Ange Postecoglou: Who is the new head coach of Spurs?

The 2022-23 season has been another season to forget for Spurs and Daniel Levy; not only did they finish trophyless once again, but an eighth-place finish will ultimately culminate in their absence from Europe next season. Despite an abundance of optimism at the beginning of the campaign, Antonio Conte’s transitional defensive football and heavy reliance on the counter-attack to supplement the limited offensive nature of his style of play, frustrated the Tottenham fanbase, and justifiably so. Not only was it unpleasing to the eye, but it failed to produce the desired results; in fact, Spurs were not progressing but instead rapidly regressing over the course of their unforgettable season. Consequently, it was inevitable that the situation would eventually reach boiling point, and after the Italian voiced his annoyance in his post-match press conference against Southampton, there was only one feasible solution, and Conte departed on sour terms. After a lacklustre and quite frankly tortuous end to the season for Spurs fans under the apparent guidance of Conte’s right-hand man, Christian Stellini, Levy began the Summer searching for yet another manager.

The search did not take long, and Ange Postecoglou was announced as the new head coach of Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday, June 6. The Aussie has agreed a four-year deal, which will keep him in North London until 2027. He will officially join Spurs on July 1, where he will be the first Australian to manage in the Premier League. Postecoglou is a relatively unknown entity in England, and subsequently, his appointment has been met with a degree of trepidation. So, who is Ange Postecoglou?

Born in Nea Filedlfeia, in the suburbs of Athens, Greece, Postecoglou was forced to immigrate to Australia by boat following the collapse of his father’s business as a result of the 1967 Greek military coup. He arrived in Australia at the age of five and grew up in Melbourne, Victoria. When he turned nine years old, Ange joined South Melbourne Hellas, where he would go on to make 193 professional appearances for the first team between 1984 and 1993 in the National Soccer League. At South Melbourne, Ange won the club’s only two titles in 1984 and 1991, respectively, and he was coached by the legendary Ferenc Puskas for a large proportion of his professional career. Puskas favoured an attacking 4-3-3 formation, which relied to a large extent on the fullbacks and wingers of his team, not too dissimilar from how Ange would eventually go on to deploy his teams in the future. Postecoglou was forced to retire abruptly in the mid-1990’s after he sustained a career-ending knee injury at the age of 27.

Interestingly enough, South Melbourne was not just responsible for the inception of his playing career, but also his coaching career. Ange Postecoglou was appointed assistant coach in 1995, and when the current manager at the time, Frank Arok, was sacked, he was succeeded by the recently retired veteran of the club. The young coach led the Melbourne side to two consecutive National League titles in 1997-98 and 1998-99, while also winning them an Oceania Club Championship. However, Postecoglou stood down in 2000 in order to take the job of Australian under-20 head coach alongside running the under-17 set up not too long after. According to stats provided by Transfermarkt, Ange was in charge of the youth set-up for 2241 days, and in that time he won three of his eleven games with the under-20 side and three of his ten games with the under-17 side. For the under-20’s, the Aussie managed a points per game (PPM) of 1.18, while for the under-17’s, it was slightly more favourable with a PPM of 1.50. On the other hand, his teams were incredibly good at scoring goals, demonstrating early signs of the damage Postecoglou could inflict upon teams if he could successfully install his attacking philosophy into the minds of his players. The under-20 set up had a goals conceded to goals scored ratio of 1.00:1.64, although the under-17 side had far more convincing stats of 0.50:1.83. Despite this, his failure to qualify for the FIFA U-20 World Cup as well as an infamous bust-up with football pundit Craig Foster on live TV, tarnished his reputation in Australia and resulted in Postecoglou losing his job in February 2007. After that, he felt that he was unemployable and sought employment outside of Australia.

Subsequently, Postecoglou found himself with Greek third division side Panachaiki from March to December 2008. Although he returned to Melbourne in January 2009 with the Whittlesea Zebras, whom he coached for half a season until June, he was undeniably at a crossroads in his career, and it was looking increasingly unlikely that Ange would ever manage at the top level. Even though Ange Postecoglou had a distinct philosophy and style of play, which he pursued throughout his career, he was struggling to translate it into the teams he was coaching, continuing to flatter to deceive despite his best efforts. The Aussie had an extremely attractive style of play that was attacking and exciting to watch, but so far in his career, it has been accompanied with varying success. There was no doubt that his former manager, Ferenc Puskas, inspired him to play an attacking 4-3-3 formation with a heavy emphasis on the fullbacks and wingers, but it was adapting and perfecting it for himself and the team that was the issue.

