30 March 2024 , 10:01
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Ange Postecoglou has defended Tottenham's decision play Newcastle in a controversial post-season friendly - labelling it a "unique opportunity".
The North London side take on their Premier League rivals at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 22nd May - just three days after the final day of the campaign. It is a decision that has courted criticism.
Both Tottenham and Newcastle have expressed an intent to take established, international players despite the Euros and the Copa America taking place this summer. It has been reported that the PFA are also considering stepping in to halt the 21,000-mile round trip.
Postecoglou has now broken his silence on the game. The Australian claimed that after careful consideration, there were plenty of benefits for his side.
“We leave straight after the last game and we’ll be taking everyone who’s fit,” Postecoglou said. “We thought that with our season being so disrupted and not a lot of games, this was a unique opportunity for us.
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“I wouldn’t see this as something that would happen on a regular basis unless we felt the benefits would outweigh the costs. On this occasion when we balanced everything up, we felt it was a good opportunity to take the club to the other side of the world and help us continue to grow the football club. That’s why the decision was made.”
England boss Gareth Southgate is also among those to have offered his view on the game. He suggests that he can understand it from a financial standpoint but not from a player welfare view.
Newcastle and Tottenham clash in Melbourne in May (Getty Images)Who will win the Premier League this season? Share your thoughts in the comments below
He said: "It (end-of-season friendlies) is going to happen more and more. Why? Financial fair play means clubs need to generate their own money, so we're in a bizarre world where there's more money in the game than ever before, and yet everyone is scrambling across federations and clubs to generate more.
"The normal way of doing that is to play more games - so is that great news for us, in terms of preparation? No. But we're going to have players in the FA Cup final (May 25) probably, the Champions League final (June 1) hopefully and a chance of a few other European finals, so we are used to preparing this way. We had to go to Qatar with five days prep, so we adjust to whatever it is and hope there are no injuries from that game (in Australia)."
Tottenham are still involved in a battle to earn a European spot over the final ten games of the season. The North London side sit fifth and three points behind Aston Villa, with a game in-hand.
Newcastle have experienced a slump this term. After securing a spot in the Champions League last season, they are now tenth.
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