Create the chances and the goals will come. That is an Angeism that is already bearing fruit at Tottenham, who – temporarily, at least – moved top of the Premier League with victory over Luton.
It was a necessary triumph too, in the perennial battle against “Spursiness”. Rio Ferdinand declared they no longer have a “weak underbelly” and their game management, down to 10 men and with Luton growing into the final half-hour, was uncharacteristic.
Yet in so many ways, Spurs are now unrecognisable for the better. James Maddison has filled that long-standing creative void, and Micky van de Ven and Guglielmo Vicario are clear upgrades on the recent form of their predecessors.
Naturally there is still a glibness when fans sing about being top of the league. This is a club which has cried wolf a few too many times and that – remarkably – is still supposed to be in a period of transition, where expectations are low.
Under Postecoglou, for the moment at least, the feeling could not be more different – anything is possible while Spurs soar. On creativity alone, the numbers are impressive. They are averaging over 19 shots at goal per game this season. With 153 in total, that is more than any other top flight team.
Should they be scoring more of them? They may be joint-fourth for goals at the time of writing, and it is easy now to laugh off fears about Harry Kane’s departure while they remain unbeaten, but a needlessly tense encounter at Kenilworth Road suggested a lack of options up front remains a concern.
Richarlison missed four chances before being replaced with Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg at half time. According to the replays, the most damning was the one from two yards out. Equally as worrying, though, was the attempt so early into the afternoon which sailed over the bar from distance.
The Brazilian has been open about his struggles with confidence, seeking out a sports psychologist to address them, and he was resorting to unlikely efforts from outside the box as soon as he had let his first opportunity go.
That Spurs squandered their first spells of domination is not on Richarlison alone. It was a collective issue; for the first time in the Postecoglou era, his side missed more than two big chances in a game.
There is a positive slant to that too. Rarely are they so wasteful. Still, this is an attack which could lose momentum as quickly as it gains it and is clearly susceptible to injury. There are few gaping cracks now, but Son Heung-min and Maddison have overcome knocks. Take out Richarlison and there is Brennan Johnson, who is also currently injured – and crucially, 22.
Alejo Veliz, the 20-year-old summer signing from Rosario Central, was given another late runout this weekend.
Manor Solomon is out for an “extended period” with a torn meniscus and Ivan Perisic watched Saturday’s win from his bed, where he will stay for the foreseeable with a ruptured ACL. The squad is similarly threadbare at the other end; Eric Dier was named on the bench at Luton for just the third time this season.
It is those questions surrounding squad depth which adds a note of trepidation to any preemptive title race talk at Tottenham. And history is a cautionary tale: prior to Luton, Postecoglou had the same record this season as Antonio Conte in 2022-23 at the same stage, a love affair which did not end well.
The intentions are better, and the football is certainly more entertaining. However, it is easy to forget how the recent win over Liverpool actually came about.
By the end of it, the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium rocked, but prior to Joel Matip’s own goal, there was a bubbling frustration at a series of sideways passes as Spurs failed to penetrate Liverpool’s low block. Son had been taken off, and there was no obvious target in the box.
So Spurs will need a striker in January, and possibly a little bit of luck too. The VAR soap opera is tedious; it is impossible to say where they would be had Liverpool kept nine men on the pitch and had all their onside goals been allowed. At the same time, Postecoglou still went at them full throttle. Only Burnley and Sheffield United have conceded more chances against his side.
It helps that all around, rivals are crumbling. Manchester United and Chelsea won on Saturday but both fell behind again and teeter around the bottom half of the table. Newcastle have inspired in Europe, but not domestically.
But perhaps all this is missing the point. There will come a point where the unbeaten run will end and Postecoglou will no doubt meet bumps in the road. In the meantime, feel the joy – it’s precisely what this stage of the season is for. Nobody really believes Spurs will win the title, but it feels fun to talk about it again, while there seems no limit to what they can achieve.
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