Ange reflects on a 'positive' tour of Japan and Korea
Tue 06 August 2024, 14:00|
Tottenham Hotspur
Ange Postecoglou feels the squad will have taken enormous benefit from two weeks of hard work in the hot and humid climates of Japan and Korea.
Over the past fortnight, our Men's First Team have been hard at work in the far east, taking on a number of training sessions plus three matches in temperatures reaching 36 degrees and humidities rising as high 90 per cent as we visited Japan and Korea as part of our 2024/25 pre-season tour.
In such intense heat and clammy conditions, the players were pushed to not just acclimatise to the conditions, but to go on and overcome those conditions to deliver performances of the highest intensity that our playing style demands.
And that is a challenge the squad took to intently across the 12 days in Asia - an attitude and endeavour that certainly pleased our Head Coach.
"I think it has been positive," Ange said as he reflected on the tour as a whole. "I certainly can't fault the work of the players and the staff on a daily basis. Like I say, it's not easy in these conditions.
"It's fair to say the boys felt the effects of us working hard there for the last 10 days and with the conditions today, against a tough opponent (in FC Bayern). We struggled to show any sort of sharpness and intensity in our game. The boys stuck at it but it was a disappointing night in terms of the football but I think we'll get enormous benefit from the work we have done here over the last week and a half.
"I've lived in this part of the world and after a week or so, you start feeling it even more but that was the whole purpose of us working hard. We could have trained differently to get ready for a game but I think it is more important for us to get ready for the start of the Premier League season.
"We've had a super reception in both countries. I think the games have all had something in them for the supporters. So a positive trip but I'm looking forward to getting back home now.
"We've still got two weeks (until the first game of the season). We'll get some players back this week - obviously the internationals will be back, Destiny (Udogie) is back training with us, Richarlison should be back in the week - so we'll get some of our top end players back into the group which I think will help. Once we get back we've got 10 to 12 days before our first game and we'll make sure we are ready."
