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Tag: penultimate game

  • Axe rumours to player rift claim: Why Ange’s Spurs plea could be his last…or end doom spiral

    Axe rumours to player rift claim: Why Ange’s Spurs plea could be his last…or end doom spiral

    The defining moment of Ange Postecoglou’s time at Tottenham has arrived.

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    Spurs host Dutch outfit AZ Alkmaar on Friday morning Australian time in the second leg of their Round of 16 tie, needing to come from behind to keep their hopes of winning a trophy alive this season after losing the first leg 1-0 in the Netherlands a week ago.

    Postecoglou’s statement back in September that “I always win things in my second year”, in reference to titles with Celtic, Yokohama F. Marinos, the Socceroos, Brisbane Roar and South Melbourne, has seemingly become a rod for his own back during his second season in north London.

    It is a quote that is brought up constantly, and when asked about it again in his match eve press conference, he passionately defended his words once again.

    “I wasn’t making anything up. I was asked the question, and I answered it,” Postecoglou explained.

    “Critics have used it for their own purposes, suggesting I’m making a bold claim, but I was stating a fact.

    “Usually in my second season, I win things.

    “That’s the whole idea. The first year is about establishing principles and creating a foundation. Hopefully, the second year is going to win things.

    “If that doesn’t happen this year, then I can’t say that anymore. What am I supposed to say? I’ve always won in the second year; I have in the past, everywhere I’ve been, but here (at Tottenham) it won’t happen.

    “Is that what people want to hear? People can twist these things, use them, and you know what, maybe we defy all the odds and we do win something.”

    With the FA Cup and Carabao Cup gone, and Tottenham sitting a lowly 13th place on the Premier League table, Postecoglou is all-in on the Europa League.

    Spurs won five, drew two and lost one of their league phase matches to avoid a playoff and gain automatic passage to the Round of 16.

    But a second poor showing in the first knockout stage would end Postecoglou’s stunning second-year streak and the knives are sharpening in preparation.

    Tottenham are winless in their past three matches in all competitions despite clearly playing better football as the cavalry returns following their injury crisis.

    Key players getting out of the medical room and back on the pitch built positivity, which was boosted by a hat-trick of league wins before an arguably unlucky 1-0 loss to Manchester City started their current winless stretch, but the discontent, that has bubbled away for several months, quickly resurfaced.

    Spurs salvage draw against Bournemouth | 01:30

    Reports from Italian outlet TuttoSport emerged this week that Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy is keeping a close eye on Inter Milan manager Simone Inzaghi as a possible replacement for Postecoglou.

    Meanwhile, former Tottenham and England striker Jermain Defoe revealed to TalkSport that he and other coaches at Spurs in 2023 wanted now England manager Thomas Tuchel appointed instead.

    The Athletic’s Tottenham-focused podcast, ‘The View from The Lane’, spent much of their most recent episode debating whether Spurs would be more likely to win the Europa League if they moved on the Australian now.

    Former Tottenham and Barcelona striker Gary Lineker also poured fuel on the fire, suggesting on the Rest is Football podcast that Postecoglou may have had a falling out with attacking midfielder James Maddison because he started on the bench in their 2-2 draw with Bournemouth on Sunday.

    Defender Cristian Romero made his return from injury in the same game, having not played since December, but the World Cup winner increased speculation of unrest by thanking the Argentinian physiotherapists, and not Tottenham’s, on Instagram for getting him back on the park.

    But despite the huge amounts of negativity swirling about, Postecoglou is pushing ahead with trying to orchestrate a memorable comeback victory.

    Son Heung-min started on the bench along with Maddison against Bournemouth, in a call seemingly made to ensure they are fresh for this European clash.

    Romero played a little over an hour before making way for Micky van de Van, who has also returned from injury to offer Postecoglou the chance to start his preferred pairing in central defence.

    But midfielders Rodrigo Bentancur, after a third booking in the competition, and Dejan Kulusevski, foot injury, will be absent because Tottenham could not possibly have their first-choice team available at the same time this season.

