Greek-born Australian manager Ange Postecoglou had experience as a player with the Australian national team.
After hanging up his boots, he started coaching in 1996 and worked at clubs in Australia as well as in Greece. He was appointed Australia manager in 2013 and took part in the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. Postecoglou is highly rated in Australia, especially after winning the 2015 AFC Asian Cup.
He however resigned from the national team position after qualifying for the 2018 FIFA World Cup and in 2018 moved to Yokohama, to manage F.Marinos.
It took time for the players to get accustomed to the complex tactics needed to implement Postecoglou’s attacking football, which is based on overwhelming possession. Initially, while players were attack-minded, their defense was unstable and the team struggled, fighting to survive in J1. But once the manager’s style was assimilated, in 2019, Yokohama F.Marinos started to impress.
Their attack, involving Marcos Junior and Teruhito Nakagawa was one of the most powerful in the league; while their defense, featuring Thiago Martins in the center, became very stable. At the end of a great season, F.Marinos won the showdown against their rival FC Tokyo on the final matchday, to secure the league title.
After bringing the league title to Yokohama F.Marinos for the first time in 15 years, Postecoglou now aims for more titles in Japan as well as continental trophies in Asia.
