Ange Postecoglou’s Spurs reign has gone from dreamland to disaster as he takes his injury-hit side to Man City after three straight losses… but he’ll be inspired by their terrific record against Pep Guardiola’s side
- Ange Postecoglou’s Spurs take on Manchester City in the league on Sunday
- It’ll be the Tottenham boss’ biggest test yet – with growing absentees in his side
- IAN LADYMAN: If Spurs go toe-to-toe with City, they’ll have their trousers pulled down – It’s All Kicking Off
In the space of one month, Ange Postecoglou’s reign at Tottenham has gone from ‘dreamland’ to ‘disaster’ as the Australian battles with a number of issues in his side.
Spurs have been struck with an injury crisis of late – with first-team stars such as James Maddison, Micky van de Ven and Rodrigo Bentancur all suffering problems.
Recent suspensions to the likes of Cristian Romero and Yves Bissouma have certainly not helped their cause and has seen them fall to three consecutive defeats in the league.
It’s a far cry from their 10-match unbeaten streak at the start of the season, where the north London side seemed unstoppable. Now, as they prepare to face Man City on Sunday, Spurs look fragile and unstable.
Here, Mail Sport takes a look at the upcoming clash and the history between the two sides that will give Postecoglou hope, despite his side’s struggling form.
Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham have suffered three defeats on the bounce heading into their clash with Manchester City on Sunday afternoon
The Spurs boss is dealing with a growing list of injuries to his first-team players
Manchester City, meanwhile, will be looking to maintain their terrific form of late
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For those unaware, Tottenham made a blistering start to the 2023-24 campaign before seeing it all derailed in one chaotic evening in north London this month.
After two draws and eight wins from their opening 10 matches – and three consecutive Manager of the Month awards under his belt – Postecoglou and his side were flying.
Summer signings such as Maddison and Van de Ven had transitioned seamlessly into the side and were quickly being labelled as two of the best acquisitions this year.
However, it all came crashing down when they hosted Chelsea at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium earlier this month – where they suffered a 4-1 thrashing.
Spurs ended the match with nine-men as Romero and Destiny Udogie were both dismissed for reckless challenges and Postecoglou’s side suffered their first wobble.
Cristian Romero (R) was dismissed during Tottenham’s 4-1 defeat to Chelsea this month
Despite Chelsea have a two-man advantage in the game, that didn’t stop the Spurs boss from demanding a high-line from his defenders – which, in turn, gifted Blues striker Nicolas Jackson an easy hat-trick.
It was a tactic that saw Postecoglou receive his first criticisms since arriving at Tottenham – but the Aussie has insisted he will not shirk away from his free-flowing, attacking style of football.
However, as many – including Mail Sport’s own Ian Ladyman – have suggested, Tottenham simply cannot play like that on Sunday afternoon.
Full-back Destiny Udogie was sent off after receiving two yellow cards in the match
Rodrigo Bentancur hobbled off during their 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa on Sunday
They take on the reigning Treble winners Man City, who have an attack so good it can frighten any team in Europe – let alone a make-shift Spurs side.
On Mail Sport’s It’s All Kicking Off podcast, Ladyman has insisted that Postecoglou should adapt to the current squad he has around him.
‘The big one on Sundays is Tottenham at Manchester City. Tottenham have lost three on the bounce now. Ange Postecoglou’s start at Tottenham has not hit the buffers. It’s been derailed rather by injuries and suspensions,’ Ladyman began.
‘He’s got another injury, Rodrigo Bentancur is now injured as well, and I’m beginning to wonder, despite all that Postecoglou tells us about his commitment to attacking football.
‘I’m just beginning to wonder if on Sunday against the best team in Europe, against the treble winners, whether he just needs to find a way to just shut the door a little bit and maybe try a slightly different approach.’
Following Bentancur’s injury, Spurs’ absentee list for their trip to the Etihad is now 11-man long – with Richarlison and Pape Matar Sarr also sidelined with injuries.
And so, while Spurs fans may be hopeful that they employ a different system when they travel to the Etihad, given their recent performances against Aston Villa and Wolves, it’s hard to say that it’s likely.
Mail Sport’s Ian Ladyman insisted that Spurs must change their style, given their injuries
In-fact, Postecoglou confirmed in his pre-match press conference that they will not shy away from their attacking philosophy when they travel to the Etihad.
‘If you had to take a punt, what do you reckon I’d say?’ Postecoglou said when asked if his approach on Sunday will be more defensive. ‘Just a wild guess.
‘I don’t want to be flippant about it. And I get the question. But I don’t do what I do because I’m trying to prove a point.
‘You look at the top teams and there’s one common trademark amongst them – they’ve all got a plan, they invest in that plan, and they stick to it.
‘They don’t shy away from that at the first difficulty. Whether it is City or Arsenal or Liverpool. They’ve got a plan and they stick to it. You have to.
‘Whatever you believe in, whatever you really strongly believe in, you as a person, it only gets tested in the toughest of times. It doesn’t get tested when things are going well.’
In both matches, Postecoglou’s side maintained their high-press and energised attack – only to see them throw away 1-0 leads in both matches.
So with three defeats on the bounce, an extraordinary amount of injuries (and suspensions) and Man City up next – is there any reason for Postecoglou to be hopeful?
Under Jose Mourinho (R), Tottenham recorded a 2-0 win over Man City back in February 2020
The north London side also beat Pep Guardiola’s City at the start of the 2021-22 season
Well, funnily enough, Spurs have been City’s ‘bogey team’ in recent years and boast a terrific record against Pep Guardiola’s side since the 2019-20 season.
Out of their nine meetings since then, Tottenham have come away victorious in five of those, with City winning just one. They drew 2-2 on the other occasion.
Last season, the honours were shared between the two sides – with City claiming a 4-2 victory before Spurs won the return fixture 1-0, with Harry Kane becoming Tottenham’s all-time top goalscorer in the process.
Perhaps Postecoglou will take the most inspiration from the 1-0 victory over City back in August 2021 – where Son Heung-Min scored the only goal for the hosts.
It was a significant result for Spurs given that, at the time, Kane was left out of the squad amid rumours he may have been heading to the Etihad.
In the end, Kane remained at Spurs for the season but Nuno Espirito Santo and his Spurs side weren’t to know that – making their victory over City even more impressive.
IT’S ALL KICKING OFF!
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