Ange Out? Providing Clarity Around Spurs' Recent Poor Form

About a month and a half ago, I wrote a piece clamouring for patience during a tricky period for Spurs. This was published following a 1-0 loss to Bournemouth. Fast forward nearly 2 months later and it has been painful viewing for myself and Spurs fans. In 12 games in all competitions since that Bournemouth loss, Spurs have won 4, drawn 2 and lost 6 with the Premier League being the most damming competition having only beaten rock-bottom Southampton since the previous article.

In this article, I'd like to take a different stance on recent proceedings. Debating recent criticisms, reasons for poor form and the wider picture. In particular, my final verdict on why firing Ange Postecoglou could be the nail in the coffin for Spurs as a club in the traditional "Top 6" for the foreseeable future whilst many of the "mid-table teams" have shown how patience and good recruitment leads to rising up the table.

Reason 1: Ange Doesn't "Adapt" to Injuries

One of the major criticisms that Ange has received during his tenure at Spurs is his apparent inability to adapt to games and alter his brand of football, the infamous 9 men high line against Chelsea being the standout. Whilst I think this was a valid point last season, I don't think the same applies this year.

Missing Key Players:

Looking back to the 2023/24 season, a similar trend occurred with Spurs this campaign when they were missing 1 out of 3 of Romero, van de Ven and Maddison:

As we can see, in the Premier League, last season in a far shorter period of time missing these key players, Spurs were winless in 5 matches since the 4-1 loss to Chelsea where both van de Ven and Maddison got injured as well as Romero getting suspended. The brevity of the period saved Ange, I think, as he got his key players back in time for a successful second half of the season barring the poor difficult run-in which didn't force him to sacrifice the way he played.

Let's compare this with the 2024/25 season, again, highlighting matches where at least one of Romero, Van de Ven and Maddison were unavailable to play:

This, combined with also the additional challenge of Europa League which Spurs didn't have to worry about last season, demonstrates just how pivotal the impact of unavailable key players can have on a team's overall performance. Maddison has missed less games this season but, in his absence, the Ginger Swede Dejan Kulusevski has stepped up to be a vital piece of the Spurs puzzle.

On the other hand, van de Ven and Romero are especially important here. Ange's tactics requires the CBs to act as sweepers, utilising pace and agility across the backline to win the ball back due to the high line. Even the desperate need for them to play, as seen in GW15 against Chelsea, saw the pair rushed back and injured again. The step-ins of Dragusin, Gray and Davies have not been able to replicate the same high energy and speed of Romero and Van de Ven. Thus, Spurs have been punished.

Changing a Trusted Philosophy:

Yet, Ange has actually altered the way Spurs play to cope with these key defensive injuries, something which has been missed by pundits and media alike. I've used the player heat-maps (courtesy of SofaScore) to show the gradual differences in shape which highlights Postecoglou's tactical sacrifice in making his team's line sit deeper to cope with missing quality.

In the Bournemouth game back in GW14 you can see Spurs setting up in the traditional AngeBall formation, with nearly all players on the halfway line bar Dragusin (6) who was operating as the sweeper due to being faster than the ageing Davies (33).

Compare this with the 2-1 loss to Newcastle, the first instance I noticed Spurs sitting deeper than usual, the CBs are around midway between the halfway line and the box. This is also reflected in the Wolves, Arsenal and Everton game as the defence is seemingly going further and further back.

Conversely, the traditional Ange full-backs, known for bombing down the wing and inverting into the box are now becoming more conventional full-backs. Outside of the formation anomaly of the Everton loss where Spurs opted for a 3-4-3, the full-backs are uncharacteristically closer to their CBs.

In theory, this makes Spurs harder to get through. However, a consequence of this has been more space afforded in the middle of the park. With the team not playing as high, this affords more space which can't be covered by the Spurs press. A successful press is employed when the team squeezes as a unit. Yet, with Ange asking his defence to sit deeper, Spurs can't press how they normally would. Combine this with a depleted squad who are now trying to press with excessive space and less energy than other teams with deeper squads, this will culminate in Spurs being overwhelmed in games.

In the Everton game, Ange commented that the change in system to a 3-4-3 was "not helpful", which saw Spurs revert back to their usual 4-2-3-1 at halftime. The switch gave Spurs better control and saw a comeback, despite ending the game 3-2. What it did was pin Everton back into their box, with Spurs flooding the flanks in search of overloads.

Thus, whilst a great believer in his exciting attacking philosophy, in recent games with his squad growing thin, Ange has sought for ways to get results, even if it goes against his own desire to play due to injuries and inaccurate player profiles for the style he demands. But, when you're squad is already thin and you're missing key players, altering the way you play will not always garner you results.

Reason 2: Ange Runs Players into the Ground

A similar criticism Postecoglou has faced is how his system and demands has caused injuries to players due to the immense workload and levels that are expected of them. The most recent of these injuries was Dominic Solanke. The Spurs striker has completed the 3rd most minutes in all competitions for Spurs this season behind Kulusevski and Pedro Porro. Is Ange to blame for this injury and the others?

BBC Sport posted an interesting article on the Spurs injury crisis, which included BBC Radio 5 Live's interview with sports scientist Anton McElhone, who worked at Celtic under Postecoglou and Spurs under Pochettino.

McElhone touched on how varying factors have affected injuries which will need to be taken into consideration with Ange's tactics. Namely, comparing Celtic to Spurs, the league's intensity. In Scotland, Ange could rest players by taking them off on the 60th minute mark when commanding a game due Celtic's dominance in the league. Additionally, the winter break in Scotland aided Celtic massively when injuries were building up.

