Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou was in the ITV studio for Belgium’s Euro 2024 match against Romania, and his fellow pundits brought about an awkward exchange
There was a hairy moment during ITV’s Euro 2024 coverage, with Ange Postecoglou dealing with criticism of his Tottenham team within minutes of making his punditry debut with the broadcaster.
After taking some time off at the end of the season, Postecoglou joined Karen Carney, Ian Wright and presenter Laura Woods in the studio. The quartet were taking in the Group E match between Belgium and Romania, with Spurs defender Radu Dragusin starting for the latter.
Before the game even kicked off, though, Postecoglou found himself and his team brought up in a less than favourable context. The discussion wasn’t even about the players involved on the night, or even a member of the Australian’s squad.
Instead, Spurs’ performance against Manchester City was brought up when the panel discussed John Stones’England role. The City man impressively stepped into midfield on more than one occasion, including against the London side, and a repeat has been suggested at international level.
“I know what Karen was saying about John Stones and how brilliant he is when he’s going through the pitch from centre half – I think it was against Tottenham, I think I saw him,” Wright said. The comment brought a sheepish “thanks mate” from Postecoglou, while Carney pointed out the awkwardness of the situation, to laughter from all concerned.
“The thing with it is, yes, that is fine at Man City because he has got that structure,” Wright continued. “And he knows exactly what he’s doing and people know when he’s coming. It’s the same as Phil Foden, Phil Foden has got structure – people talk about him playing with freedom but he’s got a structure, he knows exactly what he’s doing and at the moment, us, from an attacking point of view, we don’t seem to have a structure for what we’re doing.”
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Postecoglou’s presence was welcomed by those watching on TV. “Nobody should be surprised at Ange’s calmness and common sense in front of the ITV cameras. He has been a regular TV pundit Down Under,” wrote one.
“Ange Postecoglou comes across so well. He’s got that charisma I really like and a natural pundit,” said another. “Ange’s knowledge of the game is miles higher than any other pundit on our TV screens,” was the verdict from a third.
On the pitch, Belgium made a fast start as they became the last of the 24 teams at the Euros to find the net. Youri Tielemans was one of several players brought into the starting line-up by Domenico Tedesco after a defeat to Slovakia, and the Aston Villa midfielder scored after barely 70 seconds.
The goal was the third-fastest in Euros history, with all three scored in group stage games. Dmitri Kirichenko netted after 67 seconds for Russia against Greece in 2004, with that record standing until Nedim Bajrami put Albania ahead against Italy in this year’s edition.
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