You Can't Spell Change Without Ange: How Tottenham Hotspur's New Manager Ange Postecoglou has Changed the London Side
Under Ange Postecoglou's leadership, Spurs fans have witnessed a dramatic shift from defensive to attacking-possession football, revitalising the team's performance. Here are some changes he has made.
Attacking-possession-based football is something which Spurs fans haven’t been used to seeing over the last couple of years.
Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou has given new life to what many would have called previously a “Spursy” team; a description of previous bad performances.
Former manager Antonio Conte’s style was defensive, while Postecoglou has gone the opposite way looking to attack teams in The Premier League.
Here is a list of some dramatic changes the Australian manager has made since taking the top job.
Playing Style and Tactics
Conte has been described as a tactical ‘genius’ which has seen him in charge of teams such as Chelsea and Inter Milan.1 Conte’s formations have been a 3-5-2 or a 3-4-3, focusing on having three defenders, two wing-backs, and one or two midfielders who orchestrate the play. His attacking philosophy focused on the wing-backs pushing forward to overload the opposition team’s full-backs.2
The Italian manager during his tenure at Spurs played a 3-4-3. Conte’s team didn’t concede many goals during his time at the club, because Spurs generally didn’t push too high up the field and played from out the back without much possession. This was an aspect of his style which many Spurs fans hated.
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Postecoglou’s main formations
After his success with Brisbane Roar and Melbourne Victory, Postecoglou led the Australian team with an attacking 4-2-3-1 formation during the 2014 World Cup.3 His wide forwards came off the flanks and looked to get on the ball between the lines, with Tim Cahill providing the focal point up front, who is known for his strong heading abilities.
Postecoglou won the Asian Cup in 2015 and shifted to a 4-3-3 throughout the majority of the competition. The difference between his World Cup team and Asian Cup side was the full-backs would push forward and greater possession was required. An aspect of his style which he brought to his jobs in Scotland, Japan, and England.
Ange’s 2-3-5 formation
From a basic step up Spurs play a 4-3-3 but change into a 2-3-5 during the match. Full-backs Destiny Udogie and Pedro Porro move into the midfield positions, while players such as James Maddison and Pape Sarr press up the pitch.
The main pros of using the 2-3-5 in games is being able to overload the opposition team’s midfield. Another pro of the formation is it gives the team more ability to play a tiki-taka style of football, with there being more options in the midfield and attack to create more passes and chances for the team.
The downside of using this formation is the full-backs are pushed quite high, allowing the opposition to abuse the wings. This was an issue for Spurs during their game against Brentford, where there were multiple occasions when Brentford used the wings to punish Spurs resulting in a (2-2) draw. However, Postecoglou has slightly modified the formation, allowing Udogie to sit back occasionally to help the defence.4 Spurs are fourth currently in The Premier League with four wins, two draws and zero losses, showing the formation is working for the London side.
Player development
Postecoglou has managed to help players such as Heung Min Son, who had a bad run of form last year, only managing to score 14 goals in 47 games during the 2022-23 season. This was a significant drop-off compared to two seasons ago when he scored 24 goals in 45 games in the 2021-22 season.5 Both of these seasons occurred during Conte's tenure, followed by Cristian Stellini.
The Australian has focused on developing youth-team players too, giving Italian full-back Udogie consistent game time. Udogie joined Spurs from the Italian side Udinese in August 2022.6 In comparison, Conte struggled to deal with many of the Spurs players. The Italian manager didn’t use the youth academy, and lacked solid man-management skills, as seen with Brazilian winger Richarlison.7 The Spurs winger stressed he hadn’t been getting enough game time when Conte was in charge.
“Let's see what he (Conte) will say tomorrow, but there are no fools here either, I'm a professional, I work every day and I want to play,” Richarlison said.
There are minutes left, time left. This season, excuse the word, it's been sh*t because I don't have minutes, I suffered a little with the injury.
“But, when I enter the field, I give my life. I came from two games well, I think that's it, I think I should have played and I don't have to cry about it.”
Conclusion
It’s too soon to draw a conclusion on which manager is better. While Spurs have been kicked out of the EFL cup, losing 5-3 on penalties to Fulham there have been many positives for the London side this year. Strong youth development, attacking football, and strong results with the team sitting fourth in the domestic league show the London side are contenders for Champions League football next year.
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What is Antonio Conte’s style of play? Tactics of Italian coach explained - https://www.goal.com/en-au/news/antonio-conte-style-of-play-tactics-explained/9r6gz88s83b517gsoa1a42pop
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COACH WATCH Ange Postecoglou: Coach Watch - https://www.coachesvoice.com/cv/ange-postecoglou-tottenham-celtic/
2-3-5 soccer formation - https://www.rookieroad.com/soccer/2-3-5-formation/#:~:text=3%2D5%20Formation-,What%20is%202%2D3%2D5%20formation%20in%20soccer%3F,due%20to%20its%20lopsided%20structure.
How many goals has Son Heung-min scored during his career? Tottenham Hotspur sensation's impressive stats in full - https://www.goal.com/en-au/lists/how-many-goals-has-son-heung-min-scored-during-his-career-spurs-sensation-s-impressive-stats-in-full/blt583e5e070ede920a
Destiny Udogie - https://www.tottenhamhotspur.com/teams/men/players/destiny-udogie/
'This season has been sh*t!' - Richarlison BLASTS Antonio Conte for benching him in Spurs' Champions League decider vs Milan - https://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/richarlison-blasts-antonio-conte-benching-spurs-champions-league/bltb98af2b428505f69