Tottenham: Postecoglou ditches Ange-ball for shot at immortality as steely Spurs reach Europa League final
Sport | Football
Tottenham: Postecoglou ditches Ange-ball for shot at immortality as Spurs reach Europa League final
A far more grimly effective approach has Spurs on course for glory
Progress: Ange Postecoglou celebrates with Dejan Kulusevski
Action Images via Reuters
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"We never stop," was the motto of Ange Postecoglou's successful Celtic team, but “we take our time" would have been far more appropriate for his Tottenham side in the northernmost reaches of Norway on Thursday night.
Spurs on are their way to Bilbao to face Manchester United in the Europa League final after a performance underpinned by traits so rarely associated with Postecoglou teams in their 2-0 win over Bodo/Glimt in the last-four decider.
For much of his two years at Spurs, the Australian has presented himself as an idealist who would rather fail on his terms than succeed with compromises, seemingly determined to be remembered as an entertainer who never bent to circumstances.
Yet in Bodo, here was a Postecoglou side who were organised, committed, gritty and, frankly, downright boring for long periods of a cagey game.
I love winning and I love the way the boys clearly understood what we needed to do
Ange Postecoglou
From the off, goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario prompted furious howls and whistles from the 7,500 home supporters packed into Aspmyra as he dawdled over goal-kicks, every one of which was launched towards Dominic Solanke and Richarlison. The goalkeeper was finally booked for time-wasting in the 66th minute.
Spurs lingered, too, on throw-ins and set-plays, grasping every opportunity to run down the clock, protect their 3-1 lead from the first leg and disrupt the flow of the hosts, who looked much more like a traditional Postecoglou side as they tried to play out from the back and pass quickly through the lines.
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"I love winning and I love the way the boys clearly understood what we needed to do," said Postecoglou, when asked about his team's pragmatism. "The key thing for us was to not allow them to get any sort of rhythm in their game."
Spurs were unflustered and composed, eventually exerting their natural superiority over Glimt with a calmness and maturity.
All of the talk of the artificial pitch, Glimt's returning players and the alien conditions in the Arctic Circle came to feel like paranoid pre-match hysteria (perhaps Postecoglou has a point about Spurs being viewed through a glass-half-empty lens), as the Norwegian champions were finally made to resemble a club from a lesser league in Europe.
"We saw how we played at home, we dominated them and we knew we could do the same here," said Micky van de Ven afterwards.
Yves Bissouma produced another influential display
Getty Images
Van de Ven and Cristian Romero were imperious at centre-back, restricting Glimt to half-openings and, to a man, Postecoglou's players did their jobs without the ball.
Solanke, who broke the deadlock just after the hour when he poked home Romero's nod-down, was outstanding.
So too Yves Bissouma, so unfancied just last week, while wingers Richarlison and Brennan Johnson worked tirelessly in novel defensive roles.
In the absence of the injured James Maddison, Lucas Bergvall and Heung-min Son, right-back Pedro Porro was a creative outlet - although he acknowledged that he had been trying to cross when he found the top corner to double Spurs' lead.
Just as in the quarter-final second leg against Eintracht Frankfurt in Germany, Spurs' approach could scarcely have been more contrasting from their breathless, front-foot football under Postecoglou last season and at the start of this one, which led to so many lively but ultimately disappointing occasions.
This was not 'Ange-ball' as we know it, but it was impressive and entertaining in its own way, as well as proving grimly effective, suggesting again that this squad is made of sterner stuff than many imagined.
"Everybody had doubts when we came over here because Bodo/Glimt was doing unbelievable in their home games in Europe," said Van de Ven.
Postecoglou, who has often scoffed in the past at questions about tweaking his attacking approach for one-off games, has suggested that his players have naturally sensed that need to be more cautious at this stage of a cup competition.
Plainly, however, Spurs' transformed approach is about more than adjustments from the squad and you wonder if Postecoglou, who is aware of his precarious position, decided at some point that, in order to build a legacy at Spurs, winning at all costs must come before his principles.
The upshot is that he is one more victory away from overseeing the best season in Spurs' modern history, although he could still be remembered as the manager who led them to their worst-ever Premier League finish and a second painful defeat to a domestic rival in a European final in six years.
Dominic Solanke produced another tireless display
AP
In spite of the result, his future will remain a talking point, even if it would be hard to imagine the 59-year-old being sacked if he cements his place in the club's folklore by fulfilling his promise of winning a trophy in his second season.
As Spurs dug deep to grind out another big result, it was, though, easy to wonder if Postecoglou could have been more adaptable sooner.
Had Spurs adopted a similarly pragmatic approach in the Premier League from, say, December, once their rotten injury crisis set in, they may be in a far stronger position in the table, with the head coach's future barely a talking point.
As Postecoglou and his squad prepare for a shot at immortality on May 21, however, those 'what ifs' no longer matter a jot and everyone associated with the club can take comfort from the head coach's record of five games unbeaten against United, including three wins over the Red Devils this season.
Even more encouraging for Spurs, though, is the sense that this squad have found a way to win in Europe, even if it is not in the manner that Postecoglou may once have envisaged.
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