Sport
This time last year, Tottenham Hotspur were flying. They won two of their three fixtures to open the 2023/24 Premier League season and would embark on a run that saw the North London side win eight of their first 10 games under new manager Ange Postecoglou. By late October, Spurs were top of the Premier League.
12 months on, Tottenham find themselves at a crossroads under Postecoglou. They have just one win from their first three games of the new campaign with the defeat to Newcastle United before the international break highlighting how Spurs have lost some of the intensity that made them so exhilarating at times last season. They haven’t looked like the same team.
Sunday’s North London Derby comes at a critical time. Defeat to Arsenal could deepen the sense of malaise that is growing around Tottenham. A positive performance and result, however, could kick-start their season. This weekend’s derby stands a good chance of being a watershed moment in Postecoglou’s career as Spurs manager.
The summer transfer window was a busy one for Tottenham. Much of the focus was on clearing the decks and they had a lot of success in moving players out of the club – see Oliver Skipp, Emerson Royal, Joe Rodon, Giovani Lo Celso, Eric Dier, Ryan Sessegnon, Tanguy Ndombele, Ivan Perisic, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Bryan Gil.
In terms of incomings, though, Spurs’ business was conducted with one eye on the future. Archie Gray, Wilson Odobert and Lucas Bergvall are all teenagers who might be too young to have much of an impact on the starting lineup this season, although Odobert has made a good first impression in the games he’s played so far.
Dominic Solanke was the exception with the 26-year-old signed for £65m from Bournemouth to give Tottenham a new attacking focal point. Directly replacing Harry Kane was always going to be impossible after he left for Bayern Munich last year, but Solanke’s scoring record (19 goals in 38 league games last season) suggests he will make Spurs a more dangerous side.
“They’re here because I want them here and Dom certainly fits that,” said Postecoglou when asked about Tottenham’s summer business and the big money signing of Solanke in particular. “I thought he did well against us [last season] and gave us some problems that a lot of other strikers in the league maybe didn’t give us.
“His mobility and his movement was really impressive. It’s no secret that we love to press and he has a great work ethic. And he can score goals. He’s a presence and he scores different types of goals. I think the way we play suits him.”
Last season, Ange-ball caught the eye for its energy. Tottenham went toe-to-toe with every opponent they faced and pulled off impressive wins over Liverpool, Manchester United and Aston Villa. Draws against Arsenal and Manchester City also highlighted the potential of Postecoglou’s attack-minded approach.
Over time, though, Spurs ran out of steam. Opposition teams started to figure out Postecoglou’s game plan and Tottenham finished the 2023/24 season with a run of five defeats in just seven games. Ange-ball might have been entertaining, but supporters entered the summer questioning its effectiveness.
Postecoglou still has credit in the bank and Tottenham have clearly thrown their weight behind the Australian’s long-term project with some of the signings made over the summer, but the Australian must prove that his ideas are the right ones to push his team forward. Spurs need a statement and Sunday’s North London Derby would be the ideal occasion to make it.
