For most of the Premier League followers, when they heard the news that Tottenham Hotspurs are in talks to approach Ange Postecoglou to become their manager, a lot laughed and said, oh good old Tottenham. The Greek born manager, has a wealth of experience when it comes to coaching, and he has honed his skills at International level when he took charge of the Young Socceroos and later led Australia’s senior squad to the FIFA World Cup in 2014.
Join us as we go through some of the achievements of Ange Postecoglou, what he will bring to Tottenham Hotspurs tactically, and what can we in terms of signings. Make sure to check our vast gallery of articles on LV BET Sports Blog.
A SPLASH OF OPTIMISM
After appointing Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte, two very pragmatic and defensive-oriented manager Tottenham are now looking for a change. The past years have been dark for Spurs, now falling down the order after finishing eighth last season. The relationship between fans and Daniel Levy has never been this sour, and with Ange Postecoglou coming in, there might be a change of scenery. The Greek manager is known to be a positive person and always looking to be on the front foot. The issue here will be the personnel at his disposal and his ability to adapt his way of playing around with what he has available. The pool of players isn’t bad going forward, it’s mainly the defence and midfield that needs to be sorted out.
The focus once again turns to Daniel Levy and how much he is willing to back the new manager in the transfer window. Another aspect of why there is a sense of positivity around this appointment is that Ange is well known as being one of the very few managers who can spot talent in young players and throw them in the deep end. He has done this across the 27 years of experience and had tremendous success with it, so that would be incredible as they can get high-quality players at a relatively low price. He is also keen on scouting players from Asia. During his time with Celtic, he brought in Kyogo, Daizen Maeda, Reo Hatate and Tomoki Iwata, who helped massively improve the squad during his time. Can we expect a similar approach with Tottenham?
Improving already good players is also something that he excels in, taking, for example, Callum McGregor at Celtic. When Ange come in he was a decent player but he has since become a mainstay in the team and someone who is untouchable within the Celtic squad. Can he work his magic once again on players such as Oliver Skipp, Richarlison and Pedro Porro?
WHAT IS POSTECOGLOU’S STYLE OF PLAY?
So the question is: how does the new manager like to play? Simply put, Postecoglou is associated with a high-pressing aggressive play, yet methodical and philosophical. Out of possession, let’s say when the opposition team has a goal kick, the team will set up in a 4-4-2 shape. The idea behind it is to have one of the front two press the centre-back, who receives the ball, whilst the other close off the passing lane to the pivot. This style of pressing limits the opposition to either play risky square passes or else hoof it upfield.
Should this style of play be executed to perfection, which might not be as straightforward as thought to be, especially after years of soaking up the pressure and trying to hit on the counter, it will reward Spurs with plenty of possession and control. His was is very similar to how Pep operates.
In this style of play, the striker is mainly seen as the sacrificial lamb, Harry Kane, who is the all-time top goalscorer for the club, has never been that striker, so there might be some tweaks to the system. He needs to get a new goalkeeper in as Hugo Lloris will be leaving this window, with reinforcements needed at centre-back and midfield.
POSTECOGLOU AS A PERSON
The road leading to this managerial appointment has not been easy. He is a very determined person, willing to do anything in his power to be the best. During an interview done on Live TV whilst he was still managing the Young Socceroos, he was put under pressure for not delivering in a recent tournament in India. Craig Foster hinted that he is not good enough and that Ange should resign, but he defended his team performance and did not back down, he dug his heels into the ground and fought for what he thought is right.
POSTECOGLOU FAQs
How old is Ange Postecoglou?
He is 57-years old
What formation does Ange Postecoglou play?
Typically, he opts for a 4-3-3 formation.
What teams have Ange Postecoglou coached before?
He started his career with Brisbane Roar FC and moved to Melbourne Victory FC, the Australia National football team, Yokohama F. Marinos and Celtic.
How many titles has Ange Postecoglou won?
1x Asian Cup Winner, 2x Scottish Champion, 1x Scottish Cup Winner, 2x Scottish League Cup Winner, 4x Australian Champion, 1x Japanese Champion, 1x OFC Champions League Winner, 3x OFC U19/U20 Championship Winner and 3x OFC U16/U17 Championship Winner.