24 November 2023
Tottenham Dreaming of Ange-l Delight
Fans of the North London club are starting to feel they are heading in the right direction once again under their new manager Ange Postecoglou. After making their best start ever to a Premier League campaign, Spurs’ fans are starting to look towards their club motto ‘Audere est Facere’…..To Dare Is To Do.
It has been some time since the club have enjoyed a period of success. Latin may have even been the most-spoken language back then but the arrival of Postecoglou has put smiles back on the faces of the supporters. The former Celtic manager arrived in the capital to an atmosphere of indifference but he is used to having to prove people wrong.
Born in Athens, his parents fled to Australia when he was just five-years-old, to give their children the chance of a better life. From the outset, living in a country where they did not speak the language, Ange Postecoglou has had to overcome many obstacles. It prepared him well for the life of a football manager.
Tottenham fans felt they deserved a bigger name than Postecoglou when their new manager was announced but that has not proved to be the key to success in the recent past. Harry Redknapp, Mauricio Pochettino, Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte all struggled to bring success to the club and give the fans what they crave.
Ten games into the season and Spurs were boasting 26 points out of possible 30. Ange Postecoglou had made the best start to a Premier League season by any new manager. Pundits and fans alike were starting to talk about whether they could win the league, albeit a bit premature, but things were starting to look very rosy in NW1.
They have endured two defeats since that start, which saw them sitting pretty at the top of the table, but injuries and suspensions have hit them hard. The side is very focussed on their two lynchpins, Heung-min Son and James Maddison, but recent events have underpinned there is very little depth to their squad.
Credit: @SpursOfficial
The suspensions of Cristian Romero and Destiny Udogie has seen their defence start to look more accessible than their stadium and left fans reeling. Irrelevant to the squad at his disposal, Ange Postecoglou will never change his approach to the game. Attacking fluency, high defensive line and a team looking to press further up the pitch are all key factors to ‘Ange-ball’.
However, in a league as competitive as the Premier League, there will always be sides who can turn your biggest strengths into weaknesses. In a game of fine margins, not taking your chances can see a game you were in complete control of, come back to bite you. Tottenham were living that reality against both Chelsea and Wolves. In periods of the game, it was even the case when Liverpool travelled to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but VAR was to come to their rescue.
The one thing they can guarantee under their Greek-born Australian manger, he will never change the way he sets his side up to play. You will not see many stalemates with Ange Postecoglou at the helm. The new manager will be looking to shape his squad in his own vision over the next few transfer windows and it is not until he has had time to do that, that he can truly be judged.
They have shown already that under his guidance, they do not fear anyone and will look to play their own style of football, irrelevant to the opponents and location. Tottenham did just that when they travelled to The Emirates for a North London derby earlier in the season. Performance levels will be key and the squad need to apply themselves to the wants and needs of Postecoglou consistently.
Credit: @SpursOfficial
Currently, they sit fourth in the table and only two points behind leaders Man City. Their next four games offer true challenges to which way this season will go for the club. Both Maddison and van de Ven are out injured for the foreseeable. The biggest test is whether the players who come in to replace them can perform at the levels these two were before they were struck down by long lay-offs.
By the time the pair are available for selection again, we will be into the transfer window. Just how much the board back the manager financially could also be another telling factor. Nobody is under the illusion that the current squad has enough depth to set the Premier League alight week after week. They need to spend and continue improving the quality as a whole.
These are things that the likes of Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp have done over a number of years to get where they are today. Rome was not built in a day. Maybe you could have the sort of one-off season that saw Leicester shock the footballing world, but be careful what you wish for, look where they are now. Sustainability and long-term goals are key to dominating in this highly competitive league.
Ange Postecoglou has brought silverware to all the clubs he has spent any length of time at. It is more a question of how much patience he is granted by a board renowned for acting rashly in the past. After all, form is temporary, class is permanent. The Australian manager is impressing all with how he comes across in his media work, win or lose. He is honest and will speak his mind but is never bitter, rarely controlled by emotion.
Credit: @SpursOfficial
Tottenham fans are excited by what they are seeing on the pitch, finally, they feel like they have got their club back. If Postecoglou can add a strong spine to this team, a grit, an ability to fight when their backs are against the wall…..they may even lose their tag of folding quicker than the world origami champion. The memes may cease to exist about being ‘so Spursy’. The demands are high from the fans, considering their last league title was 62 years ago.
Despite this, Ange Postecoglou seems a good fit and could easily take the club to a much more positive place than recent years. As Arsenal found out last season, the Premier League season is a marathon and not a sprint. Their fans will do well to heed this advice and give ‘Ange-ball’ the time to blossom and flourish.
Did you enjoy this article? Please share to your social media. With one click you can help spread the word and make Solid at the Back the one-stop shop for all Premier League fans.