By Vince Rugari
It is a reflection of modern football’s zero-patience culture and the nature of how Ange Postecoglou’s teams develop that this season each match Tottenham Hotspur play is being relentlessly probed for deeper meaning.
Is this the game when “Angeball” properly clicked? No? What about this one? How about this result? Is it proof that it will actually never work?
It is only natural to look at things this way, especially when you keep being told this is a long-term project. And in fairness, there has been a neat narrative arc at most of his previous teams where you could see it happening in real time.
Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham have won eight of their past 10 games.Credit: Getty Images
After beating Manchester City 2-1 on Thursday morning (AEDT) to reach the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup, the question was posed again: was this a “big step forward” for his side? Given he’d won against City and tactically bettered Pep Guardiola for the first time in his tenure. Surely?
When Postecoglou smirks as a question is still being delivered, it is usually worth listening closely to the answer.
“I’m not going to go for big steps forward or big steps back,” he said.
“We’re the same team we were three days ago. We’re a side that’s growing, we’re developing. I’ve seen progress, I continue to see progress, and we’re going to have stumbles along the way. And the same way we don’t lose our nerve after having a poor one on the weekend, tonight doesn’t mean we need to change our approach.
Ange Postecoglou and Pep Guardiola embrace at full-time.Credit: AP
“We’ve just got to keep working at what we’ve been doing and keep believing in the process of what we’re trying to build. The key thing for us is the victory, because in a cup competition, that’s the main thing – you’ve got to win to keep going, and we got that, and the fact it was against a formidable opponent is great for the whole group.”
Postecoglou has, of course, contributed to the maelstrom of madness that seems to always swirl around the Spurs community. A few weeks back, after Tottenham’s 1-0 loss to Arsenal, a Sky Sports reporter mentioned something he had said during the pre-season: that he “usually” wins trophies in his second full season at a club, from South Melbourne through to Celtic.
In response, Postecoglou poured petrol onto the fire.
“I’ll correct myself,” he said. “I don’t usually win things, I always win things in my second year. Nothing’s changed. I’ve said it now. I don’t say things unless I believe them.”
Dejan Kulusevski has gone to another level for Spurs this season.Credit: Getty Images
That statement became the yardstick by which Postecoglou would be measured, and also the stick with which he would be beaten every time his team fell short. This was at the height of the early season tension surrounding Spurs, who, according to the prevailing view in Premier League punditry, “needed” a good start because of how they ended the last campaign. But they won only one of their first four games to start the 2024-25 season, and after failing again in the north London derby, you didn’t have to venture too far into the internet’s dark corners to find supporters genuinely calling for his head.
Well, they’ve won eight of their 10 matches since. Not that you’d know it. And even though they are a long way from where Postecoglou wants to take them, they are on track to do what he said they would do: win something.
The Premier League will almost certainly be too tough an ask, since Spurs are already 10 points off the pace, but they stand a very real chance of adding what would just be Tottenham’s second trophy this century to the club’s collection.
First, the Carabao Cup. Beating any team coached by Guardiola is no mean feat, and Postecoglou has now pulled it off for the first time in four attempts (or five, if you include the friendly City played against Yokohama F. Marinos in 2018). Sure, Man City have been hit by injury and rested Erling Haaland, but they still started Phil Foden, Ilkay Gundogan, Ruben Dias and Nathan Ake, and brought Josko Gvardiol, Mateo Kovacic and Bernardo Silva off the bench. There is no such thing as a weak City, and this was their first defeat in all competitions this season. Plus, the team fielded by Spurs was, on average, two years younger.
And yes, City dominated possession, and as a consequence, Spurs defended much deeper than they would like. But they still stuck to the core principles of Angeball: trying to keep the ball as much as possible, pressing the opposition relentlessly once it is lost, and when it is won back, playing forward as quickly and directly as feasibly possible. On another day, with better finishing, they could have gone two, three or even more goals clear of City rather than needing to defend to the death to see them off.
It was a good way to bounce back from a dreadful 1-0 defeat to previously winless Crystal Palace on the weekend, and a timely reminder that while Postecoglou will never stray from his principles, he does tweak and tinker within that, despite the perception of him as an ultra-dogmatist who never changes anything. Importantly, it puts them just three wins from lifting the Carabao Cup. Next up is a home quarter-final against Manchester United in December, and despite their axing of Erik ten Hag as coach and the pending appointment of Ruben Amorim, that fixture should hold no fear.
Secondly, there is the Europa League. Spurs are one of only three teams remaining with a perfect record, and if they finish in the top eight of the new 36-team “Swiss system″ format, they will progress directly to the round of 16. Third-placed teams from the UEFA Champions League no longer drop down to the Europa League, either, and on paper, you’d say Tottenham are one of the biggest clubs left in it, with one of the strongest squads, and should see themselves as among the favourites.
There’s the FA Cup, too, which is yet to begin for Premier League teams.
But it is not about silverware for Postecoglou, even though he has promised it. As he said this week, winning two trophies didn’t save ten Hag from the axe.
Tottenham are, clearly, a work in progress. There are flashes of absolute magic in the way they play, which say the wait will be worth it – and then frustrating lapses that hint at the opposite. But games are increasingly being played on their terms.
Postecoglou’s history suggests that consistency will come eventually, and when it does, they will be a formidable team. The evidence is slowly mounting that he may have some idea about football, despite being Australian.
His biggest challenge in England was never going to be on the pitch. He’s got that covered. The biggest challenge was always going to be political: getting enough time to see this project through to completion, soothing the twitchy impulses of Tottenham’s long-suffering supporters, and ensuring their impatience doesn’t seep into the boardroom. It’s about staying true in one of the most fickle environments in world sport. It’s what makes this such a thrilling storyline to watch unfold.
So far, so good.