STRACH: ANGE’S SIMPLY MAGIC
Gordon: There’s never a dull moment now in Spurs games... Postecoglou has brought a ’wonderful mayhem’ to the Prem
ANGE POSTECOGLOU is treating the Premier League to “wonderful mayhem” while turning Tottenham into genuine title contenders.
That’s the view of former Coventry and Celtic boss Gordon Strachan, who reckons the 58-year-old has been a breath of fresh air in English football.
Postecoglou became the first Australian to manage in the Premier League when he took charge of Spurs last summer. And he has made a stunning impact, leading the Londoners to fourth place, just seven points adrift of leaders Liverpool.
Postecoglou (above) has earned plaudits for his gungho tactics, with Spurs becoming one of the most exciting teams to watch.
And former Scotland manager Strachan reckons you simply can’t take your eyes off them.
Strachan, who spent five years playing in the Manchester United midfield in the 1980s, told Lord Ping: “The Premier League is the most-watched football league in the world and Ange has added to the spectacle.
“He has put even more attention on the league through the football his side are playing, which can only be a good thing. It’s a style that can be best described as wonderful mayhem. It’s fantastic to watch when good players buy into it.
“There’s never a dull moment in Tottenham games.”
The rollercoaster ride Spurs are on under their manager has led some fans to question if his style of play is too risky, even though it seems to have revitalised striker Richarlison (above, celebrating). But Strachan has praised the Aussie for sticking to his philosophy, even if it might cost him some crucial points at times.
Strachan said: “The good thing about them is the style. Ange may have better players to pick from now than he did last month but the style will remain.
“The funny thing
is that Spurs scored in the 96th minute on Saturday and won the game (at home to Brighton). In the previous match, they conceded in the 94th minute and dropped points at Everton.
“People will always question a manager’s tactics. After that Everton result, I’m sure some people would have been furious that he didn’t sit back and defend, or closed the game off by playing a more pragmatic style.
“You have to admire his commitment to his playing style and football philosophy.
“His approach is, ‘This is how we’re playing, whatever happens happens’.
“It takes an enormous amount of mental strength to do that as a manager and we love him for it.”
Strachan (top) doesn’t expect Spurs to slow down and reckons the recent return of Yves Bissouma and James Maddison will make them an even bigger threat. He added: “I expect the club to keep moving forward for the second period of the season.
“Ange will have Bissouma, who immediately improves the quality of the Tottenham middle. Maddison is coming back to his best. It is all looking good for Ange and Tottenham.”