The Spurs go marching on - have Tottenham turned a corner under Ange Postecoglou?

A new season promises a bountiful of hopes and dreams for every fan. The recent departure from N17 of superstar, legend and all round goal machine Harry Kane has had Spurs fans questioning the direction of their beloved club. The team that always delivers on unfulfilled expectations and dreams were once again the laughing stock of English football. However, the breath of fresh air that is new boss Ange Postecoglou has filled the Lillywhite faithful with some much needed hope. ‘Big Ange’ as he is evermore affectionately now known in North London, dismantled Manchester United with such style and poise it was hard to tell why no one had taken a punt on the Australian as a Premier League manager before. So, after that 2-0 win over a lame, limp and drab United, have Spurs finally found a solution to their woes?

The much maligned new goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario put in a starring performance against the Red Devils. The ever persistent English suspicion of a keeper who is confident with his feet still remains for many a viewer, but the slick Italian had shades of former United hero David De Gea on his home debut. His defence ahead of him made life all the more easier. One can see that ‘Ange’ has emphasised the need for an improvement on the 63 goals Spurs let in during last season’s awful campaign. Spurs let goals in last season with the potency and frequency at which Harry Kane scored them, and the new look back line is a much welcomed relief for Tottenham followers. Destiny Udogie and Micky van de Ven were particularly impressive. The two new boys marshalled that left hand side much the same as Danny Rose and Jan Vertonghen once did for the Spurs, the fans cheering both with new songs and affectionate chants. The ever dangerous and threatening Cristian Romero partnered well with Pedro Porro on the right hand side, the home crowd at last able to appreciate a collective of defenders who could actually defend as well as move the ball forward with some pace and gusto.

Ange’s real mark at his new side is in the middle of the park. Former Juventus star Rodrigo Bentancur may find himself with a fight on his hands to regain his midfield place post injury. Yves Bissouma, James Maddison and Pape Sarr made up a triangle of pace, purpose, precision of thought and pass that hasn’t been seen down the Lane in many a campaign. Sarr took his goal wonderfully with aplomb and celebrated ecstatically. Maddison meanwhile quickly helped the Spurs faithful warm to their new No.10 as their old one settles in Germany. The former Norwich player and England International was always dangerous, buzzing away pestering the United midfield who in truth were beyond ineffective. The concerns of the away side are the duty of an entire other article, perhaps even a small book if performances do not swiftly improve at Old Trafford. The arrogance Spurs played with was highlighted by pundit, former Spurs fan and United legend Roy Keane. Keane’s view was exhumed no better than in the performance of Bissouma. The new No.8 for Spurs played with swagger, violent skill and confidence on what proved a fine summer afternoon in the London sunshine. Tottenham loyalists love a midfield maestro and many a fan have now found their new favourite player.

Ange’s improvements to the side extended to the front three, although this area of the park needs the most work. The South Korean captain Son Heung-min, Brazilian forward Richarlison and Swedish starlet Dejan Kulusevski should be more than enough of a threat for any side. However, something is still slightly missing at the head of the team. The shadow of Kane looms large, as it would for any side losing 30 goals and multiple assists in one fail swoop. Still, captain Son and ‘Richie’ were pressing United all the way through. The effort and application is there. ‘Kulu’ meanwhile was effective from the right, shutting up many a critic from his sluggish first performance of the season away at Brentford. This critic included. His contribution from the right hand side caused the first Spurs goal. The front line needs work no doubt, but there is at last a sense of cohesion at the club.

Ange isn’t a miracle worker. Tottenham Hotspur are a club in dire need of fresh faces and the expulsion of dead wood squad players. The club have failed every season since they reached the UEFA Champions League final in 2019. However, at last hope has returned to the Lane. There are a handful of clubs in football, and sport in general, that care more about the way they play than the result. The New Zealand national rugby side cannot simply win, they must murder the opposition. The Australian cricket team is much the same. The US women’s national soccer side too. Spurs, like Barcelona, Manchester United, Ange’s former side Celtic and Ajax to name but a few are club teams that have to win with swagger. There must be an arrogance. The arrogance and confidence Keane highlighted in the match analysis this past weekend. Spurs haven’t had a swagger, in this humble writer’s view, to the standard of this 2-0 win since 2017.

Not since that final home game against Manchester United as the Lane was coming down around them, have Tottenham looked and felt like Tottenham. Fans attend the Spurs to be entertained. To forget the woes of a long week at work, their two hour commute home supplemented with whatever it takes to get them through the day and home to their families. That’s what Saturday evening felt like. We, as a club, a fan base and a community felt like a family again. I saw the ghosts of Blanchflower, Greaves, Hoddle, Bale (and yes Kane) in the all white jersey of my beloved club at long last. No longer a one man band. Spurs under Ange are back. A club, a unit and a family. A style of play that can bring us all together. A manager we can all get behind. Finally, at long last, we are entertained once again.