Manager Watch: Ange Postecoglou

[theShiznit]

I know it’s a game of opinions all all that tripe, but how can you watch that second half and not think Hojberg improved us?
And I’m In no way a Hobby fanboy, he’s usually quite wasteful and gives the ball up too easily, but yesterday he barely put a foot wrong.

To me the change in system improved us more than the change in pesronnel.

Gil was isolated with Walker and very little in the way of support and Bissouma was pretty overrun basically on his own as Lo Celso was playing higher up as was Kulu, with both only occasionally dropping into a recognizable CM position.

The extra body in there allowed us to cut the gaps between defence and midfield and midfield and attack.

But yes, PEH barely put a foot wrong.

Gil had some good moments; including starting the move for the first goal. Hell he even turned Walker inside out at one point and got past him, only to then give it away because he still had little in the way of options.

 

[C1w8]

With the injuries we've got - if we'd sat back and played 10 men behind the ball, do you think we'd get any points and score 3? I know Conte did it but only with one of the best forwards in Premier League history having arguably the best game of his career so I think it's unlikely.

High risk high reward football. Audere est Facere and I'm all for it. Yes you get games like Chelsea where it all goes tits up but this is the mindset I've wanted to see from Tottenham my whole life - and I think on balance we're where we're supposed to be. Maybe we got a bit lucky today and against Liverpool, but we should have taken more against Villa and Chelsea.

The big thing for me under Ange is I feel like there's always a chance we can get something from games which was absolutely not the case under previous managers. Even when we've conceded late or have players sent off we keep pushing for another goal and never give up which is so refreshing. And for all the talk about him being "naive" for big games - only one team in the top nine has beaten us so far this season, compared to last year where everyone in the top nine except Brighton beat us at least once and four teams did the double over us.

Under Conte when we lost it felt like crap, and many of the games we did manage to win I was still left with a feeling of "ok we we won but we were still crap".

Under Ange its the opposite - even in defeat there's positivity around the performance (i dont pay attention to sky/others calling it naive etc etc) and when we win it truely feels like a win, and i'd much rather we played like this til the end of time.

 

[Rosco1984]

Two things: Bryan might've been bullied but he's a crucial part of the first goal, and without Hojbjerg I don't think we get back in that game. Yes, he might be flawed, but he provided a calm head and discipline that Bissouma didn't offer. It does very much feel like some players just always start in the negatives (see how Skipp was getting abuse when he came on and yet was a big part of the third goal).

he gave the ball away sloppily in front of our back 4 with his first 3 touches... Bissouma did it and it cost us a goal if one of those giveaways leads to a goal as they easily could have then everyone would be slating him again he is not the answer long term.

 

[fishhhandaricecake]

Loved his reaction at the end of the post match presser when he was asked about if he could understand pep’s reaction to the Grealish incident and he just kind of laughed and said “I guess so mate”, aka I know that’s a loaded question and it’s going to get a simple palm off answer it deserves but without being directly rude.

He’s such a legend and class act.

 

[fishhhandaricecake]

Under Conte when we lost it felt like crap, and many of the games we did manage to win I was still left with a feeling of "ok we we won but we were still crap".

Under Ange its the opposite - even in defeat there's positivity around the performance (i dont pay attention to sky/others calling it naive etc etc) and when we win it truely feels like a win, and i'd much rather we played like this til the end of time.

All so so true!

I remember a number of games under Conte which we ground out or scored from just a few chances to draw or win and where we had minimal possession and I came away feeling like we’d lost.

Under Ange we lose 3 in a row and I just feel so proud of the approach and the efforts of the players and I know that playing that way we will get our just rewards eventually as we did against City.

Night and day.

 

[RuskyM]

he gave the ball away sloppily in front of our back 4 with his first 3 touches... Bissouma did it and it cost us a goal if one of those giveaways leads to a goal as they easily could have then everyone would be slating him again he is not the answer long term.

...but it didn't. No one's saying he's the answer long term. They're giving him credit for yesterday.

 

[greaves]

Under Conte when we lost it felt like crap, and many of the games we did manage to win I was still left with a feeling of "ok we we won but we were still crap".

Under Ange its the opposite - even in defeat there's positivity around the performance (i dont pay attention to sky/others calling it naive etc etc) and when we win it truely feels like a win, and i'd much rather we played like this til the end of time.

Yep. ‘At least we tried’. A new kind of motto, adapted shamelessly from Randle P McMurphy. Something of the heroic.

 

[Col_M]

Have to share this one

 

[rossdapep]

Spare a thought for Fat Sam who always says if you turn up and try to play against City you'll get trashed

 

[Trix]

Two things: Bryan might've been bullied but he's a crucial part of the first goal, and without Hojbjerg I don't think we get back in that game. Yes, he might be flawed, but he provided a calm head and discipline that Bissouma didn't offer. It does very much feel like some players just always start in the negatives (see how Skipp was getting abuse when he came on and yet was a big part of the third goal).