McElhone also highlighted how Celtic were also suffering with a similar injury period to Spurs which stems from some players not being as robust as others. Spurs' first season was a freak season, one which he claims should have started happening in the 2nd season onwards as players began to adapt to the physical demands of the philosophy.

Moreover, the lack of squad depth, which is apparent compared to Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United is alarming. McElhone highlighted how Spurs were relying on youth/reserve players to support the senior team, unlike Chelsea or Manchester City who have greater depth in their ranks to cope with injuries. Chelsea, in particular, essentially have two squads to compete domestically and in Europe.

Therefore, whilst many would be quick to suggest that Ange's style is causing injuries of which is partially true, fixture congestion and poor squad depth in a team sport are also to blame. Of which, brings me on to my next point...

Reason 3: Levy and the ENIC Group

Whilst being an outstanding businessman and a successful business, Daniel Levy and the ENIC Group are a continual issue for the running of Spurs. Levy & Co. tried to emulate the success of Chelsea under Abramovic, signing short-term managers for instant success. Yet, the key difference between Chelsea and Spurs during 2003-2022 was how Chelsea quickly invested heaps of money to build a stacked squad, whilst Spurs continued to fail to splurge the cash on proven talent to support their managerial tactic.

Casting our eyes back to recent Spurs transfer windows since the calming of the storm of the Bale sale in 2013/14, Levy has seemed to follow a trend. Buying a player above €30m and then finding cheap replacements with unproven potential to make up the squad. Of course, I'm a big believer in finding cheap options who have lots of potential. But, looking at Spurs' recruitment strategy, it is alarming how bad many of their signings have been.

Yet, in the 2023/24 and 2022/23 seasons, the appointment of the now disgraced Paratici as Sporting Director saw the investment into a brighter future of Spurs in some excellent players, featuring Pedro Porro, Romero, Udogie, Spence, Kulusevski, Van de Ven and many more.

When Levy saw the over-performance of Ange in the 2023/24 season, this should've been supported with more players, needed not only to raise the quality of the team but also to be able to combat the added fixtures due to the Europa League. Whilst Spurs brought exceptional talent in the forms of Solanke, Gray and Bergvall, what strikes me is just how many players left the club. 9 players permanently left the club, with an extra 7 heading out on loan. Indeed, Spurs offloaded many unwanted players, however Levy did not replace those exits, leaving Ange with an even smaller squad for more fixtures! Do the maths: bringing in 6 players (as well as promoting youth from within) whilst 16 players leave the club is criminal.

Conversely, the appointment of former Aston Villa sporting director Johan Lange looked an excellent move on paper. Lange headed a huge transitional period for Aston Villa which saw them eventually return to the Champions League. The key reason why he was so successful? He and manager Unai Emery had complete control over transfers and youth development, given they are both footballing experts. The ownership provided the money if they felt it was the right option after consideration.

In stark contrast, it is evident that at Spurs there is not the same power dynamic. Daniel Levy infamously gets involved in all proceedings at the club, despite not being a football expert. This has led to Spurs missing out on key opportunities due to poor negotiation tactics and failure to spend in current and past seasons (E.g. Willian, Sadio Mané, Virgil van Dijk), often settling for the 2nd best option.

The underinvestment in Spurs' squad, a team that is meant to be challenging for European football is laughable. Indeed, the new Spurs stadium slowed down much of the investment, but Levy's continuous interference does not go unnoticed. I was pleased that the travelling Spurs fans on Sunday against Everton were chanting "Levy Out". Levy's meddling in football affairs has slowed down the progress of this club, particularly in pivotal moments in our recent history where we got close to success, only to be prevented due to poor recruitment and lack of investment from the board. As I spoke about in the last Spurs article, our neighbours Arsenal acted swiftly when their side has been in touching distance of the title in the last two seasons.

The fact that Spurs have been suffering with an injury crisis for nearly all of the 2024/25 campaign, giving Levy, Lange & Co. to find suitable replacements in weak positions in January well in advance, only to have signed a goalkeeper is embarrassing to be frank. If Levy decides to fire Postecoglou then we'll be in an even bigger hole.

Overall Verdict: Ange Out not the Solution

Whilst I understand Spurs fans' anger and frustration, I don't think removing Ange is the way to solve our season. When he signed for us, I was filled with excitement for the start of a long-term project that would take at least 3/4 years to come to fruition. By sacking him now, that success that I think will come won't happen and we'll likely spiral once again into a short-termist approach to managers to find quick success. This approach will not work at Spurs, it never has done in the Levy era.

Postecoglou is playing the football he guaranteed the fans with one hand tied behind his back. No squad depth, no investment to bring in a mixture of proven and young talent and a hierarchy who act with caution and businessmen with poor football expertise are making his job extremely difficult.

Genuinely, right now, Spurs could bring in the best manager of all-time and we will suffer a similar fate due to our current problems. The manager will not solve this issue by himself, there must be unity and coherence across the players, coaching staff and the board. Right now, this unit is missing vital processes to ensure success at Tottenham Hotspur.

Cast your eyes to well-run clubs such as Bournemouth, Newcastle, Brighton, Fulham and Brentford. These are teams whose owners care about the club which, naturally, has pushed them in an upwards trajectory. Conversely, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United, two prime examples of being poorly run, have been prevented of development. Consequently, they now sit in the bottom half of the table whilst the "mid-table teams" are now making a push for Europe in their wake.

So, I urge Spurs fan to think with logic rather than emotions. Take out your anger on the puppet-master Levy who is trying to orchestrate everything whilst Ange is consistently unable to have the resources he needs for his philosophy to spread through the club. Remember how strongly Ange started his tenure at Spurs last season, when he had a bigger squad, less fixtures and a steady investment in recruitment. Trust the process and be patient, otherwise we are going to return to a familiar period we suffered post-Pochettino, one of which I don't want to go back to.