It’s been a long road for Ange Postecoglou.  The author remembers him well from his days at South Melbourne, winning back to back NSL championships in 1998 and 1999 at a time when repeat success was elusive in Australia and in a competition which featured a finals series, it was tough to go back-to-back.

Fast forward to 2011 and 2012, Ange did it again, leading the Brisbane Roar to back-to-back A-League titles, making him the only manager in Australian history to win consecutive national titles with two different clubs.

But that was just a sign of things to come.  In 2022, Ange became the first Australian football manager to win a major title abroad, leading Celtic to the Scottish Premier League title.  True to form, in 2023, they also went back-to-back – the third time he has achieved this at club level.

Winning consecutive titles with three different teams gives an insight into Postecoglou’s mentality and his ability to build teams in a relatively short space of time into highly competitive and very consistent outfits.

Currently, his Tottenham side are ahead against Liverpool in a two-legged contest in the English League Cup semi-finals.  Should they make the final, which would be against either Arsenal or Newcastle, Ange has the chance to become the first Australian manager to win a major trophy in England.

He would also become the first manager from either the Asian or the Oceania Football Confederations to win a major trophy in England.  In an era where managers from Spain, Portugal, Italy and Germany have set the pace, his potential achievement on behalf of Australia stands the very highest test of performing at the highest level.