Ange Postecoglou got his Tottenham tenure under way with a 3-2 defeat against West Ham on the club’s Asia-Pacific tour. The friendly was watched by 46,266 fans at the Optus Stadium in Perth and was defined by the approach Postecoglou took.
The manager picked a different XI for each half but his principles were evident throughout in the desire to hog the ball, take risks and get on to the front foot. It represented a radical departure from the styles of his Spurs predecessors Antonio Conte, Nuno Espírito Santo and José Mourinho.
Although Spurs lost, familiar defensive frailties the problem, there was plenty to like about their game and numerous talking points, particularly when the wider context of Postecoglou’s squad rebuild was considered.
What were the standout tactical details?
The biggest single one was Postecoglou’s demand for the full-backs in his 4-3-3 to get up and across in possession. The pioneer of this move, Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola, has one of his full-backs do it; Postecoglou seemingly wants both of them high and inside at the same time. It was particularly pronounced in the first half with Pedro Porro and Sergio Reguilón (remember him?). The wingers were pinned wide, allowing Spurs to create spaces inside and between the lines, although they did have the licence to cut in with the ball. The screening midfielder sometimes dropped into a back three.
Were the goals conceded down to the system or personnel?
Both. Spurs held a high defensive line and there was the feeling that if they lost any one-on-ones or made mistakes they could be in trouble. West Ham’s winner, scored by Gianluca Scamacca on 78 minutes followed a turnover in midfield and an instant through-ball from Pablo Fornals. Davinson Sánchez tried to step out for offside, then to intercept and did neither, allowing Scamacca a clear run.
West Ham’s opener for 1-0 had followed a breakdown on the Spurs left, Reguilón having been defending a corner in the box and, when the ball came back in, failing to track Danny Ings. The second for 2-0 also followed a corner, conceded by the new goalkeeper, Guglielmo Vicario, after Porro had played him into trouble. When it went short, Divin Mubama wandered in between Porro and Japhet Tanganga to glance home.
How did Postecoglou shape the midfield?
It felt significant to see Yves Bissouma start in front of the back four and Oliver Skipp as the right-sided No8 – rather than the other way around. Postecoglou wanted to test Bissouma’s positional intelligence and assurance on the ball – and he was good, even playing his way into the box on one occasion to go close. Skipp was asked to get forward a good deal more, which he did, and then there was James Maddison, the left-sided No 8-cum-No 10. Out of possession, the new signing pushed up to lead the press with Harry Kane; in it he tried to work himself into dangerous areas.
Postecoglou’s second-half midfield was Pierre-Emile Højbjerg for Bissouma, Pape Sarr for Skipp and Giovani Lo Celso for Maddison. Lo Celso impressed; more on him later. It was attack-minded and Spurs came to dominate the ball, creating many chances. If they have possession, it means that they cannot be hurt – and this is a fundamental for Postecoglou. It was also interesting to see Kane drop deep into midfield, creating a further overload and possibilities.
Does Postecoglou represent a clean slate?
In short, yes. The longer answer takes in the long list of players Postecoglou has inherited. He has 31 with him on tour with a further five in London rehabbing from injury: Fraser Forster, Ryan Sessegnon, Rodrigo Bentancur, Bryan Gil and Troy Parrott. Plus Hugo Lloris, the captain, who has been allowed to stay behind to arrange a transfer. There are six under-21s who would not take spaces on the 25-man Premier League squad list: Josh Keeley, Destiny Udogie, Sarr, Alfie Devine, Dane Scarlett and Parrott.
Plainly, there will need to be departures but Postecoglou wants to assess all his options and they include the returning loanees whose Spurs futures have seemed bleak. Gil has to be frustrated to miss the tour but could Lo Celso make a comeback? He appears to tick plenty of boxes for Postecoglou and he showcased his best qualities against West Ham – quick and slick in possession, incisive with his passing. He even scored with a fine volley for 2-1. Postecoglou did not include Joe Rodon or Tanguy Ndombele, who sustained a knock in training, but he will surely play them in the upcoming games. Reguilón, meanwhile, picked up where he had left off at Spurs – good going forward, less good when defending.
Who is in the firing line?
Most of the central defenders: Sánchez, Tanganga, Rodon. The situation concerning Eric Dier, who did not feature against West Ham, is that he is not expected to sign a new contract to replace the one which has one year to run and there is highly unlikely to be a permanent move that appeals to him this summer. He soldiered on through the pain of a groin injury last season and eventually underwent surgery in the final week. The hope is that superior fitness and mobility can bring a return to form.
There are reasons why Postecoglou, who used Ben Davies on the left of a central defensive pair against West Ham, is seeking two or maybe three new players in the position. He wants Wolfsburg’s Micky van de Ven and/or Bayer Leverkusen’s Edmond Tapsoba. Clement Lenglet, who spent last season on loan at Spurs, is another option.
It stands to be a pivotal season for Djed Spence, who hardly played last time out for Spurs before being loaned to Rennes, where it did not go brilliantly. He is starting behind Porro and Emerson Royal in the pecking order at right-back. Højbjerg is a target for Atlético Madrid and Ivan Perisic has also been tipped to leave. It was interesting to see Postecoglou play the latter on the left wing rather than at left-back. Perisic was the leading assist-maker last season with 12. Could he yet grow into the more advanced position under Postecoglou?
And, finally, how is Postecoglou handling you-know-what?
It would be nice to pay off with a few words about Udogie, who equalised with a deft back header from Perisic’s corner on his first Spurs appearance. The left-back – signed from Udinese last summer before being loaned back there for the season – was an imposing, driving presence; pretty fast, too. What a prospect he is. But no Spurs article would be complete without a look at the Kane saga.
Kane started against West Ham and he did so as the captain in Lloris’s absence. He played OK. So nothing to see here, right? If only it were that simple. Postecoglou has made it clear that he is not impressed by the constant stream of questions about Kane’s future. But Bayern Munich are not only desperate to sign him, they are being extremely public about it.
Their honorary president, Uli Hoeness, did Kane no favours by revealing the striker had “clearly signalled in all conversations that his decision [to join Bayern] stands”. It is massively unclear how Hoeness felt this would move the Spurs chairman, Daniel Levy.
The only thing which conceivably could is a £100m offer and one of the problems for Bayern is that even then Levy could push for more. We are still in July. All of which is to say that Postecoglou had better continue to choose his words carefully, making no promises he cannot keep. Only Kane has the option of silence.
• This article was amended on 19 July 2023 to replace the final image. An earlier image, captioned as being of Destiny Udogie, was actually of Yves Bissouma.
