As the Premier League pauses for the first international break of this season, we look at what the UK press are saying about Aussie boss Ange Postecoglou following a strong start that sees his Spurs side sitting second on the table.
Ange Postecoglou has been serenaded by Tottenham fans, far and wide. A full-time chant also proves just how quickly Postecoglou fever has taken hold at Spurs.
“We’ve got our Tottenham back, we’ve got our Tottenham back!,” has echoed out from Tottenham fans this season.
Spurs are only four games into the Premier League season, yet Postecoglou’s side are unbeaten. The Australian legend has brought attacking football back to the club. He has also lifted the sombre mood that was left behind by Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte, restoring the feel-good factor.
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A winner wherever he has been – South Melbourne, Brisbane Roar, the Socceroos, Yokohama F.Marinos and Celtic, the 58-year-old hasn’t just endeared himself to the Tottenham supporter base. He has become box-office entertainment when it comes to press conferences and media responsibilities.
Journalists, for now, love him and his demeanour.
On the Daily Mail’s new podcast, ‘It’s All Kicking Off’, Football Editor and host alongside former Celtic striker Chris Sutton, Ian Ladyman said: “We think our favourite coach this season is probably big Ange Postecoglou.”
He continued: “The way Postecoglou sits at those press conferences, leaning forward on his elbows. Just engaging but you know that something is coming back your way if you get something wrong as a journalist.
“I love that about him.”
‘Seduced everybody at the club’
It is a view shared across London and the UK at the moment.
Daniel Levy turned to Mourinho and Conte previously – high-profile coaches but both with different approaches, not only to how football is played but how they deal with the media.
Postecoglou, coming off a treble-winning season at Scottish giants Celtic, has been a “breath of fresh air” in London, where he has transformed the way Spurs play.
“From a London-based point of view, Ange has been great with everybody. The club, the tea ladies, the young players, the other managers, everybody at the club loves him,” esteemed football journalist Julien Laurens said on The Optus Sport Football Podcast.
“He’s that kind of guy. He’s such a fun guy, he’s so warm. And then with the media as well, some of the press conferences have been brilliant because he talks about football, but he also talks like if he was your mate at the pub.
“It would have been such a shame for him, and he would have never changed anyway, but imagine if he thought, ‘Okay, I’m going to Spurs now, maybe I need to behave a little bit differently or be different’, but no, he’s himself and that’s great.
“And to be fair, he seduced everybody at the club and won them over if you want, although that’s maybe not the right word. But also the media, the people who are coming to watch Spurs, who work on Spurs or cover Spurs, all of that, he’s been really a breath of fresh air. He’s been great so far.”
It is a far cry from the days of Mourinho and Conte, who had arrived amid such hype.
But both departed with Tottenham struggling for an identity and for form. In Conte’s case, Levy wielded the axe in March after the Italian’s savage rant at the chairman and the club’s trophy record.
At the time of their appointments, it was seen as a shock that Mourinho – who had previously led Manchester United, Real Madrid, Chelsea and Inter- and ex-Inter, Italy and Juventus boss Conte would take on the Spurs role.
Former Tottenham midfielder and head coach Tim Sherwood said after the 5-2 rout of Burnley: “They’ve got a manger now at Tottenham who is not doing Tottenham a favour by being there, someone who really appreciates the opportunity to manage a huge club.
“He’s an unassuming guy, I really like his character. The players obviously really like him, they’ve took to him.”
He oozes charisma
Postecoglou inherited a team that missed out on European football last season, and while there was a blip in the Carabao Cup – Spurs were eliminated on penalties by Fulham after nine changes to the starting XI – there has been clear progress.
Tottenham are second in the Premier League standings, only two points behind defending champions Manchester City.
Spurs have scored 11 goals in four games, a tally only bettered by Brighton and Hove Albion, while they have only conceded three times.
Only Harry Redknapp (12 in 09-10) has more Premier League points after four games for Tottenham than Postecoglou (10).
“Everybody is excited but they had this type of early success in the campaign before as well and after a while, they started dropping points,” ex-Spurs striker Dimitar Berbatov told Football London. “And I’m like: ‘What is going on?’
“So now everybody is excited and you can see the new coach ooze charisma and everybody likes him. Me as well. I think the team likes him as well and they’re playing for him too. They’re playing attacking football, entertaining football, the fans will like and enjoy this.
“So I hope they continue in this way and again, be smart when you need to be smart. If you need to play ugly from time to time, you need to know how to get the points as well. This is here in your head. But at the moment, everything is going their way.
“Although they lost against Fulham in the cup, which I was watching and thinking: ‘Guys this is a chance for that trophy that everybody is bothering you about’.”
Making Spurs his own
Postecoglou hasn’t been afraid to make changes since swapping Glasgow for north London.
While all-time leading goalscorer Harry Kane opted for a new challenge at Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich, the Aussie trailblazer made the decision to part with Davinson Sanchez, Tanguy Ndombele and Sergio Reguilon (albeit on loan to Manchester United).
Long-serving captain and goalkeeper Hugo Lloris has been absent following the arrival of Guglielmo Vicario from Italy. Postecoglou was also looking to offload Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg but a deal did not materialise before the deadline.
Eric Dier is also a notable outcast. The England defender, who played 33 Premier League games last season, has not featured in any of Postecoglou’s matchday squads in 2023-24.
Out of contract at the end of the campaign, he had been linked with a move away but he remains at Spurs.
And according to The Telegraph, Dier held a “frank conversation” with Levy about the situation.
