Ange Postecoglou praised Son Heung-min's “high standards” after the Tottenham captain dislocated his finger on the eve of South Korea's exit from the Asian Cup semi-finals.
Paris Saint-Germain's Lee Kang-in apologized after it was reported that he had a confrontation with Son.
“Sony was being Sony,” Spurs manager Postecoglou said.
“When you’re a leader, sometimes you take the lead, and that’s what leadership is all about.
“Leadership isn't about being popular and trying to make everyone happy. It's about standing up for yourself when you don't feel right because it's what's best for the group. I'm looking at Sony.”
Son, 31, was expected to captain the South Korean national team as they look to conquer Asia for the first time since 1960.
However, in the semi-finals they lost 2-0 to Jordan, who are about 64th below them in the world rankings, and in the final they lost 3-1 to host country Qatar.
On Friday, Jurgen Klinsmann South Korean national team coach dismissed Just 12 months after taking office.
Meanwhile, Son returned to work for the club last Saturday with tape wrapped around his finger and played a key role off the bench in Tottenham's 2-1 come-from-behind victory over Brighton.
“Sometimes people have the wrong idea about Sonny because he's a very positive guy, he's always smiling and everyone has a genuine love for him. But he also wants to win. I think so,” Postecoglou added.
“He doesn't like to deviate from the norm and I've seen him do that around here. If something isn't right he'll say it.
“Sometimes it's not the usual way of doing things, and that can get you into a shootout with a group of players, a coach or a club, but as a leader, if you think this is the right thing to do, you act strongly. You should” on top of that.
“Sonny is an inherently good guy. He's very polite and respectful, but that doesn't mean he can't be a real winner, a guy with high standards.”
