Ange Postecoglou’s first week at Tottenham has been largely spent getting to know the players and staff, including his own team of coaches, but he has wasted no time in impressing his philosophy on a skeleton squad.
Since starting work at Hotspur Way last Saturday, Postecoglou has been overseeing a group of around 20 players, made up of senior stars such as captain Hugo Lloris, Yves Bissouma and Pedro Porro, returning loanees Tanguy Ndombele, Bryan Gil and Sergio Reguilon, and promising youngsters, including Dane Scarlett, Alfie Devine and Matthew Craig.
With the club’s internationals not due back until next week, the period has offered fringe players a chance to make an immediate impression on the new head coach, who is determined to give everyone a clean slate.
There is already fresh optimism that Ndombele, for example, could have a lifeline under Postecoglou; when the Frenchman was last at Hotspur Way, he was forced to train alone or with the Under-23s by Antonio Conte, but he has been fully involved this week.
Postecoglou has held one team meeting so far, in which he reminded the players that this is the start of a new era and stressed his determination to play entertaining, attacking football.
The atmosphere around the club has been one of excitement and cautious optimism, in stark contrast to the miserable death-throes of Conte’s tenure — although Ryan Mason’s spell in interim charge had already helped to lift the gloom. Daniel Levy, the Spurs chairman, has been at Hotspur Way, updating Postecoglou on the progress of the club’s transfer business, which is continuing apace with negotiations for Manor Solomon and Micky van de Ven ongoing, and work beginning to offload unwanted players.
Staff at the training ground report that Postecoglou is charismatic, affable, professional and single-minded. Despite his fondness for using ‘mate’, he has already memorised the names of almost every member of staff, taking some by surprise.
He has no time for small-talk, however, and is fiercely authentic; he immediately knocked back some quirkier ideas from the online content team because they did not feel right for him.
He is a meticulous time-keeper and players or staff who are lax with their timings can expect short shrift. The Ashes has been on the big screens around the training ground, including in the players’ canteen, but few staff have been brave enough to open hostilities with the Australian, who was at Lord’s to support the tourists on day three of the Second Test, on the eve of his first official day at Spurs.
For now, the 58-year-old is living at the Lodge at Hotspur Way while he hunts for a London home to share with his wife and two youngest sons, seven and nine. He has been starting work before 8am, and his days have varied in length, depending on whether he has put in a single or double session. For members of the squad who found Conte’s training regime too gruelling, Postecoglou should be a welcome change.
For members of the squad who found Conte’s training regime too gruelling, Postecoglou should be a welcome change
His sessions — which have tended to start with a handshake for each player — have been no longer than 90 minutes and often ball-oriented. From the first outdoor session, on Sunday, Postecoglou has implemented drills focused on the quick one- and two-touch football he will demand from his side. Footage of Postecoglou barking instructions to his Celtic players during one session (including the phrase “We never stop”, which become the mantra of the entire club) was compelling, but he often tends to watch from the sidelines, while his coaches lead the drills.
He is not a micro-manager and prefers to leave departments to run themselves, something he has impressed on staff during a series of meetings this week. Postecoglou tends to travel alone and the only member of his new five-man coaching team he has previously worked with is Mile Jedinak, the former Crystal Palace midfielder who captained his Socceroos team.
Jedinak, who is only three years into retirement, is expected to be the link between dressing room and coaching staff — an important role under Postecoglou, who keeps an emotional distance between himself and his players.
Mason, Matt Wells and goalkeeping coach Rob Burch bring intimate knowledge of the club, having come through the academy, initially as players and then as coaches, while assistant manager Chris Davies is expected to be the organiser, across every detail of the players’ professional lives.
Postecoglou interviewed all five coaches during a busy June, which also included a family holiday in Greece and conversations with new signings James Maddison and Guglielmo Vicario.
As for his stance on ketchup and mayonnaise, which was outlawed from the players’ canteen under Conte, that is not yet clear, but certainly the food has already been more varied than during Conte’s tenure, when it was not uncommon for the players to go long periods with only plain chicken, salmon and pasta.
