Dejan Kulusevski started Tottenham’s friendly with Newcastle in Melbourne (Picture: Getty Images)
Dejan Kulusevski was not impressed with Tottenham’s decision to play Newcastle in a friendly in Melbourne just three days after their final Premier League game of the season, saying the move was hard to accept.
Spurs beat Sheffield United 3-0 in their final league outing of the campaign and then flew to Australia for the game with the Magpies.
Newcastle won the match on penalties after a 1-1 draw at the MCG, with James Maddison and Alexander Isak scoring the goals.
Obviously a money-making exercise for the clubs, it did not make much sense on any other level and Kulusevski sounds very frustrated that the players were put through the extremely long trip immediately after the season.
‘It was hard, but sometimes you just have to accept that you can’t decide everything in life,’ said the 24-year-old, via Sport Witness.
‘The club made the decision that we had to go there and then I had to make the best of the situation.
‘Of course it was tough. It was hard to accept, but nothing can be done. Others decide.’
Ange Postecoglou admitted the game was ‘not ideal’ (Picture: Getty Images)
Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou was returning to the city where he grew up for the game, but still admitted it was ‘not ideal’ and he would have argued against it if Tottenham had been in European competition over the season.
‘It’s no secret part of this is exposure but also revenue for us,’ he said before the trip Down Under. ‘I certainly wouldn’t have allowed it to happen if we were in Europe this year and had a bigger game schedule. I probably would have said no to it.
‘And I don’t think the club would have expected us to go. If we’re in Europe next year, I don’t think you’ll be seeing this happen.
‘I don’t think it’s ideal. But I think each situation is unique. For us, on the back of our season, to play one more game two days after the end of the season, there is substance to it for us.
‘We had a discussion with the playing group really early on about it. They understood why we’re doing it and we all made a commitment to go and that’s going to happen.’
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