TTLB OPINION: The aftermath of Europa League triumph – Daniel Levy must now go all in on Ange

For once, Tottenham didn’t blink. It was a final that looked going only one way given the stakes were high; it would have been easy to turn the night into nerves and hesitation, but this side, this group of players – they didn’t flinch. They pushed, they pressed, they imposed and they beat Manchester United, and well, let’s get this straight – it was not because Ruben Amorim’s side collapsed; it was instead because the Lilywhites believed in themselves more deeply than the Manchester Reds trusted their system.

Many would call it a fluke or a cup run, but it wasn’t both; it was more of an on-pitch depiction of the vision that Daniel Levy and Ange Postecoglou shared when the latter was appointed at the helm at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. It is a vision that the club chairman has spent years and years fumbling towards, but now, now he has found a head coach who can bring his vision to life, one that builds joy without sacrificing intensity of play, and now, now suddenly, the question isn’t if Levy should back Ange. The question is: can he afford not to?

Europa League finals was a perfectly implemented Ange system

Now if you go back and look at yesterday’s game, this win was not about individuals; no one player moment has won the North Londoners this game. It was the system, and this system isn’t just sustainable; it’s scalable. The Australian head coach put out a 2-3-5 build-up that was crisp with where they occupied their zones and yet aggressive as well. And the rest defence held their structure at the back even when United tried making counter-like situations. And most importantly (contrary to what we have seen all season), Tottenham didn’t sacrifice control to create volume.

Let’s get it straight: the system Ange Postecoglou has deployed at Tottenham is not a vibes-based attacking system; it’s repeatable, aggressive, but layered. And with a few targeted upgrades (LWB, centre-back depth, a Maddison alternate), it does have the capacity to become a Champions League-calibre system.

Its all about identity, Tottenham finally have one under Ange Postecoglou

Now when you look at it, this may just be the first time that the North Londoners have had some sort of an identity since Pochettino. If I am to go just a brief into it, Mourinho was more reactionary as a manager and pragmatic in how he went about things. With Nuno, I never understood what he was trying to do (as a game philosophy). Conte wanted to play in a structured environment that took away all the joy. And now finally under Ange, there is this positional courage and that front-footedness about how Tottenham go about themselves.

When you go back, the biggest mistake that Daniel Levy made after sacking Pochettino was to chase results over identity. The thing is, while Mourinho and Conte had elite CVs, both of them failed to integrate Tottenham’s DNA into how they went about themselves; there was neither any youth nor dynamism or vertical freedom in their sides. And thankfully, Ange has restored that. This side has beaten big teams and played through presses and built something from nothing. Just winning the Europa League didn’t confirm Ange’s credentials – the journey to coming here did.

Now this Tottenham roster is very young but hungry, and thankfully they have a coach who is willing to coach (and not just manage egos). The best thing about it is that this is not a team in its final form, but it has so much to evolve. But that would happen only if Levy lets Ange build from strength.

Now Levy doesn’t have to sell to reinvest and would rather keep the core at bay.

Ange had his problems, but he stuck to his beliefs

Let’s not forget, Ange lost Harry Kane while he was still trying to put through his style. Then this season the Australian was without Maddison and Van de Ven for a while mid-season. He had a thin bench and raw forwards, also almost no defence at times, and yet, he never abandoned his system.

Where Conte would have pivoted to survival, Ange committed to his vision, blooding players like Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall.

And this trophy is proof that he was right to stick to his philosophies, and now Levy must do the same. The thing is, backing Ange isn’t just about giving him players and budget; it is also about letting football decisions be made by football people (something that we see at Manchester City and Arsenal, two clubs that have this oneness about them). See, Levy must let Ange pick the recruitment priorities and none of these club-driven “value signings” that don’t fit. He must try to lock in the current integral players, your Romeros and Porros (they need to feel that this is going somewhere). Moreover, don’t speak for the sake of it; spend smart, get a proper No. 9, a creative rotation option, and LCB cover.

And most importantly, keep the identity. No more stylistic hybrids for the sake of squad depth.

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

Tottenham have waited years to win a trophy, but moreover this team has waited longer to find someone at the helm who could give them a reason to believe again. And Ange is that manager, and this is where the club needs to stop micromanaging and start building.

I think Daniel Levy doesn’t need to start getting all clever this summer (like he has done every transfer window); he just needs to get out of the way and let the man who built the final’s best team build the next one.