    The key addition that Postecoglou is most counting on, however, is a supportive home crowd.

    Reds fall in penalty shootout to PSG | 03:28

    Tottenham fans are routinely ridiculed for their negative antics, and Postecoglou has experienced a testy relationship with the supporters.

    It was all sunshine and roses when they sat atop of the Premier League table ten games into the Australian’s maiden season at the helm.

    He was serenaded with “I’m loving big Ange instead” to the sounds of Robbie Williams’ hit Angels upon the full-time whistle after home wins, but by the end of the season, Postecoglou blasted the club’s fragility as fans pleaded for the team to lose the penultimate game of the season to eventual champions Manchester City to deny rivals Arsenal the title.

    The tension increased throughout the current campaign as Postecoglou clashed with verbally abusive fans on several occasions after disheartening losses.

    He was also met with choruses of boos instead of jubilation upon the final whistle as well as calls for his sacking on social media and talkback radio.

    But the 59-year-old has asked the faithful to channel their passion into supporting the team rather than ridiculing.

    Postecoglou believes the players need a vibrant crowd to feed off rather than becoming engulfed by an anxious one.

    “Yeah, look, again I said before, I can’t sort of dictate to people how they sort of interact, but, AZ’s crowd certainly helped them on Thursday night,” he said after the Bournemouth match.

    “We need our crowd to get behind the boys on Thursday to make it an atmosphere where maybe we lose some of that nervousness and anxiety within our game.

    “But the reality is, we as a team have to respond irrespective of the atmosphere and one may follow the other. If we start the game strong, it’ll get the place nice and loud, which will help us.”

    Utd eyes historic move from Old Trafford | 01:24

    Tottenham have undeniably been a team of moment throughout the Postecoglou era.

    When they are good, they have ran over the top of teams and piled on goals, proven by the fact only league leaders Liverpool have scored more goals than them despite such an underwhelming campaign.

    When they are poor, the reverse is true. Unable to stem any bleeding with defensive frailties causing unrest in the stands.

    An early goal would be a nightmare for Postecoglou’s side, while like Liverpool in their Round of 16 defeat to PSG in the Champions League, the fans would scarcely be able to handle the drama of a penalty shootout.

    But the reality of the situation is that the feeling of impending doom will not disappear if they can advance to the quarter-final.

    Tottenham have infamously not won a trophy since the 2008 League Cup, and their European drought dates back to the 1984 UEFA Cup, the precursor to the Europa League.

    Patience has not been Tottenham’s strong suit in the 17 years following their 2-1 triumph against Chelsea at Wembley, with Postecoglou their eighth full-time manager since Spaniard Juande Ramos, who lifted the trophy that day.

    The nerves will likely get greater if they can make it deeper into the competition, but that is far better than Postecoglou being given his marching orders.

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  • ‘Laughing stock’… or ‘village idiots’ who can’t hack an Aussie? Making sense of Ange ‘agenda’ claim

    ‘Laughing stock’… or ‘village idiots’ who can’t hack an Aussie? Making sense of Ange ‘agenda’ claim

    The tight rope Ange Postecoglou is walking is getting narrower.

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    That is to be expected when a big six club like Tottenham sits 14th on the Premier League table almost two-thirds of the way through the season.

    This time last week Spurs were still in the Carabao Cup, FA Cup and the Europa League.

    Now, only the latter remains.

    The results are not stacking up in the Australian’s favour, but there is an unshakeable feeling among his backers that if he was not an outsider in English football, he might be afforded more rope.

    It has been highly publicised that Tottenham have been hit with an injury crisis in recent months.

    It was back in December that Postecoglou grumbled “I’m just going to stop answering these questions. If people can’t see the obvious, I’m not going to point it out,” when asked yet another question about what is going wrong after his side were battered by Liverpool 6-2 at home.

    Spurs out of FA Cup with loss to Villa | 01:18

    Then on Sunday, he called out the English media once again, saying there is an “agenda” against his team.

    “There’s got to be a better appreciation for what a very small group of players have been doing for the last two and a half months,” he said.

