How Ange Postecoglou Has Already Fixed Tottenham
Despite losing Harry Kane to Bayern Munich, Tottenham have started the Premier League season in spectacular form with wins over Manchester United, Burnley, and Bournemouth.
The reason? A talented manager in Ange Postecoglou, who has gotten a team of talented players to quickly get to grips with an exciting new style of play.
The reason? A talented manager in Ange Postecoglou, who has gotten a team of talented players to quickly get to grips with an exciting new style of play.
Transcript
00:00 Goodaimight, my name's Adam Cleary from 442 and I promise that's the only Australian
00:08 accent I'm doing in this video.
00:11 Now at the risk of embarrassing him ever so slightly, I just want to quickly show you
00:14 what my colleague Ryan Dabbs said about Tottenham in our craziest predictions video.
00:26 And while he no doubt feels very silly now, that's not there to shame him because I think
00:30 a lot of people were of the opinion that having just lost Harry Kane, Spurs were in for a
00:35 really really difficult season.
00:36 But I mean, certainly doesn't look like it does it.
00:39 They go into the international break on 10 points just behind Man City, unbeaten in the
00:44 league, they've scored 11 times, they've barely conceded from open play.
00:49 Just easy innit?
00:50 And you can sum up precisely how this has happened in one word.
00:54 FOOTBALL!
00:56 Oh and just really quick before we start, we've got a sponsor today!
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01:06 Right yes, so Tottenham appointed Ange Postakoglou, you know that bit already, and he arrived
01:10 from Celtic with a really clearly defined footballing ideology and the question was,
01:15 can he make that work in the Premier League?
01:17 Because and Tottenham fans should not forget this, there was quite a lot of sniffiness
01:22 about him getting this job.
01:23 "Oh dear, well playing this sort of attacking football might get you results against St
01:28 Mirren my friend, but you're not going to get away with that in His Majesty's Barclays
01:32 Premier League."
01:33 At the risk of making this video too self-referential, you may remember we did a video here on the
01:37 channel about why we thought Postakoglou's appointment at Spurs could actually be perfect
01:43 for them.
01:44 And in it we said that Tottenham fans should expect to see a really aggressive, really
01:47 attacking style of football, a central striker who pushes defenders back, wide players who
01:51 maintain the width, then these two eights who sort of double up as creative tens but
01:55 also go and join in with the centre forward when there's an opportunity, the midfield
01:59 gets all the way up, the two full backs invert either into sort of the half space or just
02:03 behind the midfield, and the defenders just sit on the halfway line.
02:07 And lo and behold, if you look at Tottenham in any single game this season, whether they're
02:11 in their own build-up phase or whether they're trying to create stuff in the attacking third,
02:15 you can see this shape, you can see these hallmarks of Ange Ball.
02:19 The wide players you can see here, they hold their width which stretches out the defence
02:24 and creates the space for the midfield as you can see here, either they join in or they
02:27 sit in that pocket.
02:29 And the full backs you can see are inverted, they're playing in the centre, they are helping
02:33 with the build-up.
02:34 And also, I mean, just look at how high the f***ing line is here!
02:37 It's an absolutely insane way to play your football.
02:40 And it's genuinely just like so impressive, not only how quickly Postakoglou has got these
02:44 players to buy into this philosophy, but how effective they've already become at implementing
02:49 it.
02:50 Like I know Tottenham fans will not want reminding just how turgid and miserable the watch they
02:54 were for really long parts of last season, but already this campaign, if we look at the
02:59 numbers, they play great stuff.
03:01 Like they're so on the front foot, they are currently second in the league for the number
03:04 of tackles made in the attacking third, they're second in the league for the number of high
03:08 turnovers they've made in the attacking third, they're second in the league for the number
03:12 of shots they've got from high turnovers.
03:15 And they're so incisive and neat and just deadly with their interplay, they're second
03:18 bottom in the league for the number of long passes, that's any pass that goes like over
03:23 30 yards.
