Since taking over as Tottenham Hotspur’s new coach, Ange Postecoglou has enjoyed remarkable results. As of right now, the team is among the top four in the Premier League rankings. Bold coach Postecoglou prefers his teams to play exciting attacking football. The Spurs players have swiftly picked up Postecoglou’s preferred playing identity and style, playing it in short order.
I’ll attempt to go down some of the tactics the team use to create scoring opportunities in the last offensive third of the field in the piece that follows. I will also go over a specific coaching technique that Postecoglou has used and will also discuss a clear coaching method.
Reasoning of Short Buildup
Tottenham usually prefers to buildup their attacks from the back. Both of their fullbacks tuck into more central midfield positions, while their center backs adopt wide positions within their own penalty box. The other midfielders are prepared to rotate or move wide to receive the ball in open spaces, while one central midfielder remains in a deeper pivot role.
Spurs’ two primary goals are: 1) Fill the central sections to capacity and hold onto the territory before advancing into the expansive areas. 2) During the build-up, overload one side of the field, leaving one center back wide. The attack is then carried out by using the “third man” theory to locate the free center in the center of the space.
Postecoglou’s desire for his fullbacks to be dynamic and constantly shift positions throughout games is evident. The wingers remain wide, with Pedro Porro and Destiny Udogie occupying the half-spaces primarily. Tottenham’s strategy is to identify the free fullback in the half-space once they overload one side. The fullback can then combine with the winger to create an isolated 1-vs-1 position against the opposing fullback.
Importance of Movement
Tottenham frequently needs to shift multiple players in order to get into the final offensive third. Whenever a 2-vs-1 overload is generated with the winger in a wide area, we frequently witness the fullbacks making runs from blind-side angles. Often, by overloading the half-spaces, the deeper central midfielders also contribute to the attack, making it harder for the opposition to defend.
Timo Werner and Brennan Johnson’s acquisitions have provided Tottenham with much-needed offensive depth. But Postecoglou hasn’t wasted any time in stating his expectations of his wide wingers. Players have had to be extremely agile off the ball, doubling up or moving from outside to inside when the fullback draws a central opponent defender out of place.
Final Third Pattern
Tottenham mainly uses crosses into the box and low cutback passes as they get into the final attacking third. To get on the end of these deliveries, the center forward, who is typically Richarlison, rushes to the near post at the perfect moment. Although Richarlison had a difficult start to the season, he soon found his form and scored several significant goals in the midway of the campaign.
The way the fullbacks overload the wide channels and set up in the half-spaces to confuse the opposition defense is a crucial component. This creates space in the middle by forcing the other team’s defenders to pursue them out wide. Tottenham prioritizes flooding the middle areas, making it harder for opponents to contain them because they are now creating space behind them for Tottenham’s attackers to swiftly switch or launch a counterattack.
Coaching Patterns of Play
The goal of Postecoglou’s coaching is automatism; his players practice scripted movements and muscle memory prior to performing the same drills in real time.
Spurs’ final third strategy involves stretching the field to its greatest width, using five lanes to keep players occupied, and then utilizing cutbacks and low crosses for a tap-in goal. These are some of the play patterns we’ve seen throughout Spurs games.
The main focus of training is on playing quick passes deep and then releasing the wide players to attack. Players also practice placing crosses within the box and running different routes inside the box to score. Postecoglou has done an excellent job overall, although the approach is straightforward and does entail some dynamics, which helps make Spurs unpredictable.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Ange Postecoglou has implemented a clear tactical system and playing identity at Tottenham since taking over. His tactics revolve around building from the back, overloading central areas, and then breaking out into the wide spaces or switching play to exploit gaps.
The intelligent positioning and movement of the fullbacks has been crucial, as they tuck into halfspaces during build-up to overload centrally, but then provide width higher up to create 2-vs-1 situations or make blind-side runs. The wingers have been instructed to make decoy runs from outside-to-inside to further disorganize opposing defences.
Once in the final third, Tottenham look to overwhelm narrow channels before utilizing low cutbacks and crosses for the likes of Richarlison to attack the front post area. Their intricate combination play and coordinated rotations have made them very difficult to defend against.
Underpinning all of this has been Postecoglou’s clear coaching methods that have got the players quickly buying into his attacking, possession-based philosophy. His meticulous attention to tactical details and player positioning has been a huge factor in Spurs’ impressive start to the season and their ability to break down deep defences. The Australian’s bravery and unwavering commitment to his high-intensity style has reinvigorated Tottenham’s attacking play.
MUST READ:
– Ange Postecoglou’s Tactical Vision & Philosophies
– Wonderkid Central: Mikey Moore – Tottenham’s goalscoring prodigy on the wings
– James Maddison vs Brentford: Individual Performance Analysis
