Tottenham’s Postecoglou on ‘Angeball,’ impacting Premier League،
LONDON — One of Tottenham Hotspur head coach Ange Postecoglou's most epigrammatic comments about life in football came in November when he said: “As a coach, there is no only two states: either you are under siege, or it's coming.”
As he sits down with ESPN for an exclusive interview minutes after being crowned Manager of the Year at last week's London Football Awards, it raises the question of whether he will ever be able to afford to enjoy such moments given this permanent feeling of apprehension.
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“Internally you fight to enjoy it because you know what's in store for you, but at the same time it's not just about me, it's about the people I share the journey with, that it “coaches, players, my own family,” Postecoglou said.
“I don't want to deprive them of the rare glimpses of joy that you can sometimes have in this game as a manager. I try to enjoy it, for them more than anything else, but in my subconscious I am always aware that there will invariably be another challenge and I must be ready to take it on.
“I guess most of us are kind of prepared for that, anyone who's been in the game for a while, you kind of prepare yourself for what's to come and it rarely softens in the best moments that you have.”
There is a refreshing earthy pragmatism to Postecoglou's rhetoric that juxtaposes with the idealistic style he demands of his teams. This combination makes him an intriguing character and a welcome addition to the Premier League.
Postecoglou, 58, joined Spurs last summer at a time when they were going through something of an existential crisis. The tenures of José Mourinho and Antonio Conte have spoiled the joy of a club that considers the bluster approach such a central tradition that “To dare is to do” is still Tottenham's motto today. It might as well have been “To defend is to do” under Mourinho and Conte, such was the negativity of the approach which contributed to disappointing results which ultimately convinced Harry Kane to leave for Bayern Munich in search of silverware. Club captain Hugo Lloris has also publicly expressed his desire to move on.
Postecoglou therefore inherited a difficult situation and despite his success north of the border at Celtic, where he won 83 of his 113 matches in two seasons and won five of the six domestic trophies available in Scotland, he arrived in England as a relative unknown. Previously, Postecoglou had managed exclusively halfway around the world from the United Kingdom, winning league titles with South Melbourne, Brisbane Roar and Japanese team Yokohama F. Marinos and led Australia, the country to which he emigrated from Greece as a young boy, at the AFC Asian Cup in 2015.
Fast forward to March 2024, and Spurs are firmly in the top four, 'Angelball' has entered the Premier League lexicon and the club's supporters have been reworking Robbie Williams' 1990s mega-hit 'Angels' to explain how much “we love Big.” Angel instead.” Does Postecoglou even like the term “Angeball”? “It's better than they could have imagined,” he replies with a smile. “That's what it is.”
The statistics underline a radical transformation based on a high defensive line and a commitment to attack, regardless of the opponent or the state of the game. They are sixth in the league for goals scored (55), fourth for chances created ( 321) and third for average possession (60.7%). Compare that with last season: seventh in chances created, ninth in possession and although they are fifth in goals scored, they have outperformed their expected goals tally by more than 12 – a measure of Kane's relentless consistency . Further illustrating the transformation under Postecoglou, from November 2022 until the end of last season, Spurs had a negative goal difference in the league.
Postecoglou adapted so quickly in part because he gave a new coaching staff a chance. He is rare among top coaches in that others tend to be accompanied by an entourage: Conte brought nine aides with him when he went to Chelsea in 2017; Mauricio Pochettino arrived at Chelsea with four backroom colleagues, including his sports scientist son Sebastiano.
There was speculation that Postecoglou's assistants at Celtic, Gavin Strachan and John Kennedy, were going to join Spurs, but instead he named a new team including: Chris Davies (senior assistant coach), Mile Jedinak (coach assistant), Ryan Mason (assistant coach). coach), Matt Wells (assistant coach) and Rob Burch (goalkeeping coach).