03:24 They're just doing everything so just nicely.
03:27 These are the best stats of all though if you're a Tottenham fan, they lead the league
03:30 in terms of progressive carries, that's any time a player gets on the ball and progresses
03:35 it nearer to the opposition goal.
03:37 So not putting your foot on it, not passing it back, not looking for an easy option, but
03:41 getting on it and thinking, me, yes, I will make this happen.
03:44 They're the top team in the league for that.
03:46 And just to really drill this down, they are second in the league for the number of those
03:49 progressive carries that end in the final third, and they are top of the league for
03:54 the number of those progressive carries that end in the penalty area.
03:57 Basically, there is no team in the Premier League right now that is going at you as hard
04:02 and as frequently as Tottenham Hotspur.
04:05 And it's startling really just how well this brand of football has translated into the
04:10 Premier League.
04:11 Like Tottenham are scoring almost identical goals this season that Celtic have been doing
04:15 for the last two years.
04:16 Like we already discussed it in that video, looking at everything Man United did wrong
04:19 in the Tottenham game.
04:20 But one of the best examples of how this system functions is in that Sar goal.
04:25 Like fundamentally, the role of the wide players is to hold the width as often as possible
04:29 to stretch out the defence.
04:30 You can see when Kulishevsky receives the ball here, he's just been left in miles of
04:34 space on the touchline.
04:35 This absolutely panics Manchester United because they've compacted too much.
04:38 They've got to try and get out to him.
04:39 It disorganises the defence.
04:41 And the role of Richarlison here is really important.
04:44 You would think as a goal scorer, your first thought should be, right, where can I find
04:47 the space?
04:48 Who can I peel off the back of?
04:49 Where can I put myself to get the optimum chance of scoring goal?
04:52 But he doesn't do that because that's not his job.
04:54 Instead, Richarlison makes sure he is mirroring Kulishevsky's run.
04:57 He pushes the Manchester United defence towards the near post.
05:01 Now, if the ball does come to him, he'll try and get on it and he'll try and score.
05:04 But he's not doing that.
05:05 His job is to create the space behind him, which he does.
05:08 And this is partly why we did that video on Man United's problems rather than what was
05:12 so good about Tottenham, because they do actually recognise that situation.
05:16 And you see Casemiro, he fills in the hole that's been left by Richarlison pulling the
05:21 defenders away.
05:22 Now, Man United are actually set up reasonably well to defend against Angebal in this situation.
05:27 But what's been so impressive about what he's done with these players is the buy-in he's
05:31 got from them, the determination they've got and how eager they are to score goals using
05:36 this system.
05:37 So you can see that even though Sarra's outnumbered here and there should be three players who
05:40 can pick him up, he's the only one who makes that driving run into the box to get on the
05:45 end of that and get the goal.
05:47 Because that's the most important thing about Angebal that people forget.
05:50 It isn't just systems and shapes and numbers on a spreadsheet.
05:53 It's like a mentality thing.
05:54 You've got to want to play this way.
05:57 You've got to be really enthusiastic about the prospect of running so much you're physically
06:01 sick if it does get you a 2-0 win.
06:04 And as we've demonstrated, the reason it's Sarra that scores that goal, the reason Man
06:07 United should know to defend against this is because once the attacking player creates
06:11 a space, pulls the defenders away, then it's one of these 2-8s that are free to go and
06:16 join in with that attack.
06:17 Like even in the Brentford game, would you ever have expected to see Oliver Skipp arriving
06:23 as a centre-forward in this shape?
06:25 But that's the job of those 2-8s.
06:27 When they see the opportunity to go and play with the centre-forward to double up with
06:31 them, they have to go and do that.
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08:08 in his own half.
08:10 Now back to the video.
08:11 Now if you're not a Spurs fan, you're sitting there thinking, "Hang on, my team plays 4-3-3,
08:16 why don't we always have our 2-8s arriving late into the box?
