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MSc in Sports Management and Business with a UEFA B Coaching License. Driven to tactical ideas, not emotions and biases.

Aug 2, 2023, 22 tweets

Thank you for the influx of followers, Tottenham fans.

As a result, I want to do another thread discussing the season, and what setup you could use to challenge for the title.

The title? Yes, the title. Your manager is that good. You are dark horses in my eyes.

THREAD

I think Ange is an amazing coach. Top 3 in the league, alongside Guardiola and Arteta. I remember when Manchester City played Yokohama in a friendly a few years ago, guess who had more possession? Yokohama managed by Ange Postecogolou. One of the only 4 managers in history to outposess Pep. On top of that, the manager to start using the 4 Inverted Fullback formation also much before Guardiola.

Now let's start.

To put it frankly, Tottenham have THE best attack in the league. They have the best striker in the league, the best left winger in the league, and one of the best creative wingers in the league - Kulusevski. A good attack alone is enough to challenge for a Top 4 spot, which we've seen for many years despite Tottenham's mediocrity in other positions.

And one thing Tottenham have always lacked since the departure of Eriksen and decline of Dele Alli is a centrally creative player to help bolster this attack even further. That was until they made one of the best signings of the past decade - James Maddison.

Before, all attacks relied on a Perisic cross, or Kane having to drop deep. But Maddison adds a whole new dynamic. Obviously, a manager like Ange would not want to waste Kane's creativity. And that's why he would play Maddison as a 2nd striker.

We saw in 21/22 when Tottenham played Manchester City. There were reports saying Manchester City player's in the dressing room had