    “It can’t be that people think that’s an excuse. That’s just not anywhere near close to objective analysis. That’s just agenda-driven stuff.

    “If it’s to get rid of me that’s fine. Good on ya. Go for it a million times.

    “But in terms of this group of players, what they’ve given over the past two and half months has been outstanding, it’s a credit to them, I can’t speak highly enough of them.”

    Yet, the questions keep coming despite the most glaring issue being clear for all to see.

    Postecoglou has been repeatedly forced to put out a makeshift defence with first choice goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, centre back pairing Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven, and left-back Destiny Udogie all spending extended periods on the sidelines.

    Further afield, midfielders Rodrigo Bentancur and Yves Bissouma have been regularly unavailable, while their goal scoring stocks have suffered the blows of injuries to Dominic Solanke, Brennan Johnson and James Maddison at various times.

    Logically, it is no surprise that the losses have mounted.

    Liverpool sink Spurs in run to final | 02:05

    Just as they did for Newcastle United last season.

    The Magpies lost ten of their first 21 Premier League encounters last campaign.

    Undeniably, not good enough for a club with a lot of financial power considering its 80% per cent ownership by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, well-known for funding LIV Golf and spreading their wealth throughout the sporting world in recent years.

    But manager Eddie Howe faced nowhere near the level of scrutiny Postecoglou has received.

    It was widely accepted that the Englishman, who made his name by taking Bournemouth to the Premier League for the first time, had his hands tied by an injury-riddled squad.

    The added pressure of mid-week European competition, Newcastle played in the Champions League for the first time in 20 years, as well as cup fixtures and always demanding league schedule took its toll.

    It sounds familiar to Postecoglou’s current predicament.

    But unlike in Howe’s case, the English press, pundits, former players and fans have been baying for blood.

    And despite sometimes justified criticism of Postecoglou’s polarising tactics, some of the reasons for doing so have not always been fair.

    “Spurs’ Australian head coach is the latest target of the village idiots; the half-pint pundits and critics who prefer to laugh at the fact he finishes his sentences with ‘mate’ than listen to him contextualising his team’s problems,” football news correspondent for the UK Telegraph Matt Law wrote.

    The mockery unfortunately goes hand-in-hand with the club Postecoglou is at.

    Tottenham are repeatedly a laughing stock among rival fans courtesy of the well-documented absence of silverware in their trophy cabinet since 2008.

    The regularity with which they sack managers, Postecoglou is their 12th permanent manager this century, is the bud of many jokes.

    So too is the behaviour of their fans, who even wanted their own team to lose the penultimate game of last Premier League season at home to Manchester City, which they did 2-0, to deny arch enemies Arsenal the title.

    Therefore, of course, when an Australian arrived in north London with tales of how he has won a trophy in his second season with Celtic, Yokohama F. Marinos, the Socceroos, Brisbane Roar and South Melbourne, the punch lines were being written.

    Add to that the fact he had shown an unwavering commitment to attacking football, even when times are tough. That was until their last Premier League outing, a 2-0 victory away at Brentford, as a more defensive approach broke a seven-game winless streak in the league.

    Spurs sat deeper and gritted their teeth for 90 minutes, showing that they can be more resolute in defence, but Postecoglou is still spoken of as a madman.

    There are choruses of laughter in pubs and football clubs across England at Postecoglou’s and Tottenham’s expense, and they have only grown louder in recent days.

    Ange denies Tel initially rejected Spurs | 01:11

    In the past week, another dismantling by Liverpool, in the form of a 4-0 drubbing at Anfield in the second leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final after leading 1-0 following the first leg, was followed by a 2-1 defeat at Villa Park in the fourth round of the FA Cup.

    There is little shame in losing to the Premier League leaders, or Aston Villa have qualified for the Champions League Round of 16, but that did not prevent the pile on.

    Former Tottenham midfielder Jamie Redknapp was scathing on Sky Sports after the Liverpool loss, saying “I cannot remember a team in my lifetime go down with less of a fight with what Spurs did today”.

