Football’s premiere tactical fundamentalist came to the fore once again on Sunday, as Ange Postegcoglou’s Tottenham Hotspur snatched a 3-3 draw at the Etihad Stadium. Bloodying the nose of Manchester City would appear on the surface as the latest vindication of Postecoglou’s methods. But is it that simple?
The Sportsman spoke earlier in the season about Postecoglou’s dogmatic approach. On that occasion, Spurs had just lost 4-1 to Chelsea after going down to nine men. Despite the numerical disadvantage, Postecoglou insisted on setting his side up with a high defensive line. Tottenham tried to compress the game on the halfway line and found themselves outfoxed three times by the pace of Nicolas Jackson.
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Coming early in the Postecoglou reign, the decision was applauded. Modern football has a warm affection for the idea of sticking to your principles, at least if they’re seen as the “right” ones. The reason managers like Marcelo Bielsa command such adoration is their ruthless adherence to an attacking approach. Such rigid tactical worship is less prized in managers like Sean Dyche, who has carved out an enduring legacy of more defensive football.
But Postecoglou fits snugly into that first category. He has his beliefs on the way the game should be played. Ange approaches football in an attacking and forward-thinking fashion. Therefore, even when it goes wrong, there are plenty of people willing to stick up for the attempt. Whether Spurs win, lose or draw; social media is awash with Postecoglou’s instantly iconic quote from the wake of that Chelsea defeat. “It is just who we are, mate, it is who we are and who we will be for as long as I am here.”
Sometimes being who you are gets you tonked by Chelsea. Sometimes, it sees you rescue a last minute draw against the best team in the world. Dejan Kulusevski’s 90th minute equaliser will certainly live long in the memory. It is one of a growing portfolio of moments that have caused so much positivity in north London.
But to play devil’s advocate, should Tottenham have even got to the point where last-gasp heroics were necessary? Spurs went 1-0 up in the sixth minute through Heung-min Son before the same player conspired to score an own goal three minutes later. Should Tottenham have modified their approach after gaining an early lead?
There came another turning point when Giovani Lo Celso pulled Spurs level at 2-2. Would this have been a fine moment for pragmatism? To stem the inevitable City tide and concede that discretion is the better part of valour? Probably, but instead Spurs stuck to their guns and got shot. 3-2.
Perhaps fans would take a dimmer view of Postecoglou’s decision if the score had remained that way. But Kulusevski had other plans and this ended up as a creditable point on the road. While you could argue Spurs could have netted one or even three points with a more measured approach, there is a strong counterargument.
City are the best team in the world. Last season’s treble winners are an unstoppable force that boast the best manager and centre forward on Planet Football. Would abandoning an approach they have spent the season refining have helped Spurs? Would trying to go into an uncharacteristic defensive mode against the most potent attack in the league have really worked? Probably not. Spurs aren’t wired that way and neither is Postecoglou. This crash-bang-wallop 3-3 draw is probably the best Spurs could have hoped for in the circumstances and they got that by playing balls-to-the-wall Ange-ball.
The two games between the Chelsea drubbing and this draw are more instructive of where Postecoglou might be. A pair of 2-1 defeats to Wolverhampton Wanderers and Aston Villa aren’t something you can hang “It’s just who we are, mate” on quite as easily as a glorious failure or a heroic draw.
Sometimes, Postecoglou will have to just be a normal Premier League manager who wins games. While there is a place for his wildly entertaining style and his refreshingly glib interviews, at some point he’ll have to get the little things right more often. West Ham United at home on Thursday is the ideal place to start.
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