By Vince Rugari
Ignore the final score. It’s pre-season, it means nothing. Here are the numbers that really matter from Ange Postecoglou’s first match as Tottenham Hotspur manager: 30 shots to four. 71 per cent possession to 29. 517 passes to 177.
This was always going to be a white-knuckle ride. Tuesday night’s 3-2 friendly defeat against West Ham United was just the start, and all things considered, it was pretty encouraging.
Harry Kane of Tottenham and Flynn Downes of West Ham tussle for the ball at Optus Stadium on Tuesday.Credit: Getty Images
Two defensive lapses in the first half put them on the back foot, and a mistake in the second led to immediate punishment. But in between, before and after, there were strong hints that the ‘Angeball’ philosophy is already taking root in north London.
“That’s what we were kind of looking for tonight,” Postecoglou said.
“We’ve obviously been working really hard at training and I didn’t expect the lads to be super sharp, because this is the stage where you want to get your conditioning, but we have been working on stuff, so you want to see some of that out there.
“I thought in both halves, there was a real willingness for the boys to try and put in place the stuff we’ve been working on, and at times they looked good, but we’re still very much in the infancy of trying to establish the way we want to play and structures.
Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou takes questions at the post-match press conference.Credit: Getty Images
“For me, the outcomes become secondary right now. It’s about how we’re playing our football. Are they trying out there to implement it? For the most part, I thought it was really good.”
Postecoglou rolled out two entirely different teams, one in each half. Harry Kane was handed the captain’s armband and led out what appeared to be a first-choice XI – or pretty close to it – in the opening stanza. New signings Manor Solomon and James Maddison looked lively. Left-back Sergio Reguilón was ‘inverted’, tucking inside with his positioning to act as an extra midfielder instead of hugging the touchline. The intent to play out from defence, right down to goalkeeper Guiglemino Vicario on the last line, was clear and evident throughout.
The problems were at the back, where Spurs are reportedly searching for reinforcements. We can see why. Tottenham’s failure to clear a set piece effectively invited West Ham to score the opener in the 18th minute, as Jarrod Bowen’s curling delivery was met by Danny Ings, who muscled past Reguilón to head home.
It was 2-0 five minutes later when Divin Mubana finished off a quick short corner routine, nodding the ball into the back of the net before Spurs had a chance to realise what was going on.
Guglielmo Vicario of Hotspur looks on after Danny Ings of West Ham scores a goal.Credit: Getty Images
Postecoglou has only had his players together on the training pitch for less than a fortnight, and admitted that defending wasn’t something they’d spent much time on – yet. “The goals we conceded, it’s partly on me,” he said. “We haven’t really done a lot of work in that defensive area, structures around set pieces and stuff; you can’t expect the guys to take on board everything.”
He could at least take heart from the fact the Hammers were limited to only a handful of chances, even if they were much more clinical with them.
Ben Davies of Hotspur and Gianluca Scamacca of West Ham contest for the ball.Credit: Getty Images
Tottenham’s second-half team were much more dominant, and spent most of the next 45 minutes pinning West Ham back in defence. Two quickfire goals in three minutes – the first, a volley from Giovanni Lo Celso after Ivan Perisic’s cross was nodded down into his path, the second, a very clever flick header from Iyenoma Udogie – restored parity in a flash.
Were it not for the heroics of West Ham goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski, who made a string of terrific saves, or the woodwork that denied Richarlison, or the litany of almost-there moments for Spurs, they could have easily scored a bagful more.
That’s what made Gianluca Scamacca’s 78th-minute winner sting so much. The Hammers had barely had a sniff when a turnover in the centre of the pitch, and a single pass from Pablo Fornals, put the Italian clear on goal. He then showed the killer touch that so many Spurs were lacking on the night. It will come.
“There’s enough in that game, for me, to show back to the players and give us the foundation to work on,” Postecoglou said.
“We could have played this game and won 1-0 and not shown any of that, and that would be hard for me because then that means I haven’t made any impression, or we haven’t made any impression as a coaching staff, in the first 10 days.”
With Postecoglou’s homecoming tour complete, Spurs will move on with the rest of their Asia-Pacific tour, which continues with a clash against Leicester City on Sunday in Thailand, followed by a friendly against Socceroo Bailey Wright’s Lion City Sailors in Singapore. Then it’s back to Europe, and two more games against Shakhtar Donetsk and Barcelona, before their Premier League season begins on August 13 away to Brentford.
There is plenty of work to do, but even West Ham boss David Moyes can tell they’re headed in the right direction.
“I don’t need to give Ange any advice, that’s for sure. I thought his team played well enough that they could have easily scored more goals,” he said.
“We were a bit fortunate that we didn’t concede more, but we also defended very well; my goalkeeper played well. Tottenham are a good side, they’ve got an amazing centre forward [in Kane], probably the best in the world. And while you’ve got an amazing centre forward, you’ve always got a chance to win games.”
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