Ange Postecoglou has explained why he gave his players a scolding during Tottenham's preseason win over a K-League XI on Wednesday.
Spurs claimed a 4-3 victory over the South Korean league all-star team in Seoul, captain Son Heung-min scoring twice in an eventful friendly match.
The game was goalless after 25 minutes, and Postecoglou was apparently none too pleased with what he had seen from a starting team that included senior players such as Son, Dejan Kulusevski, Brennan Johnson, Pape Sarr, Ben Davies, Emerson Royal, Pedro Porro and Guglielmo Vicario.
During a drinks break, the Australian made it clear that he expected a little more endeavor.
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What did Postecoglou say to Spurs players vs. K-League XI?
Postecoglou was caught on camera saying to his players: "I've got one f***ing thing to say: we go and have a crack, man for man."
While it may seem a strong demand for the first half of a preseason friendly match, the Spurs manager later clarified that he had wanted his players to maintain their intensity in order to boost their fitness levels.
"It was more just about making sure we kept pressing on, because with the conditions the way they are and the training load's been pretty high, I didn't want us to back off in that moment and really [wanted to] push to halftime just more for our fitness than anything else," he said.
"We thought it was a good opportunity for us to push on and try to be even more aggressive than we had been up to that point."
Spurs next face Bayern Munich on August 3, also in Seoul.