However, at the start of the 2009-10 season, Ange’s fortunes turned around when he replaced former Socceroos head coach Frank Farina as the new manager of Brisbane Roar, the job that began his journey to the summit of Australian football and eventually European football. Brisbane Roar was very much a team in need of rebuilding, so it was essential that Postecoglou understood the magnitude of the task that awaited him, and he certainly did. Upon arrival, Ange communicated to the fans to be patient and to judge him in a year, not straight away. After that, he set about rebuilding the squad. Immediately, Postecoglou lost key players in the form of Tommy Oar, Michael Zullo, and Adam Sarota, while he himself, to many people’s surprise, let club captain Craig Moore leave the club, alongside the experience of Liam Reddy, Bob Malcom, and Charlie Miller. Postecoglou set a president; if you were not willing to play for him, then quite simply he didn’t want you at the club, and you were out the door. Roar would embark upon two incredibly successful seasons under the guidance of Ange Postecoglou. Having rebuilt the team in his own image, the Roar finished their first season under Postecoglou just outside the finals series, but it was the 2010-11 season where they really pushed on, going unbeaten for 28 games and only losing once. Their unbeaten run extended into the 2011-12 season, with the Roar going 36 games without loss, which is still an Australian sporting record to this day. In Brisbane, Ange Postecoglou won two A League titles in three seasons. For much of his time at the club, Postecoglou lined up in a 4-3-3 attacking formation, and this led to the team obtaining the nickname “Roarcelona” because of their exciting brand of football. Since then, it has been accredited as being some of the best football Australia has ever witnessed, and it was here that Ange began to reap the rewards of pursuing his style of football. Even though the more offensive 4-3-3 was his preferred way of playing, he showed his pragmatism and ability to adapt with a 4-1-4-1 and a 4-2-3-1. By the time of his resignation as head coach in April 2012, he had successfully steered Brisbane Roar to back-to-back A League Championships, a Premiership, and consecutive qualifications for the AFC Champions League. At the club, Postecoglou cemented himself as the most successful Australian football coach with four national titles.

It did not take Postecoglou long to find another job, and two days after his resignation from Brisbane Roar, it was announced that he was the new head coach of Melbourne Victory. The Aussie replicated his work at the Roar to an extent when he released over 10 players and invested in new players who were more suited to his energetic, lively, and offensive style of play. Ange enjoyed a relatively successful, albeit brief, spell in Melbourne, winning 15 of his 32 matches, losing 10 and drawing seven, for a PPM of a fairly modest 1.63. During his time at the club, Postecoglou unsurprisingly persisted with his favoured 4-3-3 attacking formation but did deviate slightly to a 4-2-3-1 at points and a 4-4-2 with a double 6 at the start of the 2013-14 season. Even though Ange Postecoglou failed to win any silverware during his time at Melbourne Victory, he came close on a couple of occasions, getting them to an A League Preliminary Final against the Central Coast Mariners, which they lost 2-0.

In October 2013, Postecoglou reached the pinnacle of Australian football when he was appointed head coach of the Australian national team on a five-year contract. His main task was to regenerate the squad, which had become too reliant on their golden generation from 2006. In his first game in charge of the Socceroos, Ange beat Costa Rica 1-0 in a friendly. Going into the 2014 World Cup there was very little optimism surrounding the Australian team, failing to win any of their three matches prior to the competition. To make things worse, the Aussie’s were drawn in what was arguably the toughest group at the World Cup, containing: Spain, the Netherlands, and Chile. The Socceroos went on to lose all three of their group games, however their competitive, fearless, and front footed performances filled Postecoglou and the Australian fans with a tremendous amount of hope going into the Asian Cup the following year. In his first match, Postecoglou attempted to go straight in with his tried and tested 4-3-3 attacking, although the loss proved that the team were not quite ready for it. The proceeding games versus Ecuador and South Africa saw him revert to a 4-2-3-1 before returning back to the 4-3-3 for the last game prior to the World Cup. During the World Cup, Postecoglou deployed a 4-2-3-1, which seemed to produce better performances from the Australian team and enabled them to compete with some of the world’s best in the form of Spain and the Netherlands. After the World Cup, Postecoglou would go on to lose three out of his next five games, including a shock defeat to Qatar. He continued to switch between a 4-2-3-1, a 4-3-3, and even a 4-1-4-1, this pragmatism was not doing him any favours, clearly it was taking him longer than usual to coach the Socceroos into playing Postecoglou football. It was no secret that Postecoglou’s job was on the line; subsequently, a large impetus was placed on producing some positive results and quick, and luckily for him, the AFC Asian Cup rolled around in early 2015, which was the ideal opportunity. Victory for the Socceroos over South Korea in the final of the cup, resulted in Australia lifting their first Asian Cup and Postecoglou winning his first piece of silverware as head coach of Australia. Throughout the tournament, Ange continually deployed his 4-3-3 attacking formation, and finally, his philosophy was executed to perfection by the Socceroos’, exuberating his exciting, fast paced, free flowing football in abundance. It was clear that Ange Postecoglou had moulded the team in his own image and that all the players had invested in his style of play and were willing to play for him. Fourteen wins in qualification for the 2018 World Cup were enough to ascertain their involvement in the tournament; however, it would be without Ange Postecoglou, who resigned in November 2017, having left Australia in a good position.

