Tottenham Hotspur, for the duration of Mauricio Pochettino’s spell (2014–2019), was among the best in England, constantly threatening to win a trophy. The North London side’s zenith came in 2019, when it reached the final of the Champions League, only to lose to Liverpool.
Just five months after coming close to being European champion, Pochettino was shown the door following a string of poor performances.
Then there ensued a managerial merry-go-round, which saw eminent tacticians like Jose Mourinho, Antonio Conte, and Nuno Espirito Santo arrive and depart with nothing much to show for.
The North London side would have loved to have Pochettino back at the helm. But with the Argentinian manager choosing to align with Chelsea, Spurs have trained their eyes on the current Celtic boss, Ange Postecoglou.
Born in Greece, Postecoglou shifted to Australia when he was five after his father lost his business following a political coup. He had a storied playing career with South Melbourne, captaining the side to two National Soccer League titles, including in the 1990-91 season when the team was managed by Hungarian legend Ferenc Puskas.
Post-retirement, Postecoglou began his managerial career with the Melbourne side itself. He would shuttle his way through several Australian clubs, winning multiple titles along the way, before coaching Australian junior sides.
His experience and grind were rewarded with a gig as the senior team manager, starting in 2013. Postecoglou would guide the Socceroos with great aplomb, winning the 2015 Asian Cup and performing admirably in the 2014 World Cup group stage.
Despite leading Australia to another World Cup, Postecoglou resigned, and a year later, he signed up with Japanese side Yokohama F Marines.
The 57-year-old’s stint in Japan would last for three years, during which he would win the 2019 J-League title. In 2021, Scottish side Celtic snapped him up for his first experience of European football
Postecoglou’s hyper-attacking style of football helped Celtic dominate Scottish football, winning back-to-back league titles and three domestic cups.
TACTICAL PROFILE
At Celtic, Postecoglou deployed a possession-based progressive football, with build-up play similar to Brighton and Manchester City. Though his preferred formation can be standardised to a 4-3-3, the structure varies from phase to phase.
The Australian demands acute ball-playing skills from his goalkeeper, often pushing his No. 1 outside the box alongside his centre-back pairing while his team initiates attacks.
Once his side has progressed the ball into the opposite half, the wingbacks invert into the midfield, offering the side an additional passing option in the centre of the park. This enables a five-man forward line, increasing the number of targets in and around the box.
Under Postecoglou, Celtic scored 92 goals in the league in the 2021–22 season and would improve it to an astonishing 114 in the next (both being the highest in the league).
Defensively, Postecoglou’s sides are compact, with a particular emphasis on pressing from the front, as evidenced by the fact that Celtic conceded the fewest goals in the league in both of his seasons there.
Postecoglou might lack the experience of managing in the European top tier. But Spurs are a side in dire need of a breath of fresh air, particularly after a prolonged spell of dry, stale football.
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