    “Not having one shot on target in the semi-final of a second leg when you’re trying to change the course of your history?” he added.

    Fellow former Spurs midfielder Jamie O’Hara, who has been a very vocal critic of Postecoglou, took to X to call for his sacking.

    “It’s time to go now, Ange is out of his depth. [Unai] Emery is on a different planet compared to him and his players bopped us off the park. Should have been five, we’re like reserve team playing in academy games that don’t matter, it’s crazy,” O’Hara wrote.

    It did not help things for Postecoglou either that Liverpool great Jamie Carragher opted to rub further salt into Spurs’ wounds.

    “It’s Tottenham!” Carragher said on Sky Sports. “When do Tottenham ever win a big game? When do Tottenham ever go and surprise, win against the odds?”

    The last few months it must have felt like Postecoglou was being forced to play game after game at a casino where the house always wins.

    With the injury crisis, the odds have been massively skewed against them, but the cup competitions kept the hope alive.

    Now, only the European dream remains to fulfil the Postecoglou prophecy of winning yet another trophy in his second season in charge of a team.

    Spurs finished fourth in the new look league phase of the Europa League with five wins, two draws and a loss to automatically advance to the Round of 16.

    Awaiting them will be one of Midtjylland, AZ Alkmaar, Real Sociedad or Galatasaray but arguably more important than the opponent they face, will be the respite Postecoglou’s injury hit squad receive.

    Their next European clash is not until March 6 as they will enjoy some much-needed breathing space between matches this month after a manic December and January.

    Tension eases as Spurs advance in Europa | 01:57

    Spurs played 17 matches across all competitions in that stretch as the casualty ward overflowed.

    It was reported by the UK Telegraph on Monday that Postecoglou has implemented a much-needed reset by affording the squad two days off this week to recharge the batteries before facing Manchester United at home in the league on Sunday.

    “The boys who are coming back, we’ll get the opportunity to give them a whole week of training, which is great,” Postecoglou said.

    “By the time we get to the back end of the week we should have something resembling a squad of players to prepare for a big game. That then folds into the following week when, again, we’ve got seven days and no midweek game to prepare for the next game.

    “So that gives us a real good opportunity to get some work into the guys who have been out for quite a while and give some rest to the guys who have been going at it. So by the time we get back to being in Europe and having midweek games we’ll be in a much better shape.”

    Postecoglou will be hoping the refresh, along with the possible returns of Vicario, Udogie, Maddison, Johnson and Wilson Odobert will be the morale booster the playing group desperately needs.

    Their frustrations came to the fore during the Villa loss on Sunday.

    “Spence ripped off his sock tape, threw it on the ground and headed straight down the tunnel with Yves Bissouma at full time,” The Athletic’s Jay Harris wrote.

    “Pedro Porro jumped up after being nutmegged and left in a heap on the floor by Marcus Rashford. He then brought Villa’s new striker down with a wild kick on the edge of the box and somehow escaped punishment. The Spain international received a yellow card in the final 10 minutes for a tackle on Ramsey.

    “Bentancur was booked for dragging down Rogers. Bergvall jumped into a tackle on Rogers and then clattered into him later on. He eventually picked up a booking for a foul on Ramsey, too.

    “These are the moments when Postecoglou needs his senior players, including the captain Son and Dejan Kulusevski, to calm everyone down.”

    Jovial Ange jokes before crucial goal | 00:57

    If the players can reset, they may be able to claw their way back to the days of Postecoglou’s honeymoon period at Spurs.

    The 59-year-old was a breath of fresh air when Tottenham amassed 26 points in his first ten games in charge, a Premier League record, when he took over last season.

    Most promising for Postecoglou is that the formula is still there.

    “The statistics still tell us this Tottenham team, for all their struggles this season, play a little differently to everyone else. The principles of play that had Postecoglou’s Spurs five points clear at the top of the table early last season remain in place,” Sky Sports’ Adam Bate wrote.

