Ange Postecoglou: Spurs manager says “second-season trophy” remark not a “boast”

Last week Spurs vice-captain Cristian Romero shared a social media post suggesting he was tired after travelling back from international duty on a commercial flight, unlike some of his team-mates who had private jets arranged.

Although it is down to international football federations – Argentina in Romero’s case – to arrange travel, some clubs step in.

Romero was beaten to the ball by Arsenal’s Gabriel Magalhaes as he headed in the winner on Sunday.

Postecoglou confirmed Romero was not rushed back as the match took place on Sunday, and that his defender reported no complaints before kick-off.

“No, it was mentioned to me [after] but it wasn’t mentioned to me before the game,” said Postecoglou.

“No-one reported anything other than the usual checks of people coming back from international duty, so prior to the game no-one said anything.”

But he added that he had sympathy over general workload concerns by players, amid comments made by Manchester City duo Rodri and Manuel Akanji, and Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker.

“The international calendar is really putting some strenuous demands on footballers performing at the highest level,” said Postecoglou.

“It is something we need to have a look at from a holistic view, but it is not really relevant to the current situation.

“We are definitely pushing the boundaries of what we are asking of players today, if we want elite performances across the board and players constantly being available.

“I think we are bursting at the seems in terms of how much we require from players, absolutely.”