Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou will face Manchester United, recalling their first encounter 23 years ago when he was the manager of South Melbourne. Postecoglou’s first game in English football ended in a draw against Brentford, with Emerson Royal securing a point for Spurs. Now, he faces a big test against United, a team he faced in his early managerial career.
Before his stints with Celtic and Yokohama F. Marinos, Postecoglou managed South Melbourne, the first club he ever coached. In 1999, South Melbourne secured victory in the Oceania Club Championship, which led to a meeting with Manchester United at the Club World Championship in Brazil. This was no ordinary United side, as they were the treble-winning team managed by Sir Alex Ferguson.
Although United’s fate was no longer in their hands by the time they faced South Melbourne, it was still a challenging match for the Australian outfit. Postecoglou acknowledged the vast difference between the standards of their leagues, but he remained determined to compete.
South Melbourne had a few Australian internationals in their team, but United fielded a weakened side. Despite some sarcasm from the United players upon seeing their opponents, Roy Keane reminded them to be respectful. United had recently won the Intercontinental Cup but didn’t enjoy the same success in Brazil, with a 2-0 win against South Melbourne coming too late for them to progress.
Postecoglou never forgot the impact Ferguson had on him during their meeting. The opportunity to spend 15 minutes with Ferguson, coaching against United at the age of 34, was invaluable for him.
Now, 23 years later, Postecoglou has the chance to demonstrate what he has learned since that game. However, recent history is not in Spurs’ favor, as they have failed to win any of their last five encounters with United.
As Tottenham prepares to face Manchester United on Saturday, all eyes will be on Postecoglou to see how his team fares against the formidable opponents.
