The 57-year-old would not have got the job without his formative years in Australia, but his three years in Japan arguably offer the greater insight into how he intends to play.
“They are one of the best teams I’ve seen play out from the back.”
“They played some incredible football and were an incredible test.”
Those were the verdicts of Raheem Sterling and Pep Guardiola respectively at the end of Manchester City’s 2019 Asia tour, which culminated in a 3-1 victory over Postecoglou’s Yokohama F Marinos.
Pep’s influence
The meeting was no coincidence. In 2014, the City Football Group had invested in a minority stake in Yokohama, bringing the club under its tutelage and laying the foundations for its later success.
Postecoglou would join at the end of 2017 and within two years he had guided them to a first J-League title in 15 years. Welcome news: he already knows a little about the pressures of a trophy drought.
It was just south of Tokyo, under the watchful eye of City’s global machine, that he first began to emulate Guardiola to such an extent that in 2022 he was even linked with replacing him.
Guardiola and Postecoglou during Man City’s 2019 Asia tour (Photo: Getty)
With Australia’s national side he had largely relied on a 4-2-3-1, spearheaded by Tim Cahill, but as Manchester City began the era of dominance that has seen them crowned champions in five of the last six Premier League seasons, Postecoglou swapped to a 4-3-3.
Yokohama would press high, just as Celtic have done, switching back to a 4-2-3-1 without the ball. The aim for Spurs will be to maintain possession as much as possible and create as many opportunities in the final third as is feasible, rather than inviting their opponents to pressure them as they did under Antonio Conte.
He is totally uncompromising about his attacking principles, surmising in one interview: “I’m putting out teams to play in a way my dad would have enjoyed watching.”
Postecoglou has spoken too of the Dutch influence on football in his adopted homeland since Guus Hiddink took Australia to the World Cup and describes himself as “a massive fan of Johan Cruyff”.
How Spurs could line up
Hence, the headline news of Postecoglou’s appointment was immediately pinpointed by Daniel Levy: “A positive mentality and a fast, attacking style of play.”
Postecoglou is likely to stick with his preferred 4-3-3 formation at Celtic. That need not ring alarm bells – Cristian Stellini’s infamous switch to that system for the Newcastle game was unfamiliar to the players, and entailed days of preparation rather than months. Spurs played a 4-4-2 for their final two matches of the 2022-23 season, with Harry Kane complimented by Dejan Kulusevski and Son Heung-min and Arnaut Danjuma in the wide channels behind.
The new Spurs will be without Danjuma, who returns to Villarreal after his loan spell, and without Lucas Moura, whose contract has expired.
Spurs’ predicted XI for the first game of the 2023-24 season (Photo: i Sport)
Crucially, there is a serious danger that they will also be without Kane, Real Madrid’s number one target in light of Karim Benzema’s exit. The front three could be well-stocked regardless, with Celtic striker Kyogo Furuhashi strongly linked with following his manager south of the Scottish border.
Either side of him, Richarlison, Son and Kulusevski are all options, with Spurs expected to sign another wide-forward given their importance to Postecoglou’s approach.
What defines Postecoglou’s philosophy, aside from using inverted full-backs as additional midfielders when his teams have possession, is the use of aggressive No 8s, playing crosses from deeper positions and using the central channel to advance. The No 6 is given license to drift wide, but not to overwhelm the wings.
Predicted XI with Kane: Raya, Porro, Romero, Lenglet, Udogie, Skipp, Bissouma, Bentancur, Kulusevski, Kane, Son
Without Kane: Raya, Porro, Romero, Lenglet, Udogie, Skipp, Bissouma, Bentancur, Kulusevski, Furuhashi, Son
Postecoglou’s to-do list
Lloris replacement – It was already an open secret that Hugo Lloris was likely to move on this summer after 11 years in north London, but he confirmed it in a recent interview when he said it was the “end of an era” and he has a “desire for other things”. Brentford’s David Raya is thought to be Spurs’ No 1 choice to replace him.
Kane’s future – Spurs await bids from Real Madrid and Manchester United and Kane’s exit would potentially make another £100m available to overhaul the squad. They’ll just have to cope without the 30 goals a season.
Returning loanees – Postecoglou’s arrival offers new hope for Djed Spence, whom Conte dismissed as a “club signing”, and Giovani Lo Celso, who could address the creative void Spurs so desperately need to fill.
Ndombele’s Spurs future once looked unsalvageable (Photo: Getty)
First-choice centre-backs – Lenglet’s stay is not officially permanent yet though he’s in talks to sign a new contract. Postecoglou can pair Romero with either Lenglet or Dier but needs to establish a first-choice partner for the Argentinian World Cup winner.
Scott Munn’s role – After director of football Fabio Paratici’s exit, Spurs now have a “chief football officer” – and a fellow Aussie – for their new boss to work alongside. Postecoglou’s first job will be to establish how much control Scott Munn will have in the transfer market.
Which youngsters to promote – Spurs’ senior squad now stands at 23 players, which feels a little light. The domestic cups could be a chance to introduce some of the club’s academy products, with Dane Scarlett returning from his Portsmouth loan and impressing at the U20 World Cup. Alfie Devine could also be ready to make the step up on a more regular basis.
Winners
Son: Suffered from Spurs’ muddled use of wing-backs last season and registered his lowest goal tally since his first season in England. Will have greater freedom to target full-backs 1v1 rather than tracking back.
Destiny Udogie: Finally set to arrive from Udinese and likely to emerge as first choice at left-back, with Ben Davies as cover. Ryan Sessegnon’s future is unclear.
Tanguy Ndombele: Ndombele is exactly what Postecoglou asks of a midfielder and is set to be given the chance to revive his Spurs career after winning the title with Napoli.
Son could be one of the biggest beneficiaries from Postecoglou’s arrival (Photo: Getty)
Losers
Eric Dier: With fewer games on offer with no European football, Dier could struggle for minutes behind Cristian Romero and Clement Lenglet in the pecking order if Spurs only operate with two centre-backs.
Richarlison: Needs game time but unlikely to get a starting role with one league goal in his debut season. On the other hand Postecoglou could favour such a busy forward (Celtic were one of the highest-ranked teams for interceptions in the Scottish Premiership).
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg: The demand for a more progressive centre-mid suits Yves Bissouma more than Hojbjerg and Oliver Skipp is more versatile as a defensive option.
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