Ange Postecoglou is the new head coach of Tottenham Hotspur, joining the Premier League club after a very successful two years with Celtic. The first ever Australian boss in the Premier League has made the switch to north London off the back of delivering a world record eighth domestic treble for the Hoops.
Postecoglou will be eager to get stuck into his new role straight away, mainly because there is so much that needs taking care of over the summer to get Spurs in shape for a much more positive Premier League campaign than the one they just delivered in 2022-23.
There are several key issues that must be dealt with as a priority for the 57-year-old in his new job.
The Harry Kane Saga
Just like two years ago when Manchester City pushed very hard to lure him away from Spurs, Harry Kane is once again going to be subjected to heavy interest in the summer, reportedly from Manchester United and Real Madrid. As the new boss, Postecoglou will want a quick resolution to this saga as it won’t benefit anyone. The England captain has one year remaining on his contract so it would make sense for the club to cash in as soon as possible if they can’t nail him to a longer-term deal quickly.
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For Kane himself, he has probably been plagued by this dilemma in recent months since becoming Spurs’ all-time record goalscorer, and Postecoglou will want the matter settled swiftly so he can push on with the squad rebuild in N17.
The Shaky Defence
Since Mauricio Pochettino’s departure in 2019, Spurs’ defence has weakened. In his last full year in charge, his defence conceded just 39 goals in the league. No campaign since has seen them better that total. Back then their back line was organised and composed, but they have since become chaotic in defence, with 63 goals leaked in the Premier League this season.
Hot-headed central defender Cristian Romero and full-back Emerson Royal each picked up a red card in the top flight and the defence collectively made 10 errors leading to goals. Postecoglou will be aware of this glaring problem and will look to tighten up the defence, with his Celtic side conceding just 56 goals in the two Scottish Premiership campaigns he oversaw.
Hugo Lloris
Veteran goalkeeper Hugo Lloris has expressed his desire to find a new challenge in the summer after a lengthy 11-year spell with Spurs. The World Cup winner has been prone to many mistakes in recent years, which has seen him become one of the biggest scapegoats in the team. His confidence has taken a huge hit as a result and it will be in everyone’s interests to get him moved on as quickly as possible. With Postecoglou liking to implement a front-footed approach to his teams, he will be in need of a composed ball-playing sweeper of a similar repute to Manchester City’s Ederson.
Getting The Fans On Side
Arguably the former Australia manager’s biggest issue right now is getting the Tottenham faithful on side. Some had been quite vocal in airing their displeasure at the idea of his appointment, which had been quite disrespectful given what he has achieved in his career, even if it wasn’t all accomplished in Europe.
Given how dross the football has been in recent years under Antonio Conte, Nuno Espirito Santo and Jose Mourinho, Spurs fans will be relieved to know that Postecoglou likes to play exciting football, something which the supporters have been crying out for. Postecoglou does possess a charming personality, too. He never shies away from his mistakes and his general vision of how football should be played could be a breath of fresh air for the fan base.
A Positive Start
This ties into the next point. You can talk the talk, you can make attractive signings and move weaker players on, but it all means nothing unless you are winning football matches. You’ll remember how quickly things turned ugly for Nuno when that positive string of results at the start of 2021-22 were soon followed by four straight losses. The Portuguese coach’s brand of football was no longer tolerated when the results took a turn and of course he was sacked after just a couple of months.
Postecoglou will make it his mission to make the football more pleasing on the eye, but it won’t count for anything unless he gets off to a good start to give the fans something to get optimistic about. The ex-Celtic boss is already up against it with many of Tottenham’s followers deeming him too inexperienced for a job such as this. To keep the wolves at bay, he will need to feed them with wins to make them feel that 2023-24 has potential after the disappointment of 2022-23.
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