Ange Postecoglou, Spurs’ tier-3 standing and the battle of a lifetime

After ten video games of the 2023/24 Premier League season, Tottenham Hotspur had hailed Ange Postecoglou as their outback overlord.

The Australian had discovered a membership in damage following a four-year spell by which he was preceded by Jose Mourinho, Nuno Espirito Santo and Antonio Conte. With the promise of a brand new period predicated on a novel and entertaining fashion of play, Spurs gave themselves into Postecoglou, his present of the gab and the firsthand outcomes.

4 video games into the 2024/25 marketing campaign, Ange-mania appears like a fever dream of yesteryear.

Sunday’s limp 1-0 loss at house to Arsenal within the north London derby characterised this latest stretch of Postecoglou’s tenure. Although Spurs had been simple on the attention and dominated the ball, they seldom bought it into harmful areas and had been too predictable at each ends.

It was a story all too acquainted, each beneath this administration and within the fashionable historical past of the membership. A lot promise, so little supply and ‘conviction’ because the Spurs boss put it.

Talking to the press post-match, Postecoglou reduce a very grizzly determine, reasserting that he ‘at all times’ wins trophies in his second season with a membership.

The issue is he’s presently answerable for Tottenham.

What’s success to Tottenham? At this stage of ENIC’s possession, it’s undoubtedly delivering silverware. Wednesday’s journey to Coventry Metropolis in spherical three of the Carabao Cup is must-win – each match in a home trophy will probably be.

However Spurs are now not pretty much as good as a few of their previous selves, the higher groups who got here earlier than them and nonetheless went pot-less. What was as soon as a tongue-in-cheek joke to antagonise followers has turn into the monkey the membership simply can’t shake off their again. They’re a giant workforce that does not win trophies anymore.

What have they received? What have they received? What have they received? What have they received?

Tottenham, eerily equally to England, have reached some extent the place successful a trophy could be like having a tumour faraway from the physique. The fanbase has been conditioned to reject the notion of therapy and remedy, but clutch to the wistful perception of freedom. It’s a lot simpler to wish to start new time and again and once more than to attempt to attain a pure finish.

A freer existence solely awaits as soon as this course of is over.

All of the whereas, Spurs are attempting to smash the glass ceiling they’ve endeavoured to put themselves again beneath lately. Let’s attempt to visualise that.

That is the easy desk breakdown – and one rooted in subjective principle solely, I encourage folks to get mad in the event that they disagree – but it surely’s additionally necessary to indicate context.

Manchester Metropolis are richer than god and have arguably one of the best supervisor of all time in cost. Except they get sanctioned for 115 potential breaches of Premier League guidelines, it is exhausting for Tottenham to realistically compete.

Arsenal and Liverpool are maybe the fashions different golf equipment ought to look to and aspire to recreate – a chronic interval of competitiveness constructed round identification, wise recruitment and incremental enchancment. The additional kick within the tooth to Tottenham is that they have been overtaken and lapped by the pair, once more the sinking feeling of paradoxical resignation seeping again in.

Although Spurs have closed the gaps to these golf equipment financially, they continue to be with out the legacy and heritage of two of the world’s most profitable soccer groups. That is one other consideration in opposition to them with the opposite sides grouped into tier three, Chelsea and Manchester United.

What deemed Mauricio Pochettino’s period profitable was his capability to smash proper by the glass ceiling, teetering Tottenham between tiers one and two for almost all of his reign.

Postecoglou’s workforce is in a state not too dissimilar to that on the similar level of Pochettino’s tenure. He too was maligned and doubted after shedding to Arsenal in September of his second season.

In contrast to Pochettino at that time, Postecoglou has made no secret of his need to not simply win trophies, however league titles with Tottenham. It is essentially the most bold job of his storied profession so far, and one he sees as a part of his remit, in any other case he would not be in N17.

It could be a tad disrespectful to completely doubt and solid apart Postecoglou given his physique of labor internationally. Talking on The Athletic’s The View From The Lane podcast, journalist Vince Rugari – writer of Postecoglou’s biography – pressured he has at all times overcome the hump presently befuddling Tottenham.

Postecoglou should not be outlined by the quick if naive soccer his groups play, however the success which comes after they iron out the kinks. Certain, he is by no means managed in a contest just like the Premier League till now, however he is earned the appropriate to handle one among its main groups such has been the overwhelming glory which has adopted him all around the globe.

That is exhausting to imagine, to abdomen and to digest after such a defeat in a derby. Think about Spurs’ attribute pessimism and it is successfully not possible to envisage.

However as Postecoglou stated at his press convention on Tuesday, “Each recreation is a chance to get on that highway to success.” Now you simply must think about him saying that in his raspy voice and distinct accent quite than David Brent. There’s that Spurs paradox once more.

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