Ange Postecoglou’s fiery interview with Sky Sports reporter Emma Saunders after Tottenham Hotspur lost 1-0 to Arsenal on Sunday gave us an insight into his long-term ambitions.
When Saunders suggested Postecoglou “normally” wins trophies in his second season at a club, he could not resist correcting her. “I don’t usually win things, I always win things in my second year,” he said.
At his last three clubs, excluding Melbourne Victory (he left after a year to coach Australia), Postecoglou has not just won a trophy in his second year but the league title. He achieved that with Brisbane Roar, Yokohama F Marinos and Celtic. There is data which backs up that they improve across several different metrics.
Postecoglou’s tense exchange with Saunders came after Spurs lost at home to Arsenal for the third year in a row (the first loss being under Antonio Conte), leaving them with four points from as many games. Last Friday, Postecoglou spoke in his pre-match press conference about how this fixture would be a good way to measure his side’s progress.
“But it’s not just about winning,” he said. “You can win a game like this and walk away knowing they played us off the park in reality. I’ve always said to go out there against the best and perform, that’s the best measure. Then hopefully you will win the game as well. If we go out on Sunday, dominate this game, create more chances, really nullify them, then I think irrespective of the result the players will walk off thinking, ‘OK, next time we’ll have another crack at it’. That’s where the real belief comes from.
“They’re a good measure for us not just in winning the game but can we play our football against them?”
That is exactly what Tottenham did and there was nothing disastrous about the performance. It was much better than the last time these two teams met in May when they were losing 3-0 at half-time. Yet it is clear they still have a long way to go to bridge the gap to the best teams in the division and to win a trophy.
Spurs had 63.7 per cent possession against Arsenal but only recorded an xG (expected goals) total of 0.7. At the moment, they are struggling to create quality scoring opportunities despite dominating the ball. It is the same issue which caused them to drop points against Newcastle United and Leicester City.
This was only Dominic Solanke’s second appearance since he joined Tottenham from Bournemouth for a club-record fee of £65million ($85m) at the beginning of August. The 27-year-old demonstrated his quality by dropping into space and linking up play. It confused William Saliba and Gabriel, who did not seem to know whether to follow him or who was responsible if they did.
But Saliba’s tackle on Solanke in the first half is a great example of the “lack of conviction” Postecoglou spoke about in his press conference afterwards — something which will hold them back from winning silverware. James Maddison intercepted Ben White’s pass and Solanke found himself completely free near the edge of the box. Instead of shooting, he tried to shimmy past Saliba. A great opportunity to score had been wasted.
Solanke works hard out of possession and in the 49th minute, he stole the ball from Jorginho to initiate a counter-attack. Brennan Johnson was in space on the right wing but his cross into the box was at an awkward height for Solanke. You hope that these problems will be resolved when everybody becomes more familiar with one another.
Last season, Arsenal had the best defensive record in the top flight. They are not easy for any side to create chances against. With Martin Odegaard, Mikel Merino and Declan Rice missing, Mikel Arteta’s side defended deeper than usual. Arteta’s comments that “in some moments we had to suffer” and that they won “ugly” should be taken as a compliment.
It is not as if Spurs’ opponents possessed a huge threat either. Arsenal only managed an xG of 0.7 themselves, which is the lowest they have recorded since a 0-0 draw with Manchester City in March. Compared to their chaotic display in the last north London derby, Tottenham’s defence looked much more compact.
It was frustrating to concede from another set piece though and it will only increase fears that they have not addressed this issue from last season, when only Luton Town (19), Sheffield United (19) and Nottingham Forest (23) had a worse record (16). This was the first time they have conceded from a corner or a free kick in the 2024-25 campaign and they do seem like a more organised unit.
Nick Montgomery, who was appointed as an assistant coach in the summer, can often be seen on the edge of the technical area during set pieces dishing out instructions to players. Gabriel’s header was not due to any structural failure but a lapse of concentration from Cristian Romero, who lost track of the Brazilian centre-back.
This fixture normally guarantees drama — the last time there was a 0-0 draw in this contest was in February 2009 — but this was a tight, tense affair. The rhythm was constantly disrupted as there was a series of flashpoints between both teams, usually involving Jurrien Timber. In the first 45 minutes, it even felt like Arsenal were deliberately taking a long time with goal kicks and free kicks in their own half to slow play down. And these are challenges Tottenham’s players need to learn to overcome.
Arteta has been in charge of Arsenal for nearly five years. This is only the beginning of Postecoglou’s second season and the rate of turnover in the squad has been dizzying. Tottenham’s squad is younger than their rivals for the first time in seven years. This group needs the opportunity to grow together and this result will be an important part of that process.
Postecoglou might be confident his team can achieve something significant this year — but this result was a reminder there is more work to be done.
(Top photo: Adrian Dennis/AFP via Getty Images)