Tottenham Hotspur defender Micky van de Ven has said Mile Jedinak is a hugely important figure at Hotspur Way.
A massive game awaits Spurs on the weekend as they aim to battle with Aston Villa for fourth spot.
And the influence of Ange Postecoglou and his coaches can be put down to the improved Tottenham compared to last season’s dismal display.
Micky van de Ven impressed by Jedinak
A lot has changed at Hotspur Way over the last 12 months with Daniel Levy making some big decisions over the summer.
Perhaps the biggest was the decision on a new manager and, therefore, the arrival of a refreshed coaching unit at Hotspur Way.
But it seems as if the players are taking well to the coaches which Postecoglou has brought in with him.
Speaking to Optus Sport, Van de Ven has spoken of the role Jedinak is playing behind the scenes at the training facility. He said: “Mile most of the time is also with the defenders, with Wellsy [Matt Wells] the other assistant trainer. Yeah, Mille is a top guy. He, of course, had a great career. He also played for Australia was captain for Australia, but in the team he’s also really important with the set pieces with also everyday on the pitch, he’s keeping us sharp and he keeps us ready every day.
“But off the pitch, he’s also like a really nice guy. He’s a top guy and it’s really good to work with him because even when we’re training he can bring us at the highest level even if we have to defend and he has to cross balls in. Even then we have to be at the highest level because because Mile still can play.” So he always return something also at high level so we need to be top every time so on and off the pitch. He helps us a lot.”
Postecoglou’s changes
The arrival of Postecoglou saw him bring his compatriot to the club in Jedinak.
This is a former player who racked up almost 350 appearances across a number of different leagues all over the world.
So it is not surprising to hear Van de Ven claim Jedinak is still more than capable of competing in training.
Alongside Cristian Romero, Spurs are forming an exciting centre-back partnership for years to come.
But there is still a lot of work to be done with just one clean sheet kept in their last 17 Premier League games.
And for a team with such quality in defence and between the sticks with Guglielmo Vicario, that simply isn’t good enough.
Fans have already been treated to the character which Postecoglou shows during press conferences with some of his answers.
So it is great to hear his staff are also making an impression behind the scenes.
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