Postecoglou tells a wonderful anecdote that really encapsulates the important relationship between him and his Father and how it was built upon a deep-rooted love for the beautiful game. For example, when he won the Socceroos first ever Asia Cup, he showed his winners medal to his dad, and instead of congratulating him, he began criticising his substitutions. Perhaps, Ange’s infamous drive to succeed, which often manifests itself in impassioned rants or vented frustrations, is in fact a desire to impress his Dad, even though he is sadly no longer with us.

Yokohama F. Marinos in the Japanese J League appointed Postecoglou as head coach in December 2017 and announced he would succeed Erick Mombaerts for the start of the season in February after the Japanese Emperor’s Cup. Postecoglou’s tenure began in rather tumultuous fashion with the club staring directly down the barrel of relegation from Asia’s premium league, drawing his first game 1-1 against Cerezo Osaka and going on to lose two of his next three games. However, as we have seen, this tends to be the pattern for a Postecoglou side, as he seeks to input his philosophy into his new team. Eventually, the Aussie’s faith and persistence in his tried and tested playing style of attacking flair and excitement through an offensive 4-3-3 formation would prove invaluable, guiding Yokohama to a comfortable 12^th-place finish and the final of the J League Cup in his first season in charge. Unsurprisingly, it was Yokohama who scored the second most goals in the league in the 2018 season, although a potential flaw in Postecoglou’s philosophy was that Yokohama conceded more goals than any other club that season. Even though Ange received interest from the Greek National Team in the intervening months between the 2018 and 2019 seasons, he extended his contract as head coach of Yokohama and made a decision that would ensure the success that was necessary to take him to the next level of his managerial career. The 2019 season would see Ange Postecoglou become the first Australian manager to lift the Japanese League, and end 15 years for Yokohama without the title. Postecoglou’s side scored 68 goals in that season, the most in the J League, while conceding a fairly modest 38 goals, the fifth-least in the league. Despite this, he could not build on the success from his first two seasons in Japan and his third season in charge was far less convincing, Yokohama finished the campaign in 15^th place; luckily for them because of the interruption of COVID, there was no relegation from the J League for that season. However, it was the number of goals that they conceded that was particularly damning, leaking 60 goals throughout the season and only managing to convert 38. The following season, Ange Postecoglou would receive an offer of a 12-month contract from Scottish powerhouse Celtic in June 2021, which he accepted and cut his final season as head coach of Yokohama short. However, he left the Japanese outfit in fantastic form, which resulted in another title at the end of the 2021 season. It was Postecoglou’s time at Yokohama that solidified his breakthrough into European football; crucially, he had demonstrated that he was a serial winner, which he achieved through a unique formula of patience, persistence, and pragmatism that manifested itself in his trademark attacking philosophy everywhere he went, hence why Celtic took a risk on the Aussie.

When Ange Postecoglou was appointed, Celtic had just come off the back of a season where they had finished second to bitter rivals Rangers, so the atmosphere surrounding the club at the time was incredibly toxic. To say Postecoglou received a warm welcome to Scottish football could not be further from the truth; he was needlessly berated and mocked by both the fans and media alike, which was largely down to the fact that he was an unknown entity while being put under extreme pressure to ensure Celtic return to the top of Scottish football. Upon arrival, Postecoglou began his era as Celtic manager by doing what he has done everywhere he has been: moulding the team in his own image by getting the club to invest in players capable of putting his attacking playing style into action. The most notable of the signings was centre-forward Kyogo Furuhashi from Japense J League side Vissel Kobe, which came from his extensive knowledge of Japense football, as well as a loan deal for left winger Jota from Portuguese champions Benfica. The pair would prove vital for Postecoglou’s pursuit of success with Celtic in his trademark 4-3-3 formation. His reign got off to a rocky start; he suffered an aggregate defeat against Midtjylland in Champions League qualification and lost seven games in all competitions by the end of September 2021. Despite this, they would not lose again in the league that season, winning 32 games and losing just three, of which two were sustained when they had already wrapped up the league towards the back end of the campaign. The 2021 season would see Postecoglou guide Celtic to triumph not only in the Scottish Premiership but also the Scottish Cup; he was the first Australian to win a league title in Europe. Postecoglou’s success, once again, was largely down to his successful recruitment, ensuring his squad was brandished in his image. In order to do this, he used his extensive knowledge of the J League to bring in centre midfielder Reo Hatate from Kawasaki Front, left winger Daizen Maeda on a loan deal from his former club Yokohama F. M., and Yosuke Ideguchi from Gamba Osaka. Also, the introduction of young centre-midfielder Matt O’Riley from MK Dons enabled Celtic to succeed with their free-flowing, attacking football.

