first league title in 15 years.

But silencing his critics, Postecoglou delivered a double on his debut campaign and is one win away from a historic treble this season. That is a tremendous achievement even at a club like Celtic who usually dominate the domestic scene, but finished 25 points behind their archrivals Rangers when Postecoglou signed.

So perhaps it is no wonder that the 57-year-old is one of the frontrunners for the vacant manager post at Tottenham Hotspur.  However, in a repeat of events when the news broke of his arrival in Glasgow a couple of years ago, a section of the Spurs fan base have been feeling apprehensive about the rumours.

But one thing is for sure. Postecoglou is headed for the Premier League. If not Spurs, some other club is going to take a chance on him sooner rather than later. And that is going to be a gamechanger for not just managers from Down Under, but also for the perception of Australia as a footballing nation.

For a long time, the Australian national team has tried to shake its tag as a group that plays physical and long ball football. But Postecoglou with his expansive and entertaining game at Celtic has already done a lot to break that stereotype and the exposure at a Premier League club will only help further the mission.

It will also open doors for a crop of Australian managers to prove their mettle outside of Australia. Kevin Muscat is one such manager who took charge of Postecoglou’s former club Marinos when he left for Celtic and has since then won the Japanese league with the club part-owned by the City Football Group.

“If Postecoglou goes to England, it will be a gamechanger for Australian coaches. He revolutionised Australian football during his time at Brisbane Roar in the early 2010s as he guided them to become A-League champions twice,” said Neal Symons, an Australian football journalist.

“There are a number of Aussie coaches who can go places, but what Postecoglou has been doing is opening people’s eyes to what Australians can do,” he said. Symons picked out names like Nick Montgomery who took his Central Coast Mariners to the A-League final, Wellington Phoenix’s Ufuk Talay and Sydney FC’s Steve Corica as the ones to keep an eye on.

So what can we expect from the former Socceroos head coach at Tottenham? “The football will be free flowing and attacking and there will be a change in culture. He will instil values in players that will make them play for the badge and he will make an instant connection with the fans,” Symons said.

“He can also improve players and get even more out of Harry Kane. Just look at United States international Cameron Carter-Vickers who is now one of the best centre-backs in Scotland with Celtic and I won’t be surprised if he goes back to Spurs if Postecoglou gets the job,” Symons said.

Postecoglou could also bring some of his East Asian players to the Premier League. Gone are the days when Asian footballers were overlooked for their lack of physicality, leadership and flair. South Korea defender Kim Min-jae was a leader on and off the pitch as Napoli won their first Scudetto in 33 years this season.

Iran striker Mehdi Taremi just won the Golden Boot in the Portuguese top division while Japan’s Kaoru Mitoma and Spurs’ Son Heung-min are two of the most exciting players to watch in the Premier League. There are also a string of Japanese footballers who have lit up the grounds across Germany’s Bundesliga during the last few seasons.

“Kyogo Furuhashi was playing in the Japanese second division not long ago and many expected him to fail in Europe. But he is now the top scorer in the Scottish Premiership. So, I expect him to take a couple of those Asian players to the Premier League and it will have a huge effect on Asian football,” said Symons.

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Author

  • Adwaidh Rajan

    Adwaidh Rajan is a journalist with more than 10 years of experience covering sports. He has written for Indian newspapers The Times of India and The New Indian Express as well as websites like ESPN and FOX Sports Asia.

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