Never alter who you are, Ange Postecoglou. Never, ever alter. Not that he will, even though there were times during this emotional rollercoaster against Manchester City when it seemed like TV pundits and Tottenham Hotspur supporters were about to lose it.
Demands on social media for Postecoglou to put the brake on, close shop, park the bus, and play it more defensive in an effort to hang on and grind out a draw were rife. However, that is not going to occur, buddy. Never will I.
As the well-known old song goes, “Glory, glory Tottenham Hotspur,” but Spurs have never had a manager who is so ardently committed to both the romantic ideal and the team motto, “To Dare is to Do,” in the modern era. Given the unique sound this team is producing, he might even switch to didgeridoo for the Aussie.
While it is true that Postecoglou substituted defensive midfielder Oliver Skipp in the 79th minute, right before Spurs conceded again, this did not alter his team’s strategy, merely its form. They persisted as always in spite of the situation, and they were rewarded with a dramatic late equalizer (3-3).
City will ultimately feel defrauded. They were clearly and rightfully incensed at referee Simon Hooper’s heinous decision to sound the whistle and grant them a free kick following Erling Haaland’s foul, but more importantly, at his continuing play and subsequent release of Jack Grealish, who found himself free on goal.
Although City’s third straight draw has seen them concede eight goals along the way, the result blows open the Premier League title race and revives Spurs’ hopes of finishing in the top four at a time when faith in “Ange-ball” was beginning to erode due to results compounded by a crippling injury list. However, they probably did not deserve to win.
Postecoglou would have suffered his fourth consecutive loss if he had lost, but he remained the same in spite of the situation and the alternatives that others would have taken. Not even close. And so, good fortune favored the courageous.
Not just Spurs but the entire Premier League is fortunate to have him. This is the main objective of football. We adore the game for this reason. More power to the two of them; Pep Guardiola won’t alter either. That’s the reason we were treated to such a show; to such a Super Sunday.
Guardiola and Postecoglou both recently stated, “I don’t know any other way,” but that is not entirely accurate. The main point is that, to their credit, neither of them has any faith in the long-term benefits of an alternative.
How Postecoglou’s strategy is truly commendable. The fact that Chelsea lost 4-1 at home as a result of his high-defensive line with just nine players on the field was mocked by some, but that optimism gave rise to the idea that this matchup with the champions would never end.
Not even in the ninetieth minute when Dejan Kulusevski demonstrated the will and motivation to rise to meet Brennan Johnson’s cross, deflecting the ball off his shoulder and into the goal off the crossbar, in order to secure this victory and vindicate the manager.
Being more realistic would have been a major step backward for a club that had been traumatized by the negativity of Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte, even though it is generally accepted that is exactly what they ought to have done.
Postecoglou is not adopting a short-term perspective. He would never give up ultimate gain in order to limit short-term damage because that would send the wrong message to the players and the club. It’s his way or no way, sorry.
Simply evaluate the available data. When he arrived at the Etihad during that losing streak, he had just two players back from injury, a defense consisting of four full-backs, and seven first-team players, including his two best players, James Maddison and Micky van de Ven.
Pre-match conversation inevitably revolved around whether he would give in and try to squeeze out a point to break the losing streak. The argument was that Spurs would lose badly if he didn’t. And it might have taken place. Postecoglou said, “To be honest, we were lucky to be in it in the first half. City could have blown us away,” and based on the TV pundits’ analysis, the score could have easily been four or five goals to one.
Spurs’ shocking presence throughout the store is noteworthy. Roy Keane said, “You get found out when you play against the best teams.” However, by the end, he had changed his tone and was complimenting them, with Jamie Carragher aptly stating, “It’s not about today.” Making Spurs the real deal over the next two or three years is the long-term goal here.
Son Heung-min scored the first goal following a brilliant counterattack, but he was unlucky to give up the own goal that quickly tied the score for City in just 137 seconds. In addition, City missed two goal frames, Haaland made a poor play, and Phil Foden completed an amazing team move to put them ahead.
It was adjusted by Postecoglou at halftime. Although Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg’s substitution appeared to be a defensive one, it wasn’t because he kept the 4-2-3-1 formation, pushing Giovani Lo Celso forward as a No. 10 and Kulusevski wide. It was successful. After being stifled, City gave up when Lo Celso scored from 20 yards out.
How freeing that must be for players, “I said to them if there is any fall-out I will take responsibility,” said Postecoglou. There’s no finger-pointing or assigning of blame.
Nevertheless, they gave up again when Yves Bissouma, who was obviously not 100% fit, gave up the ball to Rodri and Haaland crossed the ball low enough for Grealish to score his first goal of the year.
While City must lick their wounds after losing Jeremy Doku to an apparent injury and with Grealish and Rodri suspended for the crucial midweek match away to Aston Villa, lesser teams would have given up, Spurs persevered.
Postecoglou remarked, “We promised goals and we delivered, mate.”
Yes, they did.
