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| Ange Postecoglou |
Tottenham Hotspur Chairman Daniel Levy finally answered the question. A trophy won over a weak Europa League field was not enough to compensate for the club’s embarrassing Premier League season. Spurs Manager Ange Postecoglou has been sacked after two years in charge. Many Spurs supporters were ecstatic after their club’s first trophy in 17 years. Others, however, realized what a shallow victory it was and one which was gained at the expense of making the team a Premier League laughingstock.
Changes to the Champions League had a ripple down effect which resulted in a less competitive Europa League this season. The senior competition was expanded to more clubs and adopted an odd “league” format which no longer had an opening round of group play where third place group finishers would then drop into the lesser Europa League competition. The result was a watered-down Europa League field which culminated in 16th and 17th place Premier League finishers meeting in a European final.
Seventeenth place Tottenham Hotspur defeated 17th place Manchester United 1-0 in a match more grueling for spectators than the players. Brennan Johnson scored in the 42nd minute with Tottenham Hotspur’s only shot on target. Postecoglou’s trademark high line and aggressive attack were out the window as his club sat back and easily countered the meager offensives of the worst Manchester United side in history.
Still, silverware for the long-suffering Spurs faithful should not be completely minimized. The Premier League, however, is a proud institution in England and supporters hang on each week’s league match with a great deal of emotion. Postecoglou cared little for the league schedule as he realized by January that the league table would be problematic for him and his injury ravaged squad. He prioritized Europa League, preserving his stars for midweek European matches. With little exception, Tottenham Hotspur became an embarrassment on Premier League match days.
The 17th place finish, the worst since the 1977 relegation season, could have been even more horrifying but for the poor quality of the three promoted sides this year, all of them suffering relegation back to whence they came. Twenty-two league losses tied the Tottenham Hotspur club record and were the most defeats ever by a Premier League side not suffering relegation for its sins. The worst of the three relegated sides, bottom of the table Southampton, was the only Premier League team which Postecoglou defeated in the last 12 matches of Spurs’ season. The glorious trophy raising and self-congratulation after the Europa win in Bilbao over another struggling Premier League also-ran, therefore seemed just a tad fraudulent. Even loyal Spurs supporters must have cringed when Postecoglou described the Spurs’ season as “outstanding “ after yet another league defeat, 4-1 to Brighton, in the Premier League season finale just days after defeating Manchester United in Spain. With respect to the poor league performance, Postecoglou would, of course, point to the effect of injuries. The thing is, however, that the Australian’s playing style pushes players to the limit and perhaps beyond in a congested fixture schedule. The injuries may not have been just bad luck but also reflected naïve management.
In any event, Spurs proved to be a club which could not manage multiple competitions, a prerequisite for a top English side. Postecoglou’s style was also criticized for its simplistic tactics which other managers could exploit by taking advantage of the wide-open spaces left behind when Spurs’ aggressive fullbacks went forward. There needed to be serious doubt as to whether Postecoglou and his merry men could return to league respectability while also competing effectively with elite clubs in the Champions League next season. Levy lost faith and Ange is gone, two full seasons after joining the club from Celtic. There was understandable worry from the beginning that Postecoglou may find things difficult at a far higher level of competition than he had ever managed at before.
Things started well, however, as Postecoglou treated supporters to an unexpected 10 match unbeaten run to open the 2023/24 Premier League season. Cold water descended on the euphoria and optimism with Ange’s 11th match in 2023, a 4-1 loss to Chelsea. The means of defeating Postecoglou’s simplistic style became clear. In the remaining 66 matches of Postecoglous’ tenure, Spurs would capture only 78 points. While he may have won a trophy for the silver starved north London side, he also lost more Premier League matches (34) than he won (31) in his time at Spurs.
After a fool’s gold start in England, Postecoglou time was marked by rising stress and disenchantment as the relationship with fans deteriorated. The joyous trophy celebrations seemed to have assuaged that. Levy, however, put emotion aside and made a calculated decision he believed necessary to ensure the club’s competitiveness next season. Goodbye Ange. Brentford’s Thomas Frank is the rumored frontrunner to replace the Australian. Betting lines have fellow Premier League Managers Marco Silva (Fulham) and Oliver Glasner (Crystal Palace) as next favorites.
