A perfect ending to an imperfect game

It was complete chaos. The Tottenham Hotspur players were swarming from all directions on the field as the fans in the seats went absolutely mad.

Goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario rushed the length of the field to participate in the celebrations, and Spurs’ young Dutch giant Micky van de Ven picked up Pedro Porro clean off the ground and lifted him into the air before roaring towards the west stand. Captain Son Heung-min also ran off the bench to join in.

If you want to see how close-knit of a team Ange Postecoglou has already built, you could just look at the players who all made such an impact off the bench, but you could also take a look at those who weren’t even on the field.

Teenage defender Ashley Phillips shouted his joy alongside young Alejo Veliz as they both went crazy after the goal, yelling and dragging the advertising hoarding back and forth in front of them with Bryan Gil.

On the opposite side of Veliz, Giovani Lo Celso pumped his hands repeatedly in the air next to Rodrigo Bentancur, who was also thrilled while attempting not to drop the maté he was holding.

Postecoglou maintained his composure throughout the commotion that followed the winning goal. He gave a few fist pumps and assistant head coach Chris Davies gave him a bear embrace, which the Australian accepted for a brief moment before giving him a “release me now” pat on the shoulder and turning to arrange the somewhat improvised back four that he had assembled in an effort to win the game.

Although this game of football was not flawless, it offered the ideal method to end it. Although Sheffield United had demonstrated outstanding organization, the amount of time they squandered, primarily due to goalkeeper Wes Foderingham, gave Spurs the opportunity they needed to turn things around in accordance with the new regulations.

With 535 passes to the Blades’ 181, Tottenham had 70% of the game’s possession. They outshot the opponents by a margin of 28 shots to 7, with 10 of those shots finding the target, leading to 35 clearances, 9 blocks, and 8 saves for the home team.

Although United scored, Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven were in charge the entire time as their relationship is still going strong.

Conversely, just four other managers in the league have had their teams score two goals or more in all five of their Premier League contests under Postecoglou.

The fans are more understanding of Postecoglou’s style of play because he has gone 50 home games without losing and has ended the Manager of the Month curse.

In previous seasons, the mood would have been toxic if Spurs had fallen behind a promoted team 1-0 in the 73rd minute, let alone the 97th. There would have been chants against the chairman and boos for the players both collectively and for some of them personally.

With Postecoglou, the supporters can see what he’s doing, and they loudly assisted in motivating the players despite everything starting so late, with James Maddison providing the occasional cheer.

“The fans played their part today. It was a real frustrating game, in terms of there was a lot of stoppages and dead time,” said the Tottenham boss. “Sometimes we didn’t deal with it well, talking to referee in unnecessary moments instead of getting on with the game.

“It would have been easy for our fans to get frustrated but I do think our supporters are seeing in this team, even when things weren’t going to script today and we were 1-0 down, they can see the team trying to play the kind of football they want to see and I think that helps. They can resonate with that.

“That’s what they want to see in their team. They want to see aggression when we have the ball and aggression when we don’t have the ball. I think they’ve bought into that because they can see that’s what the players are trying to do.

“In this early phase it’s crucial because that hopefully fast tracks our development as a football club because there’s no doubt that the players got energy from the supporters today. No doubt about it.”

It is Tottenham’s best start to a league season since 1965. They sit second and unbeaten in the fledgling Premier League table with four wins in a row after that opening draw at Brentford.

“There was a fair bit going on out there today,” Postecoglou  with a smile. “A great ending, in terms of what we’re trying to build, there’s the football side of it but there’s also trying to build the spirit and character and resilience within the group and they showed bags of it today.

“Hopefully it gives us the opportunity to fuel that further. Every time you have to deal with adversity and you overcome it, I think it helps in what you’re trying to grow.”

Under Postecoglou, something at Tottenham Hotspur is blooming even more fast than he anticipated.

