Super subs save the day as Ange pursues glory in his second season.
- theosilk13
- Sep 20, 2024
- 4 min read
Late comeback secured by the substitutes as Spurs progress to the fourth round of the EFL Cup.
Tottenham travelled to Coventry City for their third-round tie against the Championship side. It was a challenging game for Spurs as mistakes were infectious across the field. Postecoglou had to look to his bench for inspiration as the visitors came from behind to win the game in extra time.
There were eight changes made to the side that lost to Arsenal on Sunday. A more compact schedule urged Postecoglou to look beyond his conventional starting eleven. Youngsters Wilson Odobert, Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray were amongst the beneficiaries - the latter two were gifted their first start in a Tottenham shirt. Alongside them were experienced veterans, Ben Davies and Fraser Forster, with Timo Werner, Pape Matar Sarr and Radu Dragusin also included.
Fraser Forster showed his vulnerability after returning to the starting eleven for the first time in over a year. His last appearance was against Fulham at Craven Cottage in the second round of the EFL Cup during the 2023/24 campaign. Spurs lost 6-4 on penalties.
Ben Davies was defensively strong and prevented a certain goal in the second half, where Forster rushed out of the 18-yard box, forcing a collision with Dragusin, and gifting Coventry’s Hagi Wright an open goal. The Tottenham captain slid into a block that would prevent the home team from going ahead.
Unfortunately, Spurs’ luck would run out as Coventry broke down the left flank, bettering Dragusin and Archie Gray, with Norman Bassette whipping the ball across to Brandon Thomas-Asante, who slotted it into the bottom left corner.
It wasn’t until the 88th minute that Spurs launched a comeback. A combination of Dejan Kulusevski and Djed Spence broke down the Coventry defence as the fullback tucked on away, equalising for Tottenham.
Penalties were fast approaching, but Spurs were not finished. Bentancur noticed a run from Brennan Johnson on the right-hand side, and with a perfectly weighted pass, Johnson was one-on-one with Coventry’s Ben Wilson. Lightly chipping it over the keeper, Johnson won the game for Tottenham, as Spurs progressed to the fourth round of the EFL Cup.
It was a desperate contest for Tottenham and Ange Postecoglou, following a very disappointing start to their Premier League campaign. After the conclusion of the North London derby the Australian coach told Sky Sports “I don’t usually win things, I always win things in my second year”.
He was confronted with a question surrounding this response during the pre-match press conference, saying: “It's amazing, isn't it? I just stated a fact and it seems like… am I supposed to just lie or just say it never happened?”
Postecoglou has managed eight clubs in his career, excluding international duties. He first managed South Melbourne from 1995 until 2000, a club he previously played for throughout the entirety of his senior career, from 1984 until 1993. During his tenure as manager, he won back-to-back Australian Championships in 1998 and 1999, the former being in his third season. Additionally, he led South Melbourne to victory in the OFC Champions League in 1999, earning their place in the Club World Cup, subsequently losing 2-0 to Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United.
In 2008, following his international duties with the Australian U-20s and U-17s, he travelled to his place of birth, Greece, briefly managing third-tier Panachaiki GE for nine months. In 2009 he headed back to Australia to manage a struggling semi-professional Whittlesea Zebras.
A longer tenure awaited Postecoglou at Brisbane Roar where he spent three years forging another back-to-back Australian Championship-winning side. This provoked a move to Melbourne in 2012, which was closely followed by his appointment as head coach of the Australian National team.
After four years in charge, one World Cup tournament, one Asian Cup title and qualification for the 2018 World Cup, he resigned. He told Australian media that “all this… has taken a toll on me both personally and professionally. I have invested all I can knowing how important a period it was for Australian football. It is with a heavy heart that I must now end the journey.”
The next phase of his managerial career had begun. A couple months after his resignation Ange moved to Japan where he managed Yokohama F. Marinos for over three years, winning the J1 League title in his second season in charge.
This tempted a move to Celtic in 2021, which subsequently was the most successful tenure of hs career. Postecoglou took over from Neil Lennon following a very disappointing 2020/21 season where Celtic were beaten to the Scottish Premiership title by a dominant Rangers, managed by Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard.
Ange immediately hit the ground running achieving a domestic double in his first season at the club, winning the Scottish Premiership and the Scottish League Cup. His success would not falter, winning the domestic treble in his second season, and adding the Scottish Cup to his considerable collection.
Spurs were calling for change after a failed project under Antonio Conte and Cristian Stellini and Postecoglou was seen by the Spurs hierarchy to be a solution to their problems. Ange did not qualify for the Champions League last season and had to settle for the Europa League, which is a significant upgrade from no European football achieved by his predecessor.
This season will be a real test as to how ‘Ange ball’ will cope in the Premier League, domestic competitions and in Europe. He may not have won everywhere at every club he has managed, but he certainly knows how to win titles.
Player ratings:
Forster (3); Udogie (7); Davies (7); Dragusin (6); Gray (6); Sarr (6); Bentancur (7); Bergvall (7); Odobert (5); Solanke (5); Werner (4); Subs: Spence (8); Johnson (7); Kulusevski (7); Madison (6); Son (6).
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