 Tottenham kicked off the Ange Postecoglou era with a 3-2 defeat to London rivals West Ham in Perth on Tuesday, though the scoreline belied a performance that was full of positives… ATTACK, ATTACK, ATTACK After three successive managers who put functionality over fun and pragmatism over pleasure, it is already immediately clear that Postecoglou's philosophy is a stark – and very welcome – contrast to his predecessors. Spurs have been playing counter-attacking, reactive football ever since Jose Mourinho was appointed but in Perth the mentality shift was clear. Sure, it's only pre-season, but it was the north Londoners who dominated possession and territory, penning their opponents deep inside their own half, and worked a constant stream of good openings with dynamic build-up play. Whenever an attack broke down, they pressed relentlessly to win back possession and restart the attack. The first chance of the match came from Oliver Skipp, in theory the deepest of Spurs' midfielders, breaking forward into the box and it summed up the approach Postecoglou wants to see. Under Antonio Conte, Tottenham's players were rigid and shackled, now there is a fluidity and freedom. The scoreline may prompt concern from anyone that did not watch the match, but Spurs' 30 shots (compared to four for West Ham) and 72% possession underlines what an encouraging display this was. Postecoglou wants his side to be brave and dominate the ball and they certainly did that. DEFENSIVE CONCERNS Of course, as Tottenham transition towards a more open and adventurous style of play, there will undoubtedly be teething issues and the team looked vulnerable defensively, particularly in transition and from set-pieces. Conte previously claimed he could not play a back four because his defenders lacked the 'specific characteristics' required and it does feel as though Postecoglou will need to dip into the transfer){kind=link}
NEWS… BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT
Tottenham kicked off the Ange Postecoglou era with a 3-2 defeat to London rivals West Ham in Perth on Tuesday, though the scoreline belied a performance that was full of positives…
After three successive managers who put functionality over fun and pragmatism over pleasure, it is already immediately clear that Postecoglou’s philosophy is a stark – and very welcome – contrast to his predecessors.
Spurs have been playing counter-attacking, reactive football ever since Jose Mourinho was appointed but in Perth the mentality shift was clear. Sure, it’s only pre-season, but it was the north Londoners who dominated possession and territory, penning their opponents deep inside their own half, and worked a constant stream of good openings with dynamic build-up play. Whenever an attack broke down, they pressed relentlessly to win back possession and restart the attack.
The first chance of the match came from Oliver Skipp, in theory the deepest of Spurs’ midfielders, breaking forward into the box and it summed up the approach Postecoglou wants to see. Under Antonio Conte, Tottenham’s players were rigid and shackled, now there is a fluidity and freedom.