Just what Richarlison and Spurs needed

Richarlison had spent a long time on the sidelines warming up, constantly looking across at the bench, just waiting for the nod and at one point even seemed to make a substitution sign with his hands to someone over there.

When the forward did come on he immediately gave Spurs a focal point, heading over a cross from Porro, before making that great untracked run to head in Ivan Perisic’s corner in the 98th minute, a kick earlier won by a blocked header from another substitute Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.

The look on Richarlison’s face said it all, he knew it was only an equaliser at that point but he roared with delight after doing his bit for the team as he ran back to the centre circle, Hojbjerg having grabbed the ball out of the net.

It was Richarlison’s first home goal for Spurs and his 50th in the Premier League, making him only the third Brazilian to reach that landmark after Roberto Firmino and Gabriel Jesus.

He was not done though as Spurs won the game with a beautiful flowing move from the Postecoglou playbook.

First Destiny Udogie made a battling, crucial interception and played the ball to Hojbjerg, he fed it to Perisic who picked out Richarlison with an instinctive first time pass and the now fully confident Brazilian ran on and passed it inside at the perfect moment to Dejan Kulusevski, who took a touch and buried his shot to take the roof off the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The Spurs players split, all taking a moment to celebrate with both the Swede and the Brazilian, who had contributed a goal and assist in just 10 minutes or so of action.

Postecoglou’s substitutes had all made a crucial difference. Perisic is becoming a huge influence late in matches for the Australian with his experience as has Hojbjerg for the same reason.

However, this was all about Richarlison and Postecoglou said that he was delighted for the 26-year-old.

“Richy was great. I thought all the subs who came on really helped, but that’s been a consistent theme,” he said. “For Richy I think it’s the point I was trying to make yesterday – for him to understand that you try to maintain a balance in life, and his football hasn’t been that bad, he’s still been contributing for us.

“Sometimes when you struggle with certain parts of your life you let it go into other areas, but the football is one area where he can control, and he works hard every day in training and really got his rewards today.

“Hopefully that gives him a bit more of a settled feel to deal with the other areas in his life. For everyone, it’s about not letting it overwhelm you, and hopefully a day like today helps him.”

When asked whether he spoke to Richarlison before the game about his mental health, Postecoglou made it very clear that he would leave that to people who could make a real difference.

“No I didn’t speak to him. That’s not my area of expertise, not just for Richy but for all the boys. If they have issues we have people who are much better equipped to handle those kind of things,” he explained.

“For me, I try to provide an environment for the players where they can feel comfortable to come into that space. I didn’t want to overwhelm Richy by asking him a million questions or offering advice for stuff I don’t really know and probably shouldn’t because that’s for him to work out with people better equipped than me.

“My role is to provide an environment here at the football club that allows them to feel secure in this part of their life. So I didn’t really have anything to say to him. I’m sure it’s a group of players and they’ve been around him, and you saw at the end how happy they were for him.”

The players were ecstatic for Richarlison and the grin on his face showed what a special end the week had brought for him.

“Richy is a top player,” said Kulusevski in his club interview. “I’ve always said it, I always love playing with him. He’s an unbelievable player, we’ve just got to feed him the balls because with his head he’s always to score like that.

“We’ve got to help him a lot off the pitch and on the pitch. He’s a great guy, he’s so funny and he helps our team so much.”

He added: “We speak a lot, we joke a lot, because he’s a funny guy and we always have fun. We’re always there for him, for everybody. It’s tough sometimes being a football player. People don’t always understand that from outside.

“That’s why we football players have to keep in touch and stay in touch, stay together and help him.”

There was also a bright cameo from deadline day signing Brennan Johnson, who in one moment showed exactly what he’s going to bring to Postecoglou’s team.

The £47.5m attacker’s pace saw him latch on to a superb Bissouma cross-field pass, with great control to take it into his path before lifting it past the goalkeeper and into the slimmest of gaps between the stopper and the net.

