Today is Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou’s 59th birthday and it’s safe to say we know more about Ange than we did on his 58th birthday, so let’s take a look at what we’ve learned so far during his time in charge at Spurs.
We know for sure that Ange will stick to his principles no matter what. The infamous defeat to Chelsea last November shows that Ange will never change his style no matter what adversity he faces. He lives and dies by his philosophy, for better or for worse.
Managers have spoken in the past about how they would lose the approval of their players if they adapted their playing style to that of their opponents, and that it does not paint a good picture for them if they allow their opponents to dictate their own playing style. It is clear that Ange feels the same way, even if he did not say those exact words.
We know his football will be entertaining. Celtic fans had said how good his football was, but some had doubts about whether he could play such expansive football in the Premier League. That question was quickly answered, with Spurs often purring offensively under Ange.
Against Everton, Spurs had six big chances as defined by Opta, and that doesn’t include Maddison’s missed opportunity to save the ball after Romero had him one-on-one. After two weeks of play, only Liverpool have had more big chances than Spurs in the Premier League this season.
We have learned that Ange is a real disciplinarian, as the Yves Bissouma saga showed. It doesn’t matter how good you are, if your behavior doesn’t meet the standard he demands, you will be reprimanded.
We now know that Ange is a very ruthless player. Since Ange has been in the team, Spurs have been better at getting rid of ballast than they have been for a long time. Although Spurs had no centre-backs available for a while last season, Spurs manager Eric Dier only started once and instead opted for full-backs in central defence most of the time.
By January, Dier was already gone. Other players such as Emerson Royal and Pierre-Emile Højbjerg were sent on this summer, and Giovani Lo Celso and Sergio Reguilon were told they were not part of the plans and would not play, despite still being under contract with the club.
We know Ange wants to win and won’t be happy until he’s brought Spurs that long-awaited trophy. He’s made no secret of the fact that he usually wins things in his second season, so we all hope that trend continues.
