It was a big sigh of relief and some respite for Tottenham and their fans last weekend as they came from behind to beat Brentford at home.
Apart from key personnel scoring their goals, Spurs’ all-round dominating performance was a key aspect of the game.
One Spurs correspondent was key to point out one particular aspect of the Lilywhites’ game that impressed him.
Alasdair Gold happy with Ange Postecoglou’s tactical flexibility during Brentford win
In his latest appearance of Football London’s Spurs podcast, Alasdair Gold talked about, among other things, one key aspect of the game that stuck out to him.
He asked the host, Rob Guest, “Another quick thing, did you notice the fullbacks weren’t as inverted?”
Guest replied, “Destiny Udogie mainly just stayed down the left wing, and I thought he was really, really good—good player on the day, heavily involved, getting into those attacking areas where you want him to be. It’s just like there’s not just one way of playing. You see them going down the wings and having an impact, which was a great sign.”
Gold asserted, “It was a real fallacy about Postecoglou—that people think he only has one way of playing. We’ve seen it in how he adjusted tactically, with the fullbacks not always inverting depending on the opponent’s play. Destiny Udogie didn’t need to invert as much because we had Maddison and Son operating inside, and tactically, it worked perfectly. It just shows that Postecoglou isn’t wedded to one tactical approach; he’ll adjust based on the match, using the fullbacks differently when the situation demands.”
Spurs next play Man United in the league next weekend after kicking off their Europa League campaign in the midweek against Qarabağ.
It’s not the tactics Postecoglou is obstinate with
A minuscule change like seemingly asking one of your fullbacks to invest less or not at all is not the main issue with Postecoglou’s tactical philosophy. What exact formation he chooses to go with any given game has never been the matter of concern.
It’s the overarching philosophy which drives him not just in the sport but also, one can contest, in his life. Philosophy which demands from his players relentless intensity, to be unafraid even in the face of impossible odds, to never be on the backfoot and take the defensive way out—try to win every battle, even if it may cost you the war.
It’s admirable from a narrative standpoint, but you can’t always be a hapless romantic in the face of real-life challenges. Sometimes there are moments that need you to think differently, to put your never-wavering values aside for the greater good.
In Tottenham’s content, the greater good would have been pragmatically planning for matches with a varying degree of intensity last season so they could pip Villa for the fourth place. Where Tottenham currently find themselves—needing to return to Champions League football—may be a sufficient challenge for Postecoglou to achieve without being pragmatic, and they may even win a trophy or two this season, but this is not something that can be sustained in the long run.
Even Pep Guardiola knows that dogma gets you nowhere at this level. Only time will tell whether Postecoglou meets his ceiling before Spurs meet their goals.