It was very Dele Alli in feel, in terms of the run, control and instant finish, but unfortunately the linesman has spotted the Wales international was just offside and his debut goal was ruled out.

It was a big moment also for Kulusevski, who has shown flashes of the player who made that incredible start to life in the Premier League.

“I was quite calm. It’s just a game of football and when Richy scored you knew we were not going to lose so I just had the ball and I did my thing. I know that I just have to make one good thing to score and that’s what happened,” said the Swede afterwards.

“Honestly in the first second when you see the ball go in it’s like a bomb. It’s all quiet for one second and then wow, you just feel alive. All that hard work is worth it for that second.”

On finding that second goal, he said: “We’ve got to stay calm. You see our coach Ange, he’s always on the side being very, very calm so we’ve got to do that as players. We’ve got to stay calm, trust in each other and play like a family.

“We can improve a lot. First half I thought we wanted to score too much, we thought we were going to score a lot of goals but we need to stay calm always and wait for the game to come to us.

“We still haven’t lost this year in the Premier League so we’ll keep going from this and we have tough games, the next two or three games are very tough, so we’ve got to stay ready and be physically good.”

The Swede believes that after a couple of injuries that have interrupted his rhythm in the past year, he is getting back to where he wants to be.

“I’m coming back, I’m coming back to myself,” he said. “I know that I get so much help from my team-mates and the coaches and I know I have a higher level in me so I have to just keep going and the best feeling to start going up is to score goals. I love scoring goals because I know I will help the team in the future.”

Son and Manor Solomon also caused issues for Sheffield United and Postecoglou has a large set of very different options to unlock defences up top in the season ahead.

Postecoglou just what Spurs fans need

You couldn’t have written a better script for Richarlison to conclude this week, as far as scripts go.

It was a week that started with him crying in the dugout, admitting he needed to see a psychiatrist because life off the field had been so difficult for him during the previous five months, and then the Spurs team gathered around him.

After the Brazilian spoke about his mental health, the Tottenham supporters also voiced their opinions by eulogizing him when he entered the game late. The Brazilian answered as best he could.

For the past few years, Tottenham fans have heard how far behind the competition their team is and how they need to adjust their expectations. To dare is just ridiculous has become more popular than “To dare is to do.”

After Spurs’ season opened with a 2-0 loss at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Antonio Conte warned the fans they were being unrealistic after they expressed their frustration with the club’s board and the excruciatingly boring football his team was playing.

“I’m not afraid; I believe in my work and these players. However, please don’t ask me for anything that I cannot guarantee. If you want to fulfill a dream in an instant, you must be realistic about the challenges you

“We performed a miracle last season. We performed a miracle, but I was extremely honest with the club and knew what the situation was. Then I well remember hearing that Tottenham was a title contender this year, but reading this was a little crazy.

While it’s important to have “great enthusiasm and be excited for the team,” Conte said earlier in the season when Spurs had started the season unbeaten with 14 points from six games, he added that he can’t think that way because “if someone thinks we are on the same level as other top teams in only 10 months, I don’t think this is realistic.” I have the ability to lie to you if I choose to.

Even when Spurs were having success, their own manager would tell the supporters to cool off and understand where their team belonged.

That narrative is not acceptable to Postecoglou’s ardently disgruntled following. He wants the Tottenham fans to have fun, even if he has only started his renovation and there will be hiccups along the way.

He swiftly said when asked in his club interview if the fans should lower their expectations: “No, no, no, let them go, let them go, and enjoy it. It’s not my job to deflate people’s balloons.

“Let them get overly enthusiastic and impatient. The pleasure of being a supporter is that. They experience enough suffering, so you want to spare them.

“It’s up to us to live up to their expectations if they think we’re going to be world beaters, which is terrific. Our supporters should be happy and free to enjoy it anyway they like.

