I'm hoping we get an evolved, nuanced version.... Bielsa was his own worst enemy at Leeds in the end and by a similar token sometimes a point is good one.
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Management Ange Postecoglou
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I'm hoping we get an evolved, nuanced version.... Bielsa was his own worst enemy at Leeds in the end and by a similar token sometimes a point is good one.
That part in the above article about Ange knowing the names over everyone reminds me of a video Celtic put out for only his second or third training session where he already knew every player's name, including all the academy lads who were filling in for the International players still on holiday. The guy is on it.
His principles of fast, attacking play will always be there, however I do think he'll be just ever so slightly more circumspect given the level.
The truth is that Ange's Celtic were able to run over the top of teams in Scotland, given how dominant and relentless the system was. Challenging places to go like Aberdeen, Hearts and Livingston, where past managers have dropped many a point, became almost routine because once Angeball was in full swing, opponents could barely get up the pitch. So that unrelenting attacking approach was absolutely the right way to go about it in that particular league.
Obviously the Premier League will be a lot different and I expect Ange's approach to reflect that, albeit not straying far from his core beliefs.
One of the developments that came over time at Celtic was that he gave the players more autonomy in deciding how to respond to different scenarios in games. Like one time Celtic had a 3-0 lead over Rangers at halftime, and rather than continuing the typical high tempo press, the side sat back, defended quite deep and played on the break much more than usual.
Similarly, despite playing out from the back being a key feature of Celtic's game, there was a match where Hearts were determined to press very aggressively, so almost from kick off Celtic were playing longer balls over the top and into the channels to open them up. So he does adapt within the general framework of the system.
I‘m worried I may have acquired some rose tinted glasses, but that training session at the end seems way faster and more aggressive than recent years
Sounds suspiciously like there’s some actual coaching going on too. Love it.
Definitely a risk that we suffer from that right now.I‘m worried I may have acquired some rose tinted glasses, but that training session at the end seems way faster and more aggressive than recent years
Sounds suspiciously like there’s some actual coaching going on too. Love it.
It'd be really great to know from a player if/how the training is differing from coaching under Conte. The problem we have at the moment is that everything coming out of the camp will likely be sweetness and light (the club PR team will let Alasdair Gold know certain things, including on tour) and players will understandably be wanting to praise Ange publicly to stay in his plans.
What about the automations that half our idiotic fans were obsessed about Conte?
Definitely a risk that we suffer from that right now.
It'd be really great to know from a player if/how the training is differing from coaching under Conte. The problem we have at the moment is that everything coming out of the camp will likely be sweetness and light (the club PR team will let Alasdair Gold know certain things, including on tour) and players will understandably be wanting to praise Ange publicly to stay in his plans.
That's just the fan/media/player/club relationship in general.... It's anything but exclusive to Spurs...... Even player tweets are media managed... There's not trusting anything to be raw, uncut reality anyway.
If things feel positive right now, don't stress it; just roll with it..... Results will always provide the cold light of day eventually.
Aye. Note that it's taken this long for the Conte dirty laundry to really start airing (thanks, Richarlison).
Correct, but in one respect the camera doesn’t lie….I’m just so happy to see something different from those endless Conte rondos.
That worked well for Wendy as well didn't it?
I'll wait to see us play under him before getting excited. Tactical flexibility with Celtic means fuck all when it's the football equivalent of shooting ducks in a barrel.
I think we’ll see adjustments to the press at different times in matches and against different teams.
Ange typically only sits in a low block when the ball is processed into the attacking teams 1/2 to final 1/3.
However he can implement a mid block or press rather than full pitch press. Over time this will evolve to really pick the moments to press depending on the situation created and where the ball and players are. Lure them into the trap.
The players will be given this responsibility on when to press over time. Don’t expect to see a constant press in the opposition box no matter the situation.
The numbers committed to the press, and the zones they are in will vary.
Ange typically only sits in a low block when the ball is processed into the attacking teams 1/2 to final 1/3.
However he can implement a mid block or press rather than full pitch press. Over time this will evolve to really pick the moments to press depending on the situation created and where the ball and players are. Lure them into the trap.
The players will be given this responsibility on when to press over time. Don’t expect to see a constant press in the opposition box no matter the situation.
The numbers committed to the press, and the zones they are in will vary.
Ange Postecoglou impresses in first week – now for Harry Kane meeting
“I love to win mate,” Ange Postecoglou said with that Aussie twang — but before the winning comes the work. Postecoglou said all the right things in his introdu
www.thetimes.co.uk
“I love to win mate,” Ange Postecoglou said with that Aussie twang — but before the winning comes the work.
Postecoglou said all the right things in his introduction as Tottenham Hotspur’s new head coach, engaging with the kind of PR basics that were so doggedly ignored by Antonio Conte. He talked about playing “exciting football” again, about “we” and “making memorable moments”. He spoke about the responsibility of leading a “massive club with great history”.
But first, reality. After holidays in Dubai, Ibiza and Miami, Tottenham’s early returners landed back in Enfield to drizzling rain last Saturday while Postecoglou got a first look at some early problems to solve. In walked Tanguy Ndombele wearing a white handbag and sunglasses — can he be a Premier League midfielder? Yves Bissouma offered a thumbs up — was that disappointing debut season a one-off? Pedro Porro was chatting to Sergio Reguilón — can either of them really play in a back four?
With the international players, Harry Kane included, not back until next week, Postecoglou’s first seven days in the job represented a chance to meet the less established group, a mix of youngsters and those on the fringes of Conte’s underperforming side last season. Most of all, this was a chance for Postecoglou to make his mark.