Just to be clear me saying I think it was the forward line changing that made the big difference doesn't mean I thought PEH played badly and I never actually said that so why people have extrapolated that from what I posted I'm not sure . I just though that the key to our second half was being able to retain possession further forward and giving the City backline more to think about. Walker knew he could out pace Gil and all he had to do was be able to get close to him and he'd easily be able to dispossess him using his body. With Johnson he couldn't give him that yard or two head start and all of a sudden walker is far less of a threat. Kulu going to the right was a similar outcome although for different reasons and it allowed us more control. Anyway, whatever the thinking behind it Ange got it right and the change clearly worked.

The commentators kept saying City had dropped off but I think it was more the case we were asking them more questions and they aren't geared at all to change how they play. They are used to dominating and so not having to worry about anything other than the counter attack, when we started to push them back winning the ball centrally then moving the ball from inside to wide area's quickly they were a bit panicky trying to play through us imo.

 

[Westmorlandspur]

Spare a thought for Fat Sam who always says if you turn up and try to play against City you'll get trashed

On another day we would have been. All their goals came from mistakes by us, giving the ball away near our goal. Romero returning will make a big difference .

 

[-Afri-Coy-]

Next time you buy a fridge, get one with an ice dispenser

Speaking from experience? You sir, must be a man of class

I wholeheartedly thank you for the advice

 

[keithtighe93]

Loving this team, even the likes of Davies, PEH and Emerson who may not be long for it are contributing.

We rode our luck yesterday at times, but we cut through them at times too. Really exciting to see how good we are already, and to imagine how good we will be once we have everyone back.

We'll have more bumps, but we are going places for sure, no doubt about it.

 

[fishhhandaricecake]

Two things: Bryan might've been bullied but he's a crucial part of the first goal, and without Hojbjerg I don't think we get back in that game. Yes, he might be flawed, but he provided a calm head and discipline that Bissouma didn't offer. It does very much feel like some players just always start in the negatives (see how Skipp was getting abuse when he came on and yet was a big part of the third goal).

Na Gil and Skipp aren't up to it right now and Ange knows that.

He took Gil off because he kept giving the ball away and he's only playing Skipp because we have some many other injuries at CM otherwise he'd not be getting a look-in.

Anyways Ange has a plan in his mind, he adapts where needed but we will only get stronger longer-term with players back and more signings.

I think Ange will want to prioritise signing another CB,CM and attacking player as next 3 signings.

 

[fishhhandaricecake]

Spare a thought for Fat Sam who always says if you turn up and try to play against City you'll get trashed

So true mate, its such an old-skool scarcity mindset and way of playing.

Its no coincidence that more recently the best teams especially in the Premier League all look to dominate possession and create a lot of chances and attack a lot and the flip side of that is they leave themselves with bigger gaps and more vulnerable defensively at times however the opposite approach sitting back with 11 men on the edge of your box defending for your lives and relying on 1-2 counter-attacks with barely any possession is far far less likely to yield you any type of result especially long-term, the odds just aren't in teams favour playing that way, its outdated for a reason.

 

[spursfan77]

Stephen Warnock talking sense this morning. He’s been the only one.

 

[Jamturk]

and them taking off Doku, which I for bizarre unless he was injured.

He was injured.

 

[mil1lion]

He went with 2 attacking midfielders in with Bissouma away at City. It was incredibly brave but we were getting pulled around first half. Hojbjerg just brought some balance to the midfield so we weren't as attacking in there. We clearly miss Bentancur or Sarr playing as the 8 in these type of games. We've had talk about the prospect of playing Lo Celso with Maddison when he returns. That can work in some games but we essentially did this away to fucking City. The change was necessary but he's just managing the situation of losing 3 midfielders while trying to keep the ball retention.

Happy to play the same midfield 3 on Thursday as they did so well at home to Villa. I hope Sarr is back for Sunday though otherwise I would go with Hojbjerg in that one. It's just getting that balance between attack and defence and knowing you can't always play the same way until the squad is ready. Once we replace Hojbjerg with another who fits our style I'm sure he will be more consistent. He's just playing Kulusevski with Lo Celso because they're the only available options who play how he wants with the ball.

 

[Bluto Blutarsky]

To me the change in system improved us more than the change in pesronnel.

I think that's fair.

I think its also fair that Hojbjerg allowed us to change the system a bit - to provide a bigger presence in CM.

 

[mmidgers]

Stephen Warnock talking sense this morning. He’s been the only one.

Just watched it. It's refreshing to hear someone use their brain rather than spouting the usual media driven narrative.