Postecoglou wants everyone to be happy and have fun watching football. That is what the game means to him, the reason he started playing it, and the emotion he wants his players to experience.

He is confident that he can bring success to the Premier League with his particular brand of football because it doesn’t need giving up a lot of the fun aspects of the game.

Compare that to trying to assist Nuno Espirito Santo in the second month of his unimpressive term years ago by posing the open goal question: “But you can assure the Spurs fans that you will play good football as you stamp your mark on the team?” The Portuguese retorted bewilderedly that he was unable to say that.

Then there are the actual players. While prior Spurs managers have urged them to be nastier, Jose Mourinho made it very plain that he wanted them to be intellectual somethings—we won’t use the exact word.

Postecoglou, an Australian, has his own idea as to why the young Spurs club is rekindling a connection with the fan base.

They’re decent folks, mate. You do not disregard that. They are all young guys, not just football players, and part of my job is to simply give them advice and show them the way. Being a kind person is not incorrect in any way. You know, I believe that’s something that people can relate to.

There is a great atmosphere in that dressing room, especially with the leaders we have there, in my opinion. They are aware of the honor involved in representing this football team.

Although it is still early, the current Spurs manager is rejecting many of the phrases and perspectives of those who came before him.

He also demonstrated the power of his substitutes. Although Postecoglou was fully aware that there was still a significant amount of time to play after the first 90 minutes, some fans were growing impatient because he was taking so long to make any changes.

Well, that’s what I was contemplating, but I was also taken aback when only three minutes of the first half had passed. When I was considering making the subs, I internally believed we would have at least 10 minutes, if not more,” he remarked.

“I still believed we were winning. I still believed that we controlled the game in terms of football; we just missed the goal that would have made them vulnerable.

“Whenever they get the ball in the box, they’re always a threat from long throws and set pieces. When you are down a goal, it is only an issue of when to make substitutions, but I was very sure there would be at least 10 minutes, so I believed we had plenty of time to make the necessary adjustments.

In the end, each of his replacements contributed in some way. In what amounted to a back three, Richarlison scored and assisted, Perisic contributed an assist and a crucial pass, Hojbjerg was involved in both goals, Johnson posed a persistent danger, and Emerson Royal provided vigor and stability down the right after the goal and as a makeshift center-back.

Postecoglou is conducting himself exactly as he pleases, and he won’t accept anything less.

A double helping of Daniel Levy

Daniel Levy, the chairman of Tottenham, will shortly have met with the fans twice in a fortnight after years of very little face-to-face interaction.

Any appearance by the 61-year-old to clarify things is a bonus. Some who are far more cynical than this writer could object that it’s simpler to finally talk to the fanbase when things are going well and where was this past season.

Levy has faced criticism over the years for the club’s failure to win any trophies during his 23-year reign, as well as for the perception that, despite Tottenham Hotspur being developed off the field with a new stadium and training facility, not enough has been done on it due to inconsistent decisions made over the course of the seasons and the summers in between.

The issue is that decisions are rarely explained, which inadvertently makes Levy more of a caricature for the fandom at times than a chairman.

He is currently responding to questions from his followers, and while his answers won’t satisfy everyone, at least he is speaking.

On September 5, he and several other board members attended the two-hour meeting of the Tottenham Hotspur Fan Advisory Board held at Lilywhite House next to the stadium.

An internal manifesto that was written earlier this year for the club’s whole personnel was first made public during the meeting.

“N17,” it said. It’s not merely a location. Where we dare is there. We work there. Together, we are one. It is where we focus on the present and the future while also being the home of our history, tradition, and past. Because we are laying the groundwork for tomorrow today. building blocks that will transform lives. for many years.

“Building blocks for extraordinary encounters. Moments that will bind us together and leave us with cherished memories. It’s where we let loose our creativity and open our community and culture to the outside world. where our diverse heritage shines. with pride and intention. Because as we lift others, we all soar. Together, “DREAM. DARE. DO.”