    “No team in the Premier League has won the ball high up the pitch more times than Tottenham. No team allows so few passes per defensive action. No team plays with more width than Tottenham. By design, it is supposed to be intense and expansive.”

    The numbers are a promising sign that if the medical staff can get most of their stars back on the pitch, the performances may turn quickly.

    Who knows what will happen in the Europa League knockouts, but for what it is worth, Howe’s Newcastle won nine and drew four of their final 17 Premier League games last season once the midweek grind subsided.

    They finished seventh, and currently sit sixth, two points shy of fourth-placed Chelsea and one of the lucrative Champions League places.

    Perhaps if Postecoglou is afforded the leniency of an Englishman, he may have the time to turn things around in a similar fashion.

    Who knows, they still have one chance to fulfil his trophy prophecy.

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  • Ange responds after stars in heated half-time row as Tottenham hit 20-year PL low

    Ange responds after stars in heated half-time row as Tottenham hit 20-year PL low

    Jurgen Klopp said Liverpool’s 4-2 victory over Tottenham was a “mirror of their season” as they held off a late wobble to further dent Spurs’ hopes of a top-four Premier League finish.

    The Reds had won just one of their previous five league games to realistically end their shot at the title but were back in the groove as they raced into a 4-0 lead.

    Mohamed Salah was restored to the starting line-up after his public spat with Klopp last weekend and opened the floodgates before Andy Robertson, Cody Gakpo and Harvey Elliott were also on target.

    Richarlison and Son Heung-min replied late on for Tottenham, but the damage to their chances of Champions League football next season was already done.

    Klopp’s men are guaranteed to finish no lower than third and closed the gap on leaders Arsenal to five points with two games remaining.

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    Ange seethes as Spurs lose to Blues | 01:59

    “It’s a little bit of a mirror of the season. Really, really, really good until we were really rubbish and then, we were okay again,” said Klopp, who was taking charge of his penultimate game at Anfield.

    “The moment you let them play, immediately, you see what they can do. If you don’t let them play, then you can hurt them.”

    Spurs have now lost four consecutive games to leave Ange Postecoglou’s men still seven points adrift of fourth-placed Aston Villa with just nine left to play for.

    Tottenham realistically need to win all of their three remaining games, including at home to title-chasing Manchester City, to have any hope of reeling in Villa.

    But on this form they may even struggle to see off Burnley and Sheffield United as Spurs have collapsed after a highly promising start to Postecoglou’s reign.

    The Australian admitted after a 2-0 defeat to Chelsea that his message was not getting through to his players and there was no reaction from the visitors until it was too late.

    “Obviously a hugely disappointing outcome for us,” said Postecoglou.

    “At 4-0 you’ve got a mountain to climb but when we play like ourselves we always finish strong because we put pressure on the opposition.”

    Postecoglou also addressed a half-time row between Tottenham defenders Cristian Romero and Emerson Royal, which saw Guglielmo Vicario intervene before things got too heated.

    “They care. They are not going to just be happy with the current situation,” Postecoglou said.

    “Because they care, they want to improve. There is nothing wrong with that as long as it stays constructive. They want to change and the situation and not just accept it.”

    Speaking of a war of words, Salah had one with Klopp on the touchline as he prepared to enter as a second-half substitute in a 2-2 draw at West Ham last weekend that sounded the death knell for Liverpool’s title ambitions.

    The Egyptian’s drop-off in form since being injured at the Africa Cup of Nations has been a major factor.

    But he scored his first goal from open play in nine games to inspire a Liverpool display far more in keeping with the quality showing that had got them into the title race in the first place.

    Gakpo’s cross to the back post picked out Salah completely unmarked and Guglielmo Vicario’s weak hand failed to keep out his header on 16 minutes.

    Robertson got the second goal Liverpool’s dominance deserved before the break when he tapped in the rebound after Salah’s initial effort was parried by Vicario.

    Tottenham were just as poor at the start of the second period to take their tally of goals conceded in the last four games to 13.

