‘Get into a UFC cage and see how brave they are’: Why Postecoglou was ‘not a fan’ of PL players’ antics

In a game that delivered five goals there was just as much entertainment away from the ball throughout Tottenham’s thrilling 3-2 win over Brentford on Thursday, although Spurs coach Ange Postecoglou was not a fan of some of it.

From Ivan Toney and Guglielmo Vicario having to be separated after the final whistle to Neal Maupay lighting the fuse early when he mimicked James Maddison’s darts goal celebration, emotions were running high at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Spurs were able to put their frustrations behind them in the second half to score three quickfire goals and hold on for a tense 3-2 win, having the last laugh as they clapped back at Maupay by also copying Maddison’s celebration.

Postecoglou was asked post-game if he Maupay’s actions had been added motivation for his players and while the tension spilled onto social media on Thursday, the Tottenham coach said he hoped they hadn’t become too caught up in the drama.

“I hope not because that’s exactly what I’m talking about,” Postecoglou said.

“I’m not a fan of it, I don’t like the whole bravado, pushing people around. If you’re that brave about things, my players and their players, get into a UFC cage and I’ll see how brave they are.

“We’re out there to play football. And that’s what I want our guys to do, focus on playing football.

“And they shouldn’t get motivated by things that aren’t really that important to us. Like I said, we got sucked in the first half. Second half was much better.”

Postecoglou went on to say that his team “spent more time talking to the referee than playing the game” at times in the first half as they fell behind 1-0, failing to capitalise on multiple goal-scoring opportunities.

“We lost our way, we lost focus,” he said.

“I was a bit frustrated with our inability to stay disciplined, just too many stops and starts, it plays into their hands.

“They had lots of set pieces and throw-ins. We spent more time talking to the referee than playing the game. I was a bit frustrated we lost our real clear focus.”

Postecoglou said it was a key lesson for his team, who he added needs to maintain a “laser focus” in the future and not get so easily caught up in opposition mind games.

Maddison though still had a message for Maupay when the pair crossed paths after Thursday’s game.

“I just said to him he probably hasn’t scored enough goals of his own over the last few years to have his own celebration so you probably have to copy mine,” Maddison told TNT Sports.

“A short story – it ended well for us.”

Maddison later took to Instagram, posting: “A short story…” alongside an image of Maupay mimicking his celebration earlier in the game and then a shot of the Tottenham midfielder with his arms raised in the air after Spurs sealed the 3-2 comeback win.

It came as Maupay took a cheeky shot of his own at Maddison online, first commenting on his rival’s Instagram post: “Ahahah rent free”.

Maupay later posted images of himself mocking Maddison’s celebration on his own account, initially seeming to have taken some time to reflect as he wrote: “Went a bit early with that one. Gutted we couldn’t get the win”.

But he then doubled down in the same post, adding: “More goals and less relegations in my career than James Maddison”.