Some supporters might disagree with how much bravery and action have been combined over time.

Levy then described the club’s primary goal, which is “to deliver revenues to fund a sustainable, successful football club consistently competing at the top level,” according to the meeting minutes.

Even in admitting that the club’s primary goal is to create money, fans won’t particularly want to hear that.

It only needed to be turned around. The Tottenham chairman had the opportunity to publicly state that the club’s main goal is to become one of the most successful organizations around and that they must compete against some of the wealthiest teams in the league to generate the income necessary to support that goal.

Despite the fact that the minutes of the meeting may have undermined what Levy said, everyone there has approved of them.

He said, “Football is at the center of everything the club does and is the club’s key driving focus,” according to the minutes. The team plays in the most competitive league in the world and is financially self-sufficient.

“Up to this point, the plan has been to raise stadium capacity, establish a new training facility, and invest in the playing squads. The current emphasis is on maximizing both tangible and intangible investments in order to generate profits for the club to reinvest in players and build a successful team.

That means, specifically, “improving on-pitch performances with investment in first teams, scouting, and recruitment,” it continued. The club has previously emphasized the need for better recruitment and as part of this has reviewed football operations.

“Create new and diverse revenue sources to fund investment in football while reducing reliance on football revenues to safeguard the club’s long-term viability.

“Upgrade our facilities and business processes through ongoing innovation, set the standard for providing outstanding player and fan experiences, and be data-driven and digital first to improve fan engagement, service, and interaction.

“Revitalize our neighborhood, something the club has delivered homes, schools, jobs,” the club’s mission statement reads.

Again, everything was highly commercially motivated, but it was also a realistic illustration of how clubs must function in order to compete against their billionaire rivals.

After that, focus turned to transfers. According to the club’s operations and finance director Matthew Collecott, Spurs have spent £847,442,145 since the stadium opened, with a net spend of £605,811,964.

According to the accounts, Spurs spent £195,614,698 last season and earned £46,993,390 back, for a net expenditure of £148,621,308.

According to Collecott’s figures, £253,776,545 has been spent so far in the 2023–24 season, with £95,367,224 coming primarily from the upfront portion of Harry Kane’s salary. This season’s net spending has been reported as £158,409,321.

According to the minutes, Levy said that “significant investments have been made, creating a foundation for the future both on and off the field.” Only the revenues generated by club operations were considered club revenues.

“In order for Financial Fair Play to be effective, it needed to be properly implemented. The emphasis was now on maximizing income and making sure that the club’s finance strategy is long-term and sustainable. The organization is making every effort to increase money that goes to the first team.

The board was urged to rescind the matchday ticket price increase by Rachel Martin, a candidate for the supporters’ board from the Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust, who questioned how the club planned to retain families attending games and make existing fans feel valued.

Levy “confirmed that the club wanted to minimise the impact of rising costs on fans and explained everything was a balance when operating a business,” according to the minutes. The FAB will be taken into consideration in future conversations, according to executive director Donna Maria-Cullen, who also revealed that a thorough ticketing evaluation is now underway.

Fans who are paying the higher matchday ticket prices this season won’t find much solace in that news.

Steve Cavalier, another Trust nominee, inquired as to the definition and metrics of the club’s performance.

The most essential thing for the club, according to Levy, is to be a highly competitive team that wins and, more significantly, entertains fans. This changes over time.

Hemali Patel, a member of Hotspur, inquired about the status of the eagerly anticipated stadium naming rights.

“Naming rights deals are complicated, and we only have one opportunity to name the stadium,” Chief Commercial Officer Todd Kline said. It’s challenging to get the keyword, cost, and brand partnered with all right.

If a purchase could be completed soon, Levy responded, “Along with choosing the correct brand, it’s crucial to consider the industry the brand serves. It’s crucial to find a brand and industry that align with the club’s principles. With the club’s own brand, there is a trade-off because other income and advantages are attracted by the value of the brand’s exposure in many markets.

