Postecoglu’s Tottenham debut, promise, problems, and a point
By Aaron Coe
Tottenham Hotspur had good and bad moments in their first game under Ange Postecoglu; but most importantly, Spurs secured an EPL road point.
Almost anything could have happened for Tottenham Hotspur, kicking off a new season under another new manager, with talisman Harry Kane fresh out of the squad.
Fans saw a committed team and a new style, but it will take time. Fortunately, Spurs did enough to take a big road point and start a new era on a positive foot.
Promise starts pre-game from Postecoglu’s Tottenham
The team is the emphasis from Ange Postecolgu, and Spurs have that in spades. Good vibes were coming from Ange’s side well before kickoff, with most fans excited to see new signing Micky van de Ven in the starting XI.
Then the entire starting squad going over to the away-end fans to recognize our traveling supporters before they huddled in front of them was a nice touch.
Then came the actual football match, and Spurs did not disappoint.
After several seasons of passive, defensive, and frankly negative football, seeing Tottenham on the front foot from the off was wonderful. And to say Spurs were on the front foot is putting it mildly after Tottenham held over 69% of the possession on the afternoon. To see that progressive and aggressive football was delightful.
Maybe the most promising aspect of everything was some newcomers making their Tottenham debut.
James Maddison is the creative playmaker Spurs have lacked since Christian Eriksen left N-17. Madders was deceptively elusive with the ball and had several excellent free-kicks, including the assist to Cuti Romero for the opener.
Beyond the new blood in the midfield, it was refreshing to see the new left side of the defense. After several seasons lacking the pace and, at times, pride to leave everything on the pitch defensively, van de Ven and Destiny Udogie are a breath of fresh air.
Van de Ven looks so natural on and off the ball. I’m sure I’m not the only one who got some strong Jan Vertonghen feels watching the young Dutchman play. Then van de Ven showed his speed, giving the feeling that Vertonghen is this young man’s floor; we will see what his ceiling is.
Next to the Dutchman, Udogie finally made his Spurs debut after staying on loan for a season.
Why Antonio Conte wanted him was clear, Udogie was dogged defensively and could just as easily pop up in the attacking third as make a sliding block in the penalty area. On more than one occasion, Udogie’s effort to get back and defend helped prevent what could have been more Brentford goals.
Problems do persist under Postecoglu, but the point was promising
Tottenham saw some positive debuts, but Romero’s head injury displayed how thin Spurs are defensively.
Davinson Sanchez was markedly better than last season, but how much Spurs can count on him or anyone behind him remains to be seen. Although new signing Ashley Phillips has promise, a player with zero top-flight starts is likely not the answer this season if Romero or van de Ven pick up injuries.
Besides the lack of depth in the back, despite all the bodies and touches happening in midfield, it is already evident this team may have to rely too heavily on our new number 10 to create goals.
Madders was good and helped create both goals, but other players will have to create opportunities for this team to flourish, especially against the better Premier League sides. Cue Giovani Lo Celso and the injured Rodrigo Bentancur, both of whom can add creative play from the No. 8.
That said, Spurs are better defensively with van De Ven than they were a week ago without him, and finding a second creator is better than not having one, which was the case the last few seasons.
Although good money says Kane would have buried one of the chances Richarlison spurned, Tottenham did manage two goals and secured a difficult road point.
Next. Tottenham player ratings from draw at Brentford. dark
Considering Spurs only picked up three points in their last four away games last year, the point provides promise that the Postecoglu era will not be more of the same, and a new day is dawning for Tottenham Hotspur.