08:20 Why aren't they that attacking?
08:21 Why do they actually just play as midfielders?"
08:23 And that's because of the inverted fullbacks.
08:25 As you can see here in the buildup, that's exactly where you would expect your 2-8s to
08:29 be, but oh, no surprise, it's actually Tottenham's fullbacks.
08:32 Opta's pass map's a really good illustration of this, because if you look at the Man United
08:36 set up, you can very clearly see the 4-3-3 they were set up in.
08:39 Here is the back four, and here is the midfield three, and here are the three attackers.
08:45 Like that looks about right, that's what you'd expect.
08:47 But bear in mind, Tottenham were theoretically playing in the exact same shape as Man United,
08:51 right?
08:52 Look at this.
08:53 Here's the back four, and while the first thing that might jump out to you is simply
08:56 high up the pitch, Udoge is, look at how narrow both him and Poro are.
09:00 Remember, these are average positions across the course of the game, so they will have
09:04 done the defending in wide areas.
09:06 So to still be this narrow on the average map means they're spending a huge amount of
09:10 time in the centre of the pitch.
09:11 The midfield three is absolutely perfect, but crucially, both Sar and Maddison are playing
09:16 on average about as high up the pitch as Richarlison, meaning that they are not afraid to get up
09:21 and support him, and likewise he isn't afraid to drop off if that's where he's going to
09:24 create the space.
09:25 But this brings me very neatly to the one thing I think is kind of going underappreciated
09:29 about this system.
09:30 If you look at this pass map, you can actually see the main problem with it, the reason that
09:36 it shouldn't actually work.
09:38 Both Kulishevsky and Son are way, way, way too narrow for a team playing orange ball.
09:45 That is not where he wants his wide players to be.
09:48 Now it's understandable, of course, because Son and Kulishevsky are two incredibly talented
09:52 wide attackers who want to get on the ball out wide or at least start there, but they
09:56 want to move in towards the goal.
09:58 They want to be playing in and around the box.
10:00 And that is the problem Tottenham should be having, because the system lives or dies by
10:03 the wide player's ability to stretch the defence.
10:06 Now we saw for the goal, it worked really well.
10:08 Kulishevsky was in the right position, but fortunately for him, the space mine United
10:12 left allowed him to just charge into the box and do what he wanted to do.
10:16 Tottenham should be having these attacks break down because their wide players aren't holding
10:21 their way.
10:22 But these attacks aren't breaking down and it is working absolutely perfectly and they're
10:25 scoring loads and loads of goals doing it.
10:27 And the reason for that, James Madison.
10:31 Now the role of James Madison in this eighth position is, as we've discussed, it's to push
10:35 up, it's to support the attacker, but also if the space is slightly in the pocket to
10:38 then drop off and be creative, to find little passing triangles with the wide player or
10:43 with the underlapping fullback or with the centre forward to do that.
10:47 That's what an orange ball eight does.
10:49 And also crucially, if the chance avails itself, as we can see here in the Bournemouth game,
10:53 to make the run.
10:54 If you see the space that a centre forward has vacated, get into it and score the goal.
10:59 But again, this goal is another perfect example of how this system works.
11:02 With Charleston and Sarr, they both drag the defenders out into this channel.
11:06 Basuma gets the ball.
11:08 He does a progressive carry towards goal because that's what they all want to do.
11:11 That creates a space.
11:13 Madison is really aware of what's going on.
11:15 He gets him behind the defender and he's through.
11:17 He's in effect a central midfielder in this system, but he's not afraid to make a run
11:21 into the centre forward area because sometimes it will just open up for him.
11:25 So he does the two jobs he's supposed to do really, really well.
11:28 But the reason this system is working, the reason spurs are so dangerous right now is
11:33 because it has created a third job, which should be a problem, but he is dealing with
11:38 so well, it is making the system sing.
11:41 Mano Solomon receives the ball on the left hand side.
