Why Ange Postecoglou doesn’t think Tottenham’s exhibition match against fellow Premier League side Newcastle at the MCG on May 22 is a mistake

Ange Postecoglou has called Tottenham’s post-season friendly in Melbourne a “unique opportunity” but admits it is unlikely to become a regular occurrence.

Spurs announced earlier this month that they will visit Australia three days after the Premier League season concludes to take on Premier League rivals Newcastle in an exhibition match.

The clash at Melbourne Cricket Ground on May 22 has been heavily criticized due to concerns for player welfare and a lack of respect for the environment, just weeks after Green Football Weekend.

Postecoglou defended the merits of the postseason friendly, in which the 58-year-old will return to his hometown.

“We will leave immediately after the last game (against Sheffield United) and we will take everyone who is fit,” Postecoglou revealed.

“We thought that with our season so altered and with few games, this was a unique opportunity for us.

‘I wouldn’t see this as something that would happen regularly unless we felt the benefits would outweigh the costs.

“On this occasion, when we balanced everything, we felt it was a good opportunity to take the club to the other side of the world and help us continue to grow the football club.”

England manager Gareth Southgate was recently asked about the friendly, which will feature Euro 2024 hopefuls Kieran Trippier, Anthony Gordon and James Maddison, with the planned post-season matches occurring more frequently.

Southgate expressed his hope that none of his players suffer injuries.

But Postecoglou insisted: “I am sure that Gareth will one day be manager of the club and will have a different perspective, as he has been in the past.”

‘I was (once) a national team coach (with the Socceroos).

“I used to sweat about it on the weekends, when the players played, whether it was a normal match, a friendly match or any match.

“The other side of the coin is that there were quite a few club coaches nervous about national team work this week, so that’s the world we live in.

‘There has to be a balance. We have thought carefully about it as a football club and it is fair to say that if we had been in Europe and had a great season we would probably have made a different decision.

“We weighed everything and felt there was a real benefit to playing this game.”