Ange Postecoglou arrived at Tottenham Hotspur in the summer of 2023, making the move from Scottish side Celtic after a highly successful stint in the Premiership.
“Big Ange” hit the ground running in North London, guiding Spurs to seven wins in his first nine Premier League games, collecting 23 points—a record haul for a new manager/head coach in Premier League history. However, the early momentum proved unsustainable and Tottenham ultimately managed to only muster a fifth-place finish, securing a spot in the UEFA Europa League. Expectations were high heading into the 2024/25 campaign, with the Spurs fan base hoping Postecoglou could build on the promising foundation and finally be the one to end their trophy drought.
But this season has been anything but smooth. Spurs started brightly once again, but a string of long-term injuries to key players, coupled with a dip in form and confidence, has derailed their campaign. What looked like a season full of promise has quickly turned into a frustrating and challenging ride for the experienced Aussie.
Spurs have lost a whopping 17 games this season and conceded a massive 49 goals, which points to a poor defensive structure. However, they have been without first-choice defenders Micky van de Ven (only played 12 games in the PL) and Cristian Romero (only played 17 games this season) for most of the season due to long-term injuries.
That said, injury issues aren’t the sole reason for Spurs currently lying 14th in the league table, having been knocked out of both the League Cup and the FA Cup, with the Europa League being their only real shot at silverware as they prepare for the second leg of their quarter-final tie against Eintracht Frankfurt after a 1-1 draw at home in the first leg.
A portion of the blame for Spurs’ misfortunes must be taken by Postecoglou. While his style of football is very entertaining to watch, it’s mostly one-dimensional. As a coach, it’s imperative that you play in a way that keeps the opposition guessing rather than getting predictable—your tactics need to change according to the opposition.
With Postecoglou, it’s the same style over and over again, even if his team keep losing. Without a doubt, Spurs score a lot of goals thanks to their free-flowing football, but you can’t always outscore your opponent. In big games or against low-block teams, it’s difficult to play freely or score many goals. For these games, a change playing style is key—something that rarely happens with the Spurs boss.
Spurs’ defensive structure, especially in a high build-up with out-of-position inverted fullbacks, is highly prone to counter-attacks as they leave gaps in the wide areas beside their centre-backs. They use a high-press strategy with a high defensive line, and their boss’s stubbornness to not change this approach has cost them many times.
A prime example of Spurs’ stubbornness costing them was their game against Chelsea last season, especially after they had gone down to nine men. Instead of sitting back, trying to defend and counter, Postecoglou persisted with a defensive high line that came back to bite Spurs as they lost 1-4 at home.
When it comes to their first-choice playing XI, with talented players like Son Heung-min, Dejan Kulsevski, Dominic Solanke, Brennan Johnson, Cristian Romero, and Pedro Porro, Spurs ought to be targeting the Champions League spots instead of languishing in the bottom half of the table. They have built one of the best stadiums in England as well as a decent squad over the past few years, yet they remain incapable of competing with the likes of Manchester City, Arsenal, and Liverpool.
The closest they have come to winning a big trophy in recent years was when they lost to Liverpool in the 2019 Champions League final, and even there they flattered to deceive. Then there was the 2021 League Cup final that they lost to Man City—having sacked manager José Mourinho a week before
Spurs’ slim chances of winning the Europa League this season is why Ange Postecoglou is still in the job. The competition isn’t particularly strong this year, especially now that Champions League teams don’t fall into the tournament midway through. The knockout aspect of the competition means Spurs could realistically end their trophy drought despite what has thus far been an abysmal campaign.
But if they get knocked out by Eintracht Frankfurt in the away leg, or at any point for that matter, it could very well be the end of the road for Postecoglou at Tottenham.
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