In an interview on Stan Sport FC, Ange Postecoglou has opened up about why he quit as Socceroos coach four years ago.
Under Postecoglou’s leadership, the Socceroos beat South Korea 2-1 in front of 76,385 fans at Sydney’s Stadium Australia in the Asian Cup final in 2015.
But Postecoglou said he was left feeling “flat” when Australia’s Asian Cup triumph failed to leave the lasting impact on the sport that he thought it would.
READ MORE: Ange Postecoglou’s migration story and how football bonded him with his Greek dad.
“The reason I was obsessed with winning the Asian Cup was because I thought that could be a watershed moment for Australian football because I think winning is everything,” Postecoglou told the media outlet, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.
“[But] I misread what happened, what the impact it would possibly have.
READ MORE: Ange Postecoglou lifts first trophy with Celtic FC.
“…I felt we’d just gone back into that cycle again of not understanding what it takes to become a really strong footballing nation.”
Despite this, the now-Celtic FC coach said he was still optimistic about the future of football in Australia, and hoped the new generation of coaches coming through would shape the game positively.
“Australian football’s so close to my heart… I just want it to succeed so much,” Postecoglou said.
“There are some bright young coaches out there, some bright young people out there, we need to start tapping into them, and hopefully they’ve got the energy to make us the football nation I believe we can be.”
READ MORE: Kosta Barbarouses thanks Ange Postecoglou for ‘setting up’ his successful football career.
Source: The Sydney Morning Herald.
