Ange Postecoglou advanced his case to the last. And it was a measure not only of his ability to own the narrative, to master it, but his body of work at Tottenham that he was able to do so with such conviction.
The manager was charged with three tasks when he was given the job in June 2023. To overhaul the team’s playing style, essentially to make them more entertaining. To reboot the squad with an emphasis on youth. And to win. Actually, there was a fourth, which talked to pretty much everything. To reshape the culture around the club, unifying everyone behind a cause, an identity.
The way that Postecoglou told it and will continue to tell it as he processes how he has becomethe latest statistic of the Daniel Levy erais he delivered on the principle three. And, despite all the external negativity, he struck a telling blow at the very end in the battle to tick the final box.
Ange-ball was a breath of fresh air at Spurs, the counterpoint to the counterattacking of the previous three managers – José Mourinho, Nuno Espírito Santo and Antonio Conte. The club’s fans want their team to play on the front foot, to take chances and there is no doubt that Postecoglou has the same vision. It is how he always looks to set up, with pace and aggression, the change showcased to wide eyes from his first match – the pre‑season friendly against West Ham in Australia. The difference to what had been before was radical.
Postecoglou bought into the selection policy, the bets on players with high ceilings for improvement, even if he knew that moving on a good number of experienced ones,starting with Harry Kane, was a risk. In a sense the approach has represented Levy going back to what he has long believed in. A part of Postecoglou’s legacy is the successful promotion of a host of young signings – including Micky van de Ven, Lucas Bergvall, Archie Gray and Brennan Johnson. You can also include Destiny Udogie, who was new to the squad when Postecoglou arrived and also Pape Sarr, who had not played much for the team.
The most robust pillar of Postecoglou’s legacy is, of course, what he and the team achieved in the Europa League,beating Manchester United in the finalin Bilbao to draw a thick line under the club’s 17-year trophy drought. It was so much more than Postecoglou making good on his “I always win things in my second season” comment.
The triumph brought a mass outpouring of emotion among supporters who have been mocked without mercy by their rivals in London and beyond. For those that made it to Bilbao, in particular, it was the night that will live for ever in their hearts. It has lifted a weight from the club, breaking a cycle that had almost become self-perpetuating, providing a riposte to the pundits who, as Postecoglou would have it, are quick to lead the pile-ons; to all of those who do.
Elite-level football is about the do-or-die moments. One result really can change perceptions, how a club feels about itself; the same with people on the outside. Thanks to Postecoglou, Spurs can call themselves winners. They have even kicked down the backdoor into the Champions League. So, how has Levy made this decision, one that has triggered the inevitable backlash? Trust him to sack a manager who has actually won. It is because Levy does not like winners. It is not who Spurs are, mate.
Here is the thing. When Levy weighed up the case against Postecoglou, he found that – weirdly, uniquely – it also carried an irresistible strength. The chair loved Bilbao. He is grateful to Postecoglou for it. But what Levy wants is more than a one-punch knockout. Consider the line in his programme notes from thelast game of the season against Brighton.
“The Europa League is one trophy – our clear ambition as a club has always been long-term, sustained success … competing for top honours every year,” he wrote.
For the majority of his tenure, Postecoglou sung from the same hymn sheet. He said that a cup victory would not be a “panacea”. Consistency in the Premier League was the priority. Do that and the rest would take care of itself. He changed his tune from around the turn of the year, a shift born out of circumstance – specifically an injury-hit squad being unable to fight on multiple fronts.
Postecoglou would put everything on the Europa League, coming to rest and rotate for it; an all-or-nothing gamble, which he felt paid off handsomely. And yet – as even he admitted – not everyone at the club was happy with the strategy.
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In the final analysis, Levy was unable to look beyond the league form and the sample size was huge. After Postecoglou made a thrilling start to his tenure, winning eight and drawing two of 10 league matches, his record in the competition read: P66 W23 D9 L34 Pts 78. Do the sums and it is 45 points per 38 games, the length of a season. This time out, Spurs collected just 38 points to limp home in 17th. Only once in their history have they had a worse record – in 1914-15 when they won eight and drew 12 of 38 matches.
In the Europa League knockout rounds, Postecoglou’s team beat AZ, Eintracht Frankfurt, Bodø/ Glimt and the worst version of United since 1973-74 according to league statistics. In the cold light of day, Levy concluded that the run could not make up for the consistent vulnerability in the league.
He looked past Postecoglou’s assertion that 17th was a false position because of the bet on Europe; it was unacceptable, a failure to balance the demands. How could Levy be confident that Postecoglou would manage better in a Champions League season? Furthermore, were the injuries not a consequence of his full-throttle approach?
Whither Ange-ball? It was to Postecoglou’s credit that he rowed back on some of his fundamentals – most notably in the Europa League. One of the defining images of his tenure was inthe early weeks against Chelseawhen, despite two red cards, he ordered all of his remaining outfield players to hold a defensive line on halfway. That seems like a long time ago, as did the giddy praise for such derring-do. Equally, we did not see much of the fast and incisive stuff in his closing months.
“Are you not entertained?” Postecoglou once memorably asked, channelling his inner Gladiator. Yes, Ange, we were. The English game has lost a compelling character.