11:44 He is another one of Spurs wide attackers who can go down the line, who can go either
11:48 way, but really wants to, if he's being honest with himself, move towards goal, get on his
11:53 right foot and do what he was doing at Fulham.
11:55 Now this should create a problem for Tottenham because he is on the ball and he is about
11:59 to move into an area that Madison is already in, that Son will feel comfortable dropping
12:03 into and that the fullback may be making an underlapping run into.
12:07 It should just be a mess.
12:08 He should crowd it out.
12:10 But the second he gets on the ball, James Madison realises what is going on and he forgets
12:16 about doing what he wants to do.
12:18 Because obviously he's a 10, he's an attacking midfielder, he's dying to receive that pass
12:22 in that area and be the creative one, get a shot at goal or play somebody in.
12:25 He forgets about all that and he remembers the space.
12:28 He makes this darting run into the wide area that Solomon has elected not to go into and
12:33 that immediately accomplishes three really important things.
12:37 First off, obviously it leaves the room so Solomon can actually travel into it, meaning
12:41 he's not going to get lost in traffic.
12:42 It drags a defender away to make his job that much easier when he gets there and crucially
12:47 he then occupies the wide space which not only makes him a suitable person to receive
12:52 a pass if it all breaks down, but also it keeps stretching that defence.
12:57 If they were all in the centre of the pitch, they could then get compact and the whole
13:01 thing wouldn't work.
13:02 Just never mind how technically good James Madison is.
13:06 You know already how good he is on the ball.
13:08 He's contributing goals, he's contributing assists.
13:10 The most important thing he's doing for this team right now is how just well he understands
13:16 what they're all trying to do and how willing he is to be the one to fill the little gap
13:21 or make the extra run or take himself out of a situation.
13:25 That's worth so much more.
13:27 I know that might sound like a weird thing to say, like, "Always off the ball runs are
13:31 more important than Tottenham" and slamming one in from 30 yards.
13:34 But just think about last season.
13:36 They had one player who worked really well every single week and a system that fundamentally
13:41 didn't, and it was miserable.
13:43 Now they've got a player like James Madison who will occasionally be the shining light
13:46 in this system, but is also willing to take himself out of it when circumstances demand.
13:52 And that's how you have a big season.
13:55 Not by having one or two players have personally strong campaigns, but getting proper buy-in
14:00 and understanding from a talented team playing a philosophy that the rest of the league are
14:06 really struggling to keep up with.
14:08 So it is only early days, yet they've only played four games, and I'm sure people would
14:12 say that the Man United fixture aside, they've been fairly kind opening games, but the signs
14:18 are there.
14:19 The signs are there that Tottenham could absolutely f*** this season.
14:23 It's almost as if, I don't know, when people talk about coaches having the right pedigree
14:27 and elite experience and things like that, almost like that's nowhere near as important
14:31 as just having the right personality fit for a club and a bunch of players, so they'll
14:37 all buy into what you're trying to do and it'll work really effectively.
14:42 Almost like that, but I mean, what do I know?
14:44 I mean, if Antonio Conte couldn't get a tune out of this team and Jose Mourinho couldn't
14:48 get a tune out of this team, who can get a tune out of this team?
14:52 Oh God, I don't know, maybe this guy, who a few talk sport pundits might not personally
14:57 rate and think is a weird appointment, but is at least going to try and play a song that
15:01 they all f***ing like and can understand.
15:03 So yeah, that's why Tottenham are just all of a sudden the best team to watch in the
15:06 Premier League, and unless you're an Arsenal fan or something, you should probably be secretly
15:11 rooting for them.
15:12 Now that's enough from me, but if you did enjoy this video, I know I say it every time,
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15:27 think there's the potential that one could be good down the line.
15:30 Yeah.
15:31 In the meantime though, you can grab me on Twitter @adamcleary, C-L-E-R-Y.
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15:45 Bye!