Meetings were held with the squad as a whole and various club departments, with Postecoglou making clear what he wants and expects from his staff. The Australian outlined his commitment to high standards and promised that his own beliefs would never change. “He was personable and polite, but clear,” an insider who attended one of the meetings said. “The main takeaway is you’re either on board or you’re not. He’s not going to pander to anyone.”
Conte was uncompromising too when it came to his approach but the similarities end there. Postecoglou, 57, has been noticeably “visible” all week, talking to staff at all levels and showing a genuine interest in people’s work. Conversations are brisk and low on small-talk, but genuine. The fact that Postecoglou knows so many people’s names has made a positive impression.
He has also given staff room to breathe, with departments close to the first team, such as medical, sports science and analysis, already noticing how the new head coach is trusting them to get on with their jobs. It has been noted how Postecoglou recognises the value of experts in every field. He does not see it as his job to micro-manage them or interfere.
Tanganga, left, and Ndombele, right, are among the players being assessed by Postecoglou during his first week at Hotspur Way
JAVIER GARCIA/TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR/SHUTTERSTOCK
Sessions so far have been focused more on sharpness and fitness than tactics, with Postecoglou’s assistants, Chris Davies, Ryan Mason, Matt Wells and Mile Jedinak, allowed to take charge of drills. Postecoglou usually prefers to keep a distance, watching on quietly from the side while his coaching team carry out the specific plan for the day. He aims for 60 to 70-minute sessions, to replicate the time the ball is in play during a 90-minute match.
Unlike Mauricio Pochettino, José Mourinho and Conte, Postecoglou has not brought a coaching entourage with him to Hotspur Way. Davies has joined after spells at Liverpool and Celtic among others, along with Jedinak, the former Australia and Crystal Palace captain, who was working with the youth teams at Aston Villa. Postecoglou is leaning on the knowledge and experience of Mason — who ended last season as interim head coach — and Wells, who have both stayed on as assistant coaches.
“It’s well chronicled that I don’t have a travelling band, I like to work with new people,” Postecoglou said. “That excites me and challenges me as a person. I’ve got a really good mix.”
Postecoglou has spoken to the whole squad before and after sessions, and a key message at the start of the week centred on opportunities. Postecoglou has never forgotten how frustrated he felt when waiting for his big chance in coaching and when he was finally hired by Brisbane Roar in 2009, he resolved to give players as many opportunities as possible to impress. It was a message that was welcomed by Tottenham’s early returners, many of whom have uncertain futures. This time last year, Ndombele — the club’s record signing when he joined for £55 million in 2019 — was training on his own under Conte. Postecoglou wants to offer everyone a clean slate.
Bissouma, left with Emerson Royal, has shown plenty of competitive spirit in training
ALEX MORTON/TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR FC/SHUTTERSTOCK
The players were back on the grass on Sunday and there have been a combination of single and double sessions this week. While the idea has been to increase the workload gradually, there has been no lack of competitive edge. On Tuesday, a jubilant Bissouma wanted to pose for a photo with his winning seven-a-side team but Japhet Tanganga took exception to the excessive celebrations. He pointed out how Bissouma had been a sore loser only the day before.
While a significant number of Postecoglou’s squad are still on holiday, he has already spoken on the phone with key players and new signings. James Maddison, whose partner gave birth to twins, Delilah and Rome, on Monday, got a call from Postecoglou while Spurs were finalising his £40 million move from Leicester City last week. Maddison was particularly impressed by the confidence of his new manager.
“He said one thing to me on the call, I hope he won’t mind me saying this, but he said, ‘Whether you come or not, you’re going to see a completely different Spurs team under me’, and that kind of stuck with me that he said that,” Maddison said. “I thought, ‘Wow there’s that same self-belief that I’ve got in myself.’ ”
Postecoglou is known for finding the right words to motivate different personalities, and if Maddison was taken with his new manager’s belief, Guglielmo Vicario, the goalkeeper signed from Empoli, heard about their shared history of overcoming adversity.
As well as telling Vicario how his bravery makes him the perfect fit for his attacking style, Postecoglou assured the 26-year-old that he was picked in preference to other targets because of his resilience. Postecoglou spoke to Son Heung-min too, a player in need of rejuvenation. He joked with the South Korean about his late equaliser against Australia, then managed by Postecoglou, in the 2015 Asian Cup final.
Kane, the subject of interest from Bayern, is due back in training early next week
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR FC VIA GETTY IMAGES
That ability to communicate clearly, positively and in a way that resonates was hugely influential when the club decided to hire Postecoglou in June. He is not a chummy coach. He deliberately maintains distance from players and prefers to keep interactions short. But the club believe his charisma can be an important asset in restoring unity. On Wednesday, Postecoglou held a virtual Q&A with supporters around the world and on Monday, he will conduct his first press conference, before Tottenham travel to Australia for the start of their pre-season tour.
Postecoglou’s biggest speech is still to come. Kane is due back early next week, with his future up in the air and Bayern Munich circling. Tottenham have offered their all-time record goalscorer a new contract but for now, the 29-year-old wants to keep his options open.
Keeping Kane has obvious appeal for Postecoglou but if the striker refuses to sign a new deal, the uncertainty and speculation will drag on. Conte showed last season how a lack of commitment can fester. Postecoglou’s second week could be even more important.
I think he has only used the 'p' word once, too. Get rid!!I dunno, no mention of a philosophy or process? I've got my doubts already...
I was saying the exact same thing to some friends of mine, he gets what it means to the supporters.
I think he has only used the 'p' word once, too. Get rid!!
Perryman?
What time is the press conference tomorrow? I'm clearing my almost clear diary.