Kulusevski delivers Ange-inspired pre-match speech for Sweden squad
Tue 26 March 2024, 15:30|
Tottenham Hotspur
Dejan Kulusevski has revealed that he delivered the pre-match team-talk ahead of Sweden's victory over Albania on Monday night - and it was inspired by our Head Coach, Ange Postecoglou.
Ahead of the clash with the Balkan nation, Dejan was asked by his new national team coach Jon Dahl Tomasson to deliver a rousing pre-match speech to the squad as they sought to back to winning ways.
And it certainly seemed to do the trick as, after Thursday's 5-2 defeat to Portugal, Sweden earned their first win under Tomasson with Deki providing the assist for Gustaf Nilsson's match-winner, triumphing 1-0 in the Swedish capital.
Something of a rarity in his career to date, Dejan suggested that his coach's team-talk request took him by surprise, but it was a responsibility he was eager to take on and, after revealing he took inspiration from Ange's renowned pre-match talks, it is something he would be keen to do again.
Watch - Deki's inch-perfect assist for Nilsson winner
Deki assists the winner for @svenskfotboll! 🇸🇪 pic.twitter.com/oetsq6wrv7
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) March 25, 2024
"(Jon Dal Tomasson) took me aside for a second and asked if I could talk and I said I'll solve it," Deki explained to Swedish football media outlet Fotbollskanalen after the game. "Then I had to walk around thinking what to say, but it was fun. Maybe I'll have to take it again next time.
"I get inspiration from everything. the speech was from my coach in Tottenham. He is strong on it so I copied a little because I believe in what he says. I prepared that we have to play as a family because a family protects each other."
In taking the responsibility to speak in front of his team-mates, it was a gesture that Tomasson could only heap praise on our winger for.
"(It was) fantastic. He did very well," Tomasson said in his post-match press conference. "He talked about sticking together and us being a family.
"Dejan takes more and more responsibility. I like that. We need more of those players who take responsibility. Victor (Nilsson Lindelöf) and Robin (Olsen) do it. But we need more players who do. It helps us in the end."
Deki also received praise from his team-mate Ludwig Augustinsson, who said our number 21 is growing and growing as a leader.
"He talked about us being a family, that we should work together and go out to war," Augustinsson said. "It was a good speech in English. I didn't know he was going to give the speech before. But as I said before, he grows and grows as a leader. He is welcome to do it again."
