TTLB Opinion: Why is Ange Postecoglou obsessed with signing Chelsea academy graduate

Tottenham Hotspur have been vying to bring in Conor Gallagher since Ange Postecoglou took charge of the North Londoners, and they did try to pursue him aggressively when he moved away from Chelsea, but now the North Londoners have established another opportunity to try and get their hands on the English maestro.

See, the way the North Londoners operate under the Australian head coach, his system demands players in the middle of the park who are intense, tactically intelligent, and can perform a few varied tasks, and Conor Gallagher fits that profile perfectly. Daniel Levy doesn’t want him in that roster for flair or stardom, but because the way he operates enables others around him.

Given the traits he possesses, Gallagher does fit as a ‘glue’ player in that high-octane playing style the North Londoners play. And given how they lack a two-way #8, he would be ideal for the role at Tottenham. That being said, if you are expecting him to come in and solve the creative problems for Spurs, that won’t be the case, and that’s also not what he has been signed for.

Before we move into the tactical understanding of the player, let’s get the basis right. How Ange Postecoglou wants his midfield to operate:

Ange and his midfield

He prefers his team to start in a 4-3-3 base which changes into a 2-3-5 with the ball. And he wants two eights in those midfield zones so that he can break the lines of press with vertical balls and can have players available who can be used as pressers immediately on turnovers. Moreover, as we have seen in how Ange uses Maddison, he likes his midfielders to hold width and help overloads in the final third.

And the way Gallagher operates matches this role precisely.

Let’s get into Gallagher and his tactical game

If we look at him as an interior, he possesses a lot of pressing intelligence given how the Cobham academy graduate reads the press triggers superbly and how he starts the press and forces the traps out wide then on the inside. And given the big engine he possesses, he could cover wide and central zones quite easily and also help full-backs when they are caught out wide by covering those inside zones.

If we speak about him on an attacking outset, Conor is good at arriving late into the box and is ideal in a 2-3-5 structure where wide players are used to drag defenders. Moreover, he can sit in a defensive pivot in a mid-block or could also operate in a second passer role. And then he matches the high-end intensity along the ninety minutes, which is one of Ange’s stated non-negotiables. With Gallagher, he doesn’t need to dominate the ball — the Englishman creates structure and chaos at the same time.

Conor plays multiple roles for the North Londoners; he could play as a right midfielder in a number #8 role where he can work ahead of a deep-lying mid like Bentancur (or maybe Wharton if Spurs were to sign the Palace man) and next to Maddison or Bergvall. Here he presses in half-spaces and allows the right winger (Kulusevski) to stay high and narrow.

You can also play him as an #8 in a 2-3-5 shape where he will sit next to the pivot midfielder and behind the right-sided attacker, overlapping into wide or central channels.

More Tottenham Hotspur News:

• TTLB Opinion: Is Postecoglou the reason behind Maddison’s underwhelming season at Tottenham?
• TTLB Opinion: Tottenham target Branthwaite and Guehi – but who makes more sense?
• TTLB Opinion: Should Tottenham be worried about Van de Ven to Real Madrid or is it all agent talks?

Author Opinion

Yes, Tottenham should continue to pursue a move for Conor Gallagher given how he will be a system-critical signing, and while the Chelsea academy graduate is not a headline-maker, he is a tactical enabler, someone who ensures Ange’s pressing machine doesn’t break when one piece is missing.