The Aussie began his second season as head coach of Celtic in a similar way to his first, with a heavy emphasis on recruitment. To make sure key players like Jota and Carter-Vickers remained at the club to emulate Postecoglou’s success in the previous season, Celtic were willing to make some heavy investments for their standards, spending just over £14m on the pair. Meanwhile, they also spent £4.35m on Alexandro Bernabei from Lanus in the Argentinian league, Liga Profesional, a left back with bags of potential, and left winger Sead Haksabanovic for £2.50m from Ruben Kazan. After his outstanding performances in the 2021-22 season, Celtic made Daizen Maeda permanent for £1.53m, and also recruited former Premier League midfielder Aaron Mooy on a free transfer from SH Port in the Chinese Super League. Postecoglou’s recruitment enabled the side to build on their success from the 2021-22 season and go from strength to strength, dominating Scottish football and winning their eighth domestic treble. Reflecting on his work as Celtic head coach, Ange said to the Scottish media: “Its fair to say I started on the factory floor. When people talk about me at the moment, they see where I am, at a fantastic football club, with great resources, where I have the biggest spend of any football club! I’ve been at the bottom of the bottom of the food chain.”

Ange Postecoglou’s tenure at Celtic provides a clear indication of what to expect from the Aussie in North London next season. In 80 per cent of the matches he took charge of over the course of his two seasons in Scotland, Postecoglou deployed a 4-3-3 formation. Tactically, he prefers an attacking 4-3-3 with one fullback inverting to come inside and overload the midfield area, on the opposite side, the fullback gets high and wide up the pitch. His wingers stay wide rather than coming inside the pitch, creating space for underlapping runs from attacking midfielders. However, the problem is that Spurs’ squad is far better suited to playing a defensive transitional game in a back three; they have wing backs rather than fullbacks, and they lack the attacking midfielder that Postecoglou prefers. Meanwhile, Son and Kulusevski don’t want to stay wide; instead, the pair would prefer to attack the central space, but the width is what allows the underlapping runs that Celtic scored so many of their goals from. Also, Harry Kane is not a pressing striker, which might affect how high up the pitch Ange Postecoglou’s side try to win the ball back and how high up he plays his defensive line. Whilst he was Celtic Boss Ange told the media that: “I have a clear idea of how I want y football teams to play and that’s to make sure our supporters don’t sit down for 90 minutes.” And, perhaps more famously said, he would rather win “4-3 than 1-0”.

There is no denying that this Summer’s recruitment will be crucial for Ange Postecoglou to ensure the team is capable of playing his style of football. In previous years, Tottenham have been plagued by a disconnect between the Sporting Director and the manager of the club. Most recently, there was a dispute over recruitment between Fabio Paratici (Sporting Director) and Antonio Conte. Quite simply, Conte wanted an older, more experienced profile of player like Perisic, whereas Paratici wanted younger players with a high resell value. However, the recent exit of Paretici indicates that under Ange Postecoglou there should be no conflict of interest with regards to recruitment, and consequently, incomings under the Aussie will very clearly be “Ange players”. It is likely that Postecoglou’s signings will be incredibly canny as the former Yokohama and Celtic head coach seeks to use his expertise in the Japanese J League and the Scottish Premiership to fill the gaps in his team. The question will inevitably be whether the Spurs fanbase is ready for these kinds of canny signings. For Tottenham to succeed under the Socceroo, they must not indulge in what Postecoglou refers to as the “inferiority complex” and instead trust in the process. Postecoglou’s main targets will likely be full backs, box-to-box / attacking midfielders, and perhaps a pressing striker. At the North London club, he will have more finances available than ever before in his career, but this comes with less autonomy and say over who the club signs. Despite this, if Daniel Levy and Postecoglou can strike a balance between recruiting players that make a statement but also fit his system, then success will be incredibly likely. The signing of James Maddison is already evidence of this balance in action, as they signed the talented attacking midfielder for 40 million pounds from relegated Leicester.

Throughout his career, Ange Postecoglou has been doubted, mocked, and ridiculed, but everywhere he has coached, he has proved convincingly that the doubters were wrong. If Spurs give Postecoglou enough time and persist with him as head coach, I am certain that he will succeed in North London. While I do think it will be a slow start to the season for Spurs, I think eventually Postecoglou’s tried and tested formula of the three Ps: patience, persistence, and pragmatism will inspire the team to success and perhaps even a trophy. Tottenham attempted success with serial winners like Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte, but it ultimately failed. Ange Postecoglou is an exciting manager with an attractive style of football who has won trophies at every club he has managed. It’s time for something different; it’s time for Ange Postecoglou, and in his own words: “People have been telling me my whole career I’ve only got a Plan A – and they are right! My Plan A is to win things.”