In the build-up to the weekend's victory at home to Brentford, Tottenham Hotspur head coach Ange Postecoglou was quizzed on his social media usage after Brennan Johnson deactivated his Instagram account (via The Sun).
While Postecoglou explained that it "went downhill very quickly," he admitted in Friday's pre-match press conference that he did use Twitter, as it was known at the time.
"I thought it was a great resource for information and some pretty smart young people on there, especially around the football analytics and stuff that I used to get excited about" (via Hayters TV).
Postecoglou was no sooner out of the press room than the virtual terraces of Spurs fans on X (formerly Twitter) began digging for their manager's old account, producing some entertaining yet eerily accurate results.
Postecoglou's Twitter burner account?
One account seemed to mirror the Australian's footballing philosophy more than others. The @reverse_ball account, which hasn't posted since December 2022, is one of many 'tactico' accounts that have risen in popularity in recent years.
A few years back I had a fantasy tactic where the full backs would go into midfield in attack and two proper wingers would always stay high
— reverse_ball (@reverse_ball) October 22, 2015
Some leading Spurs fan accounts were quick to identify the page as Postecoglou, after noticing the owner of the account shared a similar belief to Postecoglou in Dominic Solanke back in 2015.
It’s over, it’s ange https://t.co/esdNXYmmKa
— Billie (@Billie_T) September 21, 2024
In the wake of the Arsenal loss, one decision that raised Tottenham eyebrows was the decision to bring on Timo Werner for James Maddison on the 80 minute mark.
Many in the stadium that day argued that a like-for-like switch in the form of Lucas Bergvall, a player with similar technical abilities to Maddison, would have made more sense.
The account even encapsulates Postecoglou's potential thought process in going with Werner over Bergvall in this situation, with the team a goal down with ten minutes remaining.
Werner’s mental approach to football is my preferred way. Play at the highest intensity for 90 mins even if your technique can’t cope.
— reverse_ball (@reverse_ball) December 26, 2020
When it comes off, it’ll be worth it, and once you hit form you can hit peaks that players who focus on technique might struggle to reach
Of course, any similarities between Postocoglou and @reverse_ball are nothing but speculation at this stage, and expect a sharp, witty response from the Australian if he is asked about the topic in any of this week's press conferences as Tottenham Hotspur face into another busy week.