Latest news with #AngeBall
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Postecoglou's time at the top 'not finished'
Ange Postecoglou has gone and although sorry, I am not even slightly surprised - it has been an awful domestic season for Spurs. I do not however think Ange's time at the top is finished, though he might have to look for a progressive continental club to reignite his career. Advertisement His CV is very good and that Europa League triumph for Spurs can never be taken away. He could also argue that his methods and style were hampered by a lack of backing in the transfer market. You cannot play high tempo 'Ange Ball' unless you have a very deep squad with real quality, youth and energy in reserve. The players he wanted and needed could not be acquired by the club. Had he got Conor Gallagher as he wanted, it could have made a huge difference. Gallagher was born for 'Ange Ball' and would have helped everyone else around lift their game. There is also the fact that Postecoglou wanted to buy Eberechi Eze and got Timo Werner on loan instead. I was going to explain this disparity further but if you know football at all, you have got the point already. I think Ange's ideals mirror the way the game is evolving. His coaching ethos is closer to Paris St-Germain than those languishing in the past overplaying post-Pep landscape. Advertisement Of course, this idea will be laughed at right now, but I recall being one of very few that thought Manchester United were mad to get rid of David Moyes. Spurs have lost a good coach, a far better one than most people think he is just now. Sign up to read more from Pat Nevin in his Football Extra newsletter
Daily Mail
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Ange Postecoglou brushed aside his all-out attacking principles and went deep and direct when it really mattered to end Tottenham's trophy drought: THE SHARPE END
It's just who we are, mate.' Ever since Ange Postecoglou pushed his nine remaining Tottenham players up to the halfway line against Chelsea two years ago, he's seemed bound to his all-out attacking principles. Only it wasn't who they were when it mattered most in Bilbao as Postecoglou's side dropped deep and went direct to beat Manchester United and end their 17-year wait for a trophy. Spurs mustered three shots against United, had only 28 per cent possession and completed just 115 passes, all the lowest figures statisticians Opta have on record for a team in a major European final since 2009-10. How different to usual 'Ange-ball'. Spurs average 55 per possession in the league this season and they usually complete 414 passes, behind only the other Big Six sides. The 115 Spurs managed in Bilbao is less than half as many as even Nottingham Forest. Even Forest average 40 per cent possession. Without James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski, Postecoglou went direct. In the infamous 6-3 home defeat to Liverpool in December, a game after which he insisted again he would not change his approach, Spurs went long with just seven per cent of their passes. About one in every 14 passes. Against United, it was 22 per cent – just under one in five. Against Liverpool, Spurs completed 85 per cent of their passes. In Bilbao, they completed less than two thirds. Tottenham bypassed the midfield against United. Rodrigo Bentancur and Pape Sarr touched the ball the same number of times as United keeper Andre Onana. Full-backs Pedro Porro and Destiny Udogie combined for more than a quarter of the team's total touches. The average position maps from both games show how, even in a thrilling defeat, Spurs pushed high up the pitch. Against United, their front line barely got out of their own half. And once they were in front, they held on for dear life. Tottenham had just one touch in the United box during the second half. It was Tottenham, but not as we know it. But, in the end, it worked.
The Star
22-05-2025
- Sport
- The Star
Soccer-Postecoglou shows he's no one-trick pony as Tottenham grind way to glory
Soccer Football - Europa League - Final - Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester United - San Mames, Bilbao, Spain - May 21, 2025 Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou reacts REUTERS/Isabel Infantes BILBAO, Spain (Reuters) -When Tottenham Hotspur beat Manchester United 4-3 in a chaotic League Cup quarter-final this season manager Ange Postecoglou railed against criticism of his cavalier tactics and said grinding out 1-0 wins was just not the way he does business. Five months later on a memorable night in Bilbao, Postecoglou's side did exactly that as they beat Manchester United to win the Europa League and end a 17-year trophy drought for the north London club. A scruffy goal by Brennan Johnson shortly before halftime befitting a messy game was defended in magnificent fashion as Tottenham ripped up the gung-ho 'Ange Ball' tactics and put 11 men behind the ball to scrap and scrape their way to glory. Had things gone against Tottenham on Wednesday, it would have been the club's worst season since they were last relegated in 1977 and almost certainly ended Australian Postecoglou's two-season reign at the club. Instead, he delivered on his promise of always winning a trophy in his second season at a club and whether he is in charge next season or not, the pugnacious 59-year-old will forever be regarded as a Tottenham cult hero. In the build-up he spoke of changing the perception of a club with a reputation for choking when opportunity knocks. Against United, they barely crossed the halfway line in the second half as they came under a constant siege but they defended as if their lives depended on it to 'get it done'. "I know what it is for this football club, it's hard to break that cycle," Postecoglou told