Postecoglou is not particularly involved as head coach, limiting his daily interactions with players, believing that distance allows for decisions to be made without emotion. These coaches therefore refined “Angeball” in their own way.
A thriller at the Etihad 🍿
🎥 Highlights: Man City 3-3 Spurs pic.twitter.com/L7zAgqhC4M
– Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) December 4, 2023
“What happens is they bring their own personality to it,” Postecoglou says. “Like everything in life, they put their own spin on what I'm trying to create. I do the kind of broad strokes, but they're interested in the details, 'how can we get into this space?'
“I really enjoy watching guys grasp the ideas I throw at them and seeing how they achieve them. It inspires me to continue to look for differences and challenge myself to find how we can be even better. Seeing them , how they work, the way they see what we are trying to create.
“I think if I had stayed with the same people for the last 26 or 27 years, I would have been afraid of falling into the trap of repeating what I did before. Even though there was a constant in all the teams that I've managed, there has always been a uniqueness to each of them and I think this is due to the different people I have worked with.
There were times, however, when confidence in Postecoglou's approach was tested. After winning eight of their first 10 Premier League matches – with 26 points earned in that series, the highest ever total for a manager's first 10 matches in the competition – Spurs were beaten 4-1 at home by bitter rivals Chelsea in November. . Although they played with nine from the 55th minute after two players were sent off, they continued to defend almost on the halfway line in search of a winning goal with the score 1-1. Chelsea finally broke through thanks to Nicolas Jackson scoring a hat trick in the final 15 minutes. Remarkably, Spurs fans chanted Postecoglou's name at the final whistle.
He was also repeatedly asked about changing his approach against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium in December. He didn't, Spurs battled back and came away with a 3-3 draw.
There is an inherent cynicism towards 'Angeball', the belief that it could be discovered at the highest level during a 38-game Premier League campaign, but Postecoglou believes compromise is the enemy of the collaboration.
“It’s like anything in life,” he continues. “If you truly believe in something, the test always comes when there isn't the obvious outcome people are looking for. What do you do in those moments?
“I've had enough in my career to know that if you give in at those times, you lose if not the whole group, you lose part of the group that you're trying to take with you. If you can get through it come out. this period and people see “OK, he has a real core belief in this, it's not something he just throws out there”, I think that allows for more buy-in.
“But at the end of the day, results have to happen. People aren't going to follow blindly. I enjoy those moments because it tests me and I go to sleep and wake up with the same determination every day. That helps me. The only reason I've been on this path for so long is because I want to succeed, and I want the club I work at to succeed. I don't want anything to throw us off course of what we are trying to create.
Postecoglou believes he is only just getting started as he aims to end Spurs' 16-year wait for a trophy. The shrewd signings of James Maddison and Micky van de Ven as well as the revival of players including Pape Matar Sarr, Yves Bissouma and Destiny Udogie – whose careers at the club had stalled – will require further reinforcement this summer to continue Tottenham's progress with their manager unabashedly intent on trying to compete with Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal at the top.
This pursuit reflects Postecoglou's personal quest to feel like he belongs at the end of the match. He is the first Australian to manage the Premier League and has previously spoken of overcoming snobbery towards his achievements in his home country and Japan as he attempts to establish himself in Europe.
Postecoglou once expressed hope that his time at Spurs would “break some stereotypes and allow people to open their minds”. So, has he now broken that glass ceiling for Australian managers?
“Difficult for me to say because with this kind of thing, the test comes with the following,” Postecoglou explains. “Look, from my point of view, I haven't yet made the impact that I want to have, particularly in the Premier League, but even on this side of the world. I'm still striving to prove myself in myself on what I believe I can impact.
“If I go further, Harry Kewell went to Yokohama – he’s the third Australian manager since I’ve been there. That shows me it’s definitely caught on in this part of the world.
“The next test will be here. I enjoyed my time at Celtic and I think I made a real impact there, but having a real impact here in the Premier League will help speed up that process.”
