Heading into the Christmas break, Tottenham are back on track and find themselves in a strong position just one point shy of the Top 4 in the English Premier League, with many fans applauding Ange Postecoglou for his management of yet another “siege” in his short time with the Club. Whilst the Australian coach is rightly celebrated for his tactics and recent performances, his greatest strength could be found when his team lose.
Since arriving in North London, Tottenham Hotspur’s new manager Ange Postecoglou has been winning plaudits across the Club, striking an almost messianic figure as he’s revolutionised Spurs’ style of play and introduced a tenacity about the team that’s been lacking in recent years.
From Pep Guardiola to David Moyes, rival managers have spoken with genuine affection for the way the Australian coach has conducted himself in just half a season, embodying the values that he preaches to his players at every opportunity to lead by example.
But it can be said that Postecoglou’s greatest strength can be found during some of the Club’s most disappointing moments in the Premier League this season; Postecgolou is teaching Tottenham fans how to lose.
A late hattrick by Chelsea’s summer signing Nicolas Jackson sealed a 4-1 defeat for Tottenham at the hands of their local rivals. Ange’s team, down to nine men after losing vice-captain Cristian Romero and young fullback Destiny Udogie to red cards, fought valiantly to not only stay in the game but press and attack with a ferocity that can only be attributed to an Ange Postecoglou team.
Some pundits called the Australian coach naive for sitting high up the pitch and leaving an abundance of space for their rival’s pacey forwards to run into.
RELATED: Ange Postecoglou Breaks Another Premier League Record To Take Tottenham Top
For an entire 45 minutes, Chelsea played ball after ball behind Tottenham’s makeshift defence, with the goalkeeper Vicario redefining the role of a Sweeper Keeper to swipe the ball from Chelsea on more than one occasion.
Ultimately, Postecoglou’s side lost, although you wouldn’t have thought it from the way that Tottenham fans were, rightfully, speaking about the team after the full-time whistle. They saw their side compete for the win even with the numerical disadvantage on the pitch; if it weren’t for a late miss from Club captain Heung-Min Son, the Tottenham faithful could have been celebrating a very different result at full-time.
Postecoglou, whose side remained one of the few sides to stay unbeaten at the start of the season, went on a disappointing run of four more games without a win, dropping points to Wolverhampton, Aston Villa, Manchester City and West Ham through November and December.
But it no longer felt as though any calamitous loss would derail the season in the same way it did during the forgotten eras of Mourinho and Antonio Conte. Back then, losses hung around the Club like a bad smell, spreading uncertainty throughout a team struggling to understand the coach’s defensive approach to football.
Each loss brought with it more toxicity within the Club, perpetuating the team’s poor form rather than encouraging the squad to turn its fortunes around.
The fans didn’t panic; the performances were still there. Postecoglou had, remarkably quickly, instilled an understanding with Tottenham’s fanbase of the type of football he wanted to play; he was uncompromising in his approach and defiant in defeat.
In just a short period, the Spurs fans and players have unreservedly bought into the Australian coach’s ethos and any loss feels like a just small blip in the road, rather than the exception that proved the rule.
Win, lose or draw, it’s clear that Ange Postecoglou is building something special at Tottenham Hotspur… and the fans love it.