TNT Sports. "I could sense some nervousness because they've been in the situation before but until you get the monkey off your back, you never understand what it feels like. "Us finishing third (in the Premier League) wasn't going to change anything for this football club. The only thing that was going to change this football club was us winning something." Tottenham have scored 63 league goals this year and let in 61 -- a bizarre statistic for a club fourth from bottom. In stark contrast, the knockout rounds of the Europa League have seen Tottenham adopt a more pragmatic approach that did not appear to be in Postecoglou's armoury. It was a similar story on Wednesday as Tottenham's defence, which at times during the second half was 11-strong, repelled everything that a modest United side could muster. "You know, when you're in that situation, it comes down to really good organisation, really having a real game plan, and then minimising the moments the opposition have." Having achieved what the likes of Mauricio Pochettino, Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte failed to do by delivering silverware, the dilemma now for Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy is whether the former Celtic boss is allowed to continue. As the fans sang his name on Wednesday he certainly did not sound like a man ready to head off into the sunset basking in the glow of making good on his vow. "We're still building this team. It's still a very young team," he said. "My thought process of what I've been doing this year is trying to build a team that can be successful for four or five, six years now, but I'm the manager of the football club. That decision is not in my hands. "I don't feel like I've completed the job yet. We're still building. Those players in there will want to feel this again. They've got it now and they won't want to let it go." (Reporting by Martyn HermanEditing by Toby Davis)
Straits Times
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Straits Times
Postecoglou shows he's no one-trick pony as Tottenham grind way to glory
Soccer Football - Europa League - Final - Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester United - San Mames, Bilbao, Spain - May 21, 2025 Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou gestures to the fans before the match REUTERS/Juan Medina BILBAO, Spain - When Tottenham Hotspur beat Manchester United 4-3 in a chaotic League Cup quarter-final this season manager Ange Postecoglou railed against criticism of his cavalier tactics and said grinding out 1-0 wins was just not the way he does business. Five months later on a memorable night in Bilbao, Postecoglou's side did exactly that as they beat Manchester United to win the Europa League and end a 17-year trophy drought for the north London club. A scruffy goal by Brennan Johnson shortly before halftime befitting a messy game was defended in magnificent fashion as Tottenham ripped up the gung-ho 'Ange Ball' tactics and put 11 men behind the ball to scrap and scrape their way to glory. Had things gone against Tottenham on Wednesday, it would have been the club's worst season since they were last relegated in 1977 and almost certainly ended Australian Postecoglou's two-season reign at the club. Instead, he delivered on his promise of always winning a trophy in his second season at a club and whether he is in charge next season or not, the pugnacious 59-year-old will forever be regarded as a Tottenham cult hero. In the build-up he spoke of changing the perception of a club with a reputation for choking when opportunity knocks. Against United, they barely crossed the halfway line in the second half as they came under a constant siege but they defended as if their lives depended on it to 'get it done'. "I know what it is for this football club, it's hard to break that cycle," Postecoglou told TNT Sports. "I could sense some nervousness because they've been in the situation before but until you get the monkey off your back, you never understand what it feels like. "Us finishing third (in the Premier League) wasn't going to change anything for this football club. The only thing that was going to change this football club was us winning something." Tottenham have scored 63 league goals this year and let in 61 -- a bizarre statistic for a club fourth from bottom. In stark contrast, the knockout rounds of the Europa League have seen Tottenham adopt a more pragmatic approach that did not appear to be in Postecoglou's armoury. It was a similar story on Wednesday as Tottenham's defence, which at times during the second half was 11-strong, repelled everything that a modest United side could muster. "You know, when you're in that situation, it comes down to really good organisation, really having a real game plan, and then minimising the moments the opposition have." Having achieved what the likes of Mauricio Pochettino, Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte failed to do by delivering silverware, the dilemma now for Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy is whether the former Celtic boss is allowed to continue. As the fans sang his name on Wednesday he certainly did not sound like a man ready to head off into the sunset basking in the glow of making good on his vow. "We're still building this team. It's still a very young team," he said. "My thought process of what I've been doing this year is trying to build a team that can be successful for four or five, six years now, but I'm the manager of the football club. That decision is not in my hands. "I don't feel like I've completed the job yet. We're still building. Those players in there will want to feel this again. They've got it now and they won't want to let it go." REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
