Dejan Kulusevski praises Ange Postecoglou for instilling bravery in Tottenham and shares his thoughts on the experience of playing alongside Cristiano Ronaldo.

Dejan Kulusevski, the Swedish international who now plays for Tottenham Hotspur, has praised his manager Ange Postecoglou, describing him as “different to any other coach” he has played under. Kulusevski believes that Postecoglou’s coaching style makes his players “brave” on the pitch.

Kulusevski’s journey to Tottenham has been a rollercoaster ride. After being frozen out at Juventus, he was desperate to break away from Turin. He had barely started a game for six months and knew he needed a fresh start.

Despite a tough start to life in London, Kulusevski turned his fortunes around and won over the Tottenham fans with his pace, trickery, and determination. However, injuries and poor form threatened to disrupt his progress in the second season of his loan spell. But a change of management saw Postecoglou arrive at the club, and Kulusevski’s permanent move was soon confirmed.

Kulusevski has praised the atmosphere at Spurs, describing it as being like “part of a family.” He attributes much of this family atmosphere to Postecoglou, who he describes as brave and someone who makes his players brave. Postecoglou’s words carry weight, and Kulusevski believes that the manager’s experiences and lessons from his father have shaped his coaching style.

The Swedish forward admits that Postecoglou is different from any other coach he has worked with. While tactics and winning are important, Postecoglou’s approach goes beyond that. He focuses on the individual as a person and as a man, emphasizing the importance of personal beliefs. Postecoglou’s philosophy is summed up by his statement, “I don’t care if we lose because everyone loses in life. If we lose, we’re going to lose on our terms. Never go away from being you.”

Kulusevski also reflects on his time at Juventus, where he had the opportunity to learn from two football legends, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Cristiano Ronaldo. He describes Ibrahimovic’s incredible work ethic, training for seven hours a day even at the age of 42. Kulusevski recalls visiting Ibrahimovic’s house and being amazed by his dedication to training.

As for Ronaldo, Kulusevski admires his hard work and determination, even though he has nothing left to prove. He recalls asking Ronaldo for his signed shirt and giving it to his mother, a moment that symbolized his incredible journey from contemplating a normal job to playing alongside one of the greatest players of all time.