On the Volley: Tottenham must ignore the media and trust Ange Postecoglu

Photo courtesy of Owen Humphreys/PA Wire

By Charlie DeMatteo

After this week’s disappointing North London Derby which saw Tottenham fall to arch-rivals Arsenal 1-0 at home, questions have continued to be asked over the job security of Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglu. Concerns began after Tottenham’s very first game of the season away at Leicester City where they squandered a one-goal lead and only came away with a draw in a game they dominated. The biggest critique? Spurs hadn’t learned from last year’s mistakes.

Last year, Ange’s first year in charge, Spurs started like a house on fire by winning eight of their first ten games and sitting atop the Premier League table. Not only were the results there, but they played scintillating attacking football that was blowing opponents away. However, as the season progressed and injuries crept into the picture, Postecoglu’s unwillingness to change his system despite personnel changes meant Spurs’ form began to drop off.

In a season that looked as if they were destined for a Champions League space, Spurs ultimately fell short and qualified for the Europa League instead. Coming into this season, hopes were high that Ange could build on a strong first year in England and continue to progress his team so that they could fight at the top of the table. Ange himself even came out in the press to say “In my second year, I win things.” A big ask for Spurs who have been trophyless since 2008.

While one win, one draw, and two losses don’t exactly read for pleasant viewing through four games, I think it’s unfair to be as harsh as the English media is being on Ange for the start to the season Tottenham have made.

In their opening fixture, Spurs were all over Leicester, creating chance after chance and suffocating the newly promoted team. What was worrying though, was that new signing Dominic Solanke and other attackers missed some chances to kill the game off after going 1-0 up, the same issue that plagued Spurs last season. By not taking their chances, Leicester and veteran Jamie Vardy were able to nick a goal in the second half and come away with a point.

Tottenham’s second game of the season against Everton, however, was a different story. Unlike the week before, Spurs put away all the chances they created through the quality football they played en route to a 4-0 thrashing of Sean Dyche’s team. A sign of what Ange’s squad is capable of.

However, Tottenham’s trip to Tyneside saw them struggle with similar issues against Eddie Howe and Newcastle. Similarly to the Leicester game, Spurs played some dazzling football but ended up losing 2-1 due to some poor Christian Romero defending and an inability to convert chances. Sound familiar?

That brings us to the Arsenal game. The last time these two teams met, Spurs’ aggressive and attacking style saw them go 3-0 down in the first half in an embarrassing display. They ended up nicking a couple of goals to make it respectable, but it was a dominant Arsenal display and a clear eyebrow-raiser in terms of Ange’s style.

This time around though, Spurs played Arsenal far closer than in recent months, and only a set-piece goal off of a corner was enough to separate the two teams. While many are piling on the criticism of Ange, I think the plaudits should really go to Arsenal and Mikel Arteta who managed a brilliant game without his two stars Martin Odegaard and Declan Rice.

Spurs’ poor form, and especially a loss in the North London Derby has made it easy for the media to question whether Ange should be concerned about his job security. But for me, if you look at the underlying performances and the results from last year, Ange’s job should be as secure as any in the league.

If you look at the football Spurs played last year, it was truly up there with the best in the league. Going forward, Spurs put teams to the sword like not even Man City and Arsenal were, they were ruthless. While I accept Ange has a tendency to be stubborn in his tactics, the tactics themselves are brilliant, and if Spurs can convert their chances, they will be right up at the top of the table this season.

With a club like Spurs trying to break through into the top four of the league, they have to play a brave style of football against teams who sit back against them. Does that make them vulnerable to counterattacks? Sure. But Arsenal Man City, and Liverpool all deal with that issue as well.

If owner Daniel Levy has any sense about him, he’ll continue to trust Ange and the football he can get this team playing as they look to clinch a Champions League place this season. Ange may be a bit stubborn and his style may be risky, but he’s the best chance Spurs have of competing for cup silverware and Champions League qualification.