    Dejected Ange vents after Arsenal loss | 03:56

    Gakpo’s precise header from Elliott’s cross found the bottom corner on 50 minutes.

    Elliott then scored the goal of the game when he blasted into the top corner from outside the box.

    Postecoglou introduced Richarlison and James Maddison as part of a triple change on the hour mark and the visitors were transformed in the final stages.

    Richarlison swept home Brennan Johnson’s cross and then teed up Son to score for the fifth consecutive game against Liverpool.

    Alisson Becker needed to produce a vital stop from Richarlison to prevent a grandstand finish in seven minutes of added time.

    Liverpool’s defensive lapses showed why they still need a miracle collapse by Arsenal and Manchester City in the final fortnight of the season to have any chance of ending Klopp’s nine-year stay as Premier League champions.

    But Tottenham’s response was too little, too late to help their ambitions of joining the Reds in the Champions League next season.

    Tottenham has now lost each of its last four games in the Premier League, marking its longest losing run since November 2004.

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  • Aussie’s $26m PL dream turns to nightmare; Mooy dazzles amid big Ange question: Roo Radar

    Aussie’s $26m PL dream turns to nightmare; Mooy dazzles amid big Ange question: Roo Radar

    As the dust settles on the majority of European leagues, a raft of Aussies have enjoyed triumphant title celebrations, suffered the heartbreak of relegation and just about everything in-between.

    Former Socceroos catapulted themselves back into the spotlight with several impressive performances while for others, they slowly crept further and further out of the national team picture.

    Foxsports.com.au takes a look at how the Aussies abroad performed over the course of the season in the Roo Radar Season Wrap-Up!

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    Arnold confident Ange will ‘kill it’ | 05:43

    MORE COVERAGE

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    ‘Roos Winners and Losers: Twist in heir to Ryan’s throne as forgotten hero remains in exile

    ENGLAND

    We begin our end-of-season wrap in England, the nation where the majority of our Aussies abroad are based.

    Harry Souttar ended our wait for an Australian player back in the Premier League when he moved from Championship side Stoke City to Leicester City for $26 million in the January window.

    The towering defender saw plenty of gametime after his arrival as he started nine games in a row.

    However, he was demoted to the Foxes’ bench for five games after a 3-1 loss to Manchester City on April 15.

    Although he returned to help Leicester keep a clean sheet in their penultimate game of the season against Newcastle, he was an unused substitute on the final day as the Foxes were relegated.

    With Caglar Soyuncu gone and Jannik Vestergaard likely to leave, there will be plenty of opportunities for Souttar to play next season and help his club secure an immediate return to the Premier League.

    There was also a Premier League debut for Cam Peupion at Brighton.

    The Sydney FC youth product was a constant presence on Brighton’s bench in the final six games of the season but got his first Premier League minutes in a 4-1 loss to Newcastle.

    The 20-year-old midfielder came on for a five-minute cameo and here’s hoping there’s plenty more to come next season.

    Souttar was relegated with Leicester back to the Championship. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images

    Socceroos midfielder Alexander Robertson unfortunately did not receive any senior minutes for English giants Manchester City, but he made the matchday squads on a number of occasions.

    A loan move for the talented City product could be on the cards next season as he looks to gain more experience in senior level football.

    Dipping into the Championship and it was mixed fortunes for our Aussie contingent.

    Tom Rogic joined West Bromwich Albion on a free deal in what seemed relatively good business at the time.

    But Rogic started just four games from 26 and never really got going at the Hawthorns.

    He has since been released by the Baggies as Aussies await his next move.

    Riley McGree enjoyed a tremendous season under Middlesbrough coach Michael Carrick as a winger en route to a Play-Offs semi-final appearance.

    The 24-year-old started 35 games and looks likely to continue flourishing under Carrick’s tutelage.

    Goalkeeper Nicholas Bilokapic continued Australia’s proud history of goalkeepers shining overseas as the 20-year-old made six league appearances for Huddersfield Town.

    Bilokapic even registered an assist in a 2-1 win for the Terries over Birmingham City in February.

    Ange to coach first Spurs game in Aus | 01:58

    Unfortunately Kenny Dougall was relegated to League One with Blackpool but with former boss Neil Critchley back at the helm, the all-action midfielder will look to bounce back.

    In League One, Aussie duo Massimo Luongo and Cameron Burgess got to enjoy the sweet, sweet taste of promotion with Ipswich Town.

    Burgess was a rock at the back for Ipswich who also had the best defensive record in the English third tier.

    Luongo joined the Tractor Boys in January and proved to be an extremely influential member in the midfield.

    Although the 30-year-old is now out of contract, there’s every chance he is asked to return to Portman Road for the upcoming Championship season and beyond.

    Young goalkeeper Ashley Maynard-Brewer enjoyed a breakout season for Charlton Athletic and put his name into the conversation for Mat Ryan’s heir.

    From November 19 onwards, Maynard-Brewer 26 of 28 games and kept five clean sheets with a string of impressive performances.

    But the 23-year-old gloveman earned plenty of praise for his heroics in the Addicks’ EFL Cup fourth round clash against Brighton, with Maynard-Brewer coming up with a big stop in the penalty shootout.

    Maynard-Brewer in action for Charlton. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images

    SCOTLAND

    There were no less than 15 Aussie stars taking part in the Scottish top flight this season, but there were mixed fortunes involved for all.

    At the top of the table was Aaron Mooy who moved to Celtic on a free transfer.

    The midfield maestro scored seven goals and provided 11 assists in all competitions for the Hoops en route to a Scottish treble.

    He enjoyed somewhat of a purple patch from December 24 to March 11, as Mooy had 14 goal involvements in 13 games.

    The big question will be where he fits into the new manager’s plans after Ange Postecoglou departed for Spurs.

    Cameron Devlin, Kye Rowles, Nathaniel Atkinson and Garang Kuol all played their part in helping Hearts to a fourth-place finish and a spot in next season’s Europa Conference League.

    Kuol arrived in the January window to get his first taste of senior club football outside of Australia, but struggled to make his mark.

    Devlin and Rowles, who moved to the club from the Central Coast Mariners last year, played 41 and 33 games respectively with the former scoring twice and notching seven assists.

    Atkinson made 26 appearances in all competitions but was often injected into contests from the bench.

    Mooy enjoyed a career resurgence at Celtic. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images

    One spot below Hearts on the Scottish Premiership ladder was their bitter Edinburgh rivals Hibernian, who boast an Aussie trio of their own in Martin Boyle, James Jeggo and Lewis Miller.

    Boyle looked in strong form since he returned from Saudi Arabian club Al-Faisaly but had his season ended early thanks to a knee injury suffered on October 29.

    Jeggo joined from Belgian side AS Eupen in January and started in each of his 17 appearances, while Miller featured in 16 games although 11 of those came off the bench.

    At St Mirren, Keanu Baccus and Ryan Strain enjoyed breakout seasons.

    Right-back Strain was a constant presence in St. Mirren’s lineup and started 39 of 42 games.

    His four-goal haul included some stunning free kicks while he bagged five assists.

    As for Baccus, who arrived at the club from Western Sydney Wanderers, his tough-tackling performances earned him a spot in the Socceroos World Cup squad and was handed a starting berth against eventual world champions Argentina.

    Sadly for Dundee United duo Mark Birighitti and Aziz Behich, they were relegated in what was a dismal season for the Tangerines.

    Celtic pay touching tribute to Ange | 02:23

    NETHERLANDS

    Socceroos skipper Mat Ryan secured a much-needed move away from Real Sociedad and found himself at Danish giants FC Copenhagen.

    Although he enjoyed a bright start in the capital, a lingering battle with fellow Copenhagen goalkeeper Kamil Grabara bubbled away in the background.

    Ryan made 11 appearances for Copenhagen and kept five clean sheets, including one in a scoreless draw against Sevilla in the Champions League.

    But once Grabara returned from injury, Ryan lost his starting spot.

    Not willing to be stuck behind his rival, who took an unnecessary swipe at the Aussie star in the wake of the Socceroos’ loss to Argentina, Ryan found himself a new team: AZ Alkmaar.

    Ryan played 25 times and recorded eight clean sheets as AZ finished fourth in the Eredivisie and were one game away from a Europa Conference League final.

    With a contract until June 2024, let’s hope Ryan has found himself somewhat of a permanent home after years of turbulence.

    Mat Ryan looks to have finally found a home. (Photo by Paolo Bruno/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images

    SPAIN/CZECH REPUBLIC

    Well, there’s only one Aussie who fits this bill and that is winger Awer Mabil.

    The 27-year-old moved to La Liga side Cadiz last summer but started just one game for the Spanish side as game time proved difficult to come by.

    He moved to Czech heavyweights Sparta Prague in January and although he started once there too, he saw more time on the pitch as an impact sub.

    Cadiz survived the wild final-day relegation shootout in La Liga to stay in the top flight for another season, but Mabil must get more game time if he is to play a continued role with the Socceroos.

    FRANCE

    After a horror run with injuries, midfielder Denis Genreau finally got to find some form with Ligue 1 side Toulouse.

    Genreau saw limited minutes in the early stages of the season, but started in all but two of Toulouse’s final nine league games.

    The 24-year-old also got to enjoy some silverware thanks to Toulouse’s stunning 5-1 thrashing of Nantes in the Coupe de France final.

    Genreau’s regular starts in the back-end of the season should provide hope for increased game time going forward.

    Also in France, 19-year-old forward Mohamed Toure made his Ligue 1 debut for Reims with three consecutive appearances off the bench in the latter stages of the season.

    If Toure can kick on next season and gain some rare starts, he’ll no doubt have a strong claim for a Socceroos call-up.

    Genreau (left) has returned to the Socceroos fold. (Photo by Nicolas TUCAT / AFP)Source: AFP

    GERMANY

    Alou Kuol can now say he has played in the Bundesliga, as the talented forward came off the bench for VfB Stuttgart against RB Leipzig on January 27.

    Thanks to a 6-1 aggregate win over Hamburg in the relegation play-off to preserve their Bundesliga status, here’s hoping Kuol can make even more appearances in the German top flight next season.

    In the 2. Bundesliga, Jackson Irvine and Connor Metcalfe couldn’t quite lift St. Pauli to promotion.

    Irvine finished as St. Pauli’s second-top goalscorer with eight, while Metcalfe scored three times in his first season with the club having moved from Melbourne City.

    ITALY

    Ajdin Hrustic moved to Serie A side Hellas Verona on deadline day last summer but endured a tough start to life in Italy as he started just two league games before undergoing ankle surgery in January.

    The attacking midfielder returned to the bench for Verona’s final three games but didn’t see any game time as his side now faces a relegation play-off against Spezia to stay in Serie A.

    Should the worst-case scenario occur and Verona go down to Serie B, Hrustic could seek an exit just one year into his deal.

    Hrustic’s time in Italy has been hampered by ankle surgery. (Photo by Francesco Pecoraro/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images

    However, one player who made waves in Italy’s second tier was Alessandro Circati.

    The highly-rated teenager, who recently earned a Socceroos call-up, enjoyed a solid season for Parma as they came agonisingly short of promotion.

    The 19-year-old may have started just ten games, but he also enjoyed the second-highest points-per-game rating in the squad with 2.00 whenever he played.

    With legendary goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon behind him, Circati will have learned plenty from one of the greats of the game and will look to continue his development with Parma.

    One Socceroo who must be on the move to save his international future is right back Fran Karacic, who was relegated from Serie B to Serie C with Brescia.

    BELGIUM

    Jason Davidson made his return to European football with Belgian side AS Eupen after joining from Melbourne Victory.

    The defender started 30 from 33 games as Eupen finished 15th from 18 teams.

    AUSTRIA

    Veteran midfielder James Holland moved to Austria Vienna last summer and proved to be an important player as the Austrian side ultimately finished fifth in the league.

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