It may only be just over two months since Australian, Ange Postecoglou, became the new Tottenham Hotspur manager, but in that short space of time, he has already got his message through to his squad and early results are showing that this is a totally different Spurs to the one that Antonio Conte left behind.
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Australian Rules Football
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‘Positive Mentality’
Postecoglou became the first Australian to ever manage in the Premier League, joining the North London club on July 1 2023 following a treble-winning season North of the border with Celtic. On his appointment, Spurs chairman, Daniel Levy described the new manager as bringing a;
“positive mentality and a fast, attacking style of play.”
Fast and attacking football is what fans demand and they felt starved of it under Jose Mourinho, Nuno Espírito Santos, Antonio Conte and Cristian Stellini.
Changing a Mindset
On arrival at Hotspur Way, Tottenham’s state-of-the-art training facility, ‘Big Ange’ Postecoglou explained to the London Evening Standard that changing the player’s mentality was going to be a challenge;
“Yeah, absolutely. That will be the biggest challenge and that’s what I’m concentrating on at the moment.”
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Losing Harry Kane just two days before the 2023/24 Premier League season opener against Brentford was a blow, but he took it all in his stride and has pushed on with his methods and with four games of the season now gone, the players have bought into the so-called ‘Ange-Ball.’
More Fluidity
Trying to replace Kane’s goals, a player who scored 32 goals in the 2022/23 campaign with a team that finished eighth, was never really going to be an achievable option, but what the Australian has done is bring more fluidity and versatility to the attack.
Under Conte, the Lilywhites were static and that slow pace of football put many fans off. Now, Dejan Kulusevski, Son Heung-min, Richarlison and Manor Solomon are all interchangeable players who are happy to switch sides during games and that can cause opposition teams a real headache. Conte was often very rigid with his team and tactics but that rigidity has now gone.
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11 goals in just four games show that the team will look to get goals from all across the team and not just a number nine. Those goals have come from Cristian Romero, Son, Pape Matar Sarr, Emerson Royal as well as James Maddison who is key to how this Spurs team are playing.
With Brennan Johnson joining on deadline day from Nottingham Forest, the new manager has plenty of attacking options at his disposal rather than just one player to fill the void left by Kane.
The Stats That Show Postecoglou is Getting His Message Through
It is all well and good talking a good game, but that message needs to get through to the players and it is clear that is happening despite the short amount of time the former Celtic manager has had with his new squad.
Tottenham did start the 2022/23 term with three wins from four games under Italian, Conte, but the flair and style of Postecoglou is already apparent. He also has presided over three wins from four league matches, but the stats tell a story of two very different approaches as stats from the Premier League website reveal.
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The Lilywhite’s average goals per match has already risen from 1.84 under Conte to 2.75 under the Australian. Shots on target have risen from just over 5 to 7 and touches in the opposition’s box have gone from a lowly 23.63, to a much more impressive 42.25.
‘Great Things’: Romero Positive and Full of ‘Hope
Following his stunning strike in the 5-2 away victory over Burnley on Saturday, September 3, Argentina defender Romero, expressed his belief in his manager and what he is trying to achieve;
“He’s a coach that works perfectly for Tottenham, he’s brought a lot of new hope,” the 25-year-old said.
It might take a while, but I think what he’s doing is fantastic. I think if the club continues in this direction with this coach we’re going to achieve great things.”
Hat Trick hero Son was also full of praise for the new manager in his post-match interview stating;
“I will do everything he asks because he is giving so much good information to us as a human and manager. We are very, very happy working with him. I think players should take more responsibility to make him happy and move this club forward.”
The players are clearly playing with a smile on their faces once again and the early season signs are positive for what could be a campaign that brings European football back to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and maybe, after so many years of nothing, the success that the fans so desire.
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