A reasonable NFL team should exist in London at some point, the Spurs chairman remarked, although he stressed that the club had no control over the issue.

As stated in the minutes, “the two holding family trusts – Lewis Family beneficiaries (70.12%) and Levy Family beneficiaries (29.88%) collectively own 86.58% of Tottenham Hotspur Limited (TopCo), and 13.42% of remaining shares are held by approximately 30,000 individuals,” according to Collecott, further explained the ownership structure.The meeting also verified a previous rumor that Scott Munn would eventually start working as the club’s chief football officer later this month. At the game on Saturday, the Australian was a guest in the director’s box.

Levy will once again appear in front of the fans on Tuesday and respond to inquiries during the club’s first fans’ forum in years. He will do so with Postecoglou, Son, the new head coach of the women’s first squad, Robert Vilahamn, and the captain, Bethany England.

Levy may decide to polish up his delivery of his responses with more emphasis on the football than the financial matters because 250 fans are expected at the stadium for the meeting, but he also has Postecoglou to turn to in that regard.

The Tottenham supporters need to know who is currently in charge of their club.

Fabio Paratici, a former managing director of football, was sitting up in a box behind the press section on Saturday while watching the game, taking selfies with fans and not exactly maintaining a professional distance from the team with which he still has a consulting relationship after a global ban limited his options.

Fortunately for Levy, all eyes and ears are focused on Postecoglou, so Tuesday night’s audience members will enjoy watching the battle of the two men’s oratory philosophies.

Levy must be aware that Postecoglou will serve as the focal point on which Spurs will base their future development. Despite losing one of the finest players, the Australian was able to restore the club’s health in just three months.

For many years, Harry Kane’s followers have worried about his inevitable departure and when it would occur. But the truth is that now that it has actually happened, Postecoglou’s exciting football and the cohesion of the Spurs team he has forged have ensured that, regrettably or not, few fans are bemoaning the England captain’s departure or even bringing up one of the best players in the world.

Even if it’s still early, that accomplishment alone may be the most unexpected the Australian has made thus far, and it will have relieved Levy of a lot of the pressure, even though the chairman may still be questioned on Tuesday about the team’s former striker.

A few days later, the first North London Derby takes place, but for Postecoglou, the long term is everything as he works to give this team a personality.

“That’s all there is. it is what I am referring to, and it is what I have always been about as a football manager. You can follow the development of my teams throughout my career for as long as you like, and I believe that every club that has hired me has done so because that’s what they were looking for, he remarked on Saturday.

For me, it means everything. The way we play says a lot about us as a football club because it requires a fair amount of bravery, a fair amount of courage, and a real relentlessness when we play that way, and I think that has to sort of marry with the image of the football club. It’s not just that I believe it’s what gets you success, it does, that’s what I believe and it has in my career.

Tottenham’s motto, “To dare is to do,” hasn’t sounded as appropriate in a very long time, and they can thank the man from Down Under for that.

Some believe that Spurs’ most recent period of football success occurred when Levy and the board were otherwise occupied and totally focused on building the magnificent stadium that is now located on the high road, a period in which they may have largely delegated more aspects of running the football side of the club to others.

The club’s fortunes on the field then started to decline rapidly again in 2019, only a few months after the stadium’s construction was finished and it opened to widespread acclaim.

The argument against it is that when Fabio Paratici arrived in 2021, it was intended to put a guy in charge who was well-versed in football, but the Italian’s first task was to hire Nuno Espirito Santo.

In an even more powerful post created for him than Paratici held, Munn will have the mandate to oversee all football departments within the club when he begins this month, regardless of the validity of the hypothesis.

Munn has the proper person to build the club around and steer it in the correct path in his colleague. Spurs should be commended for choosing Ange Postecoglou in the end because, however they found him, the Australian coach is a true gem. He