Ange Postecoglou Defying Convention
"It was absolutely box office and that is why the Premier League is the best league in the world by an absolute country mile."
Last week we talked about defense and specifically the trust and almost telepathic understanding it can take at times to defend properly. There is an enormous emphasis to capitalize on defensive errors right now in the Premier League and this can mostly credited towards managers trying to maximize the incredible level of athleticism that their players have. Gone are the days where your winger is the only player who can sprint.
When you’re looking for radical tactical experimentation in football you would rarely expect to see this in a traditional top 6 Premier League clash. Ange Postecoglou has showed us this season his footballing philosophy but when Tottenham were left with 9-man against Chelsea due to 2 red cards, this was the moment to crack.
In a matchup such as Tottenham vs Chelsea you would expect pragmatism, safe passing, and a conservative defensive setup.
Figure 1.0
Ange Postecoglou’s philosophy and approach to the game is one where he wants his team to play proactively in attack; achieved through rotating positional play and movement.
This philosophy is founded on controlling ball possession and in order to do so your team must be incredibly aggressive in defense. Once your team loses possession you need to regain it immediately because the longer your team is out of possession the longer you are not in control of the game.
When Tottenham went down to 9-men with over 30 minutes of game-time left at a scoreline of 1-1, the orthodox expectation would be to park the bus and put your remaining 8 outfield players in a deep and compact defensive shape. You would’ve expected Tottenham to force the ball out wide to less dangerous areas and should Chelsea threaten their goal, clear it long!
Instead, we were blessed with Figure 1.0, a testament to Ange’s conviction of how the game should be played. This was not a fluke.
Figure 2.0
Most defenders will not have an appetite for this sort of interval-running style of defending and Chelsea’s Cucurella knows this as he tests the Tottenham back line with a run that begins in his own half. The advantage that Cucurella has is that he’s already in a running motion by the time the ball is played over the top. This is a major disadvantage for right-back Porro who’s now lost nearly 2 yards on his attacker because he was holding a high-line while standing.
Figure 3.0
By the time the ball is received by Cucurella the pros and cons of this system should be settled. A long ball over the top creates a 1v1 versus the goalkeeper, in most instances this is game over 1-2.
Figure 4.0
However, Cucurella is not quick enough. Even with a 2 yard running head-start, the gaps in speed and athleticism in the league have been so slim that Tottenham are not punished.
Guglielmo Vicario, Tottenham goalkeeper signed this Summer, shows off his incredibly wise positioning and super-human length to prevent the goalscoring chance. Porro deserves credit as well for the pressure he was able to put on Cucurella.
In the past you may have had a player who is tactically-intelligent and but lacking on the physical advantages. Tottenham & Ange Postecoglou have set up a team that is balanced in both departments. A team who plays an intelligent game with players who are physically gifted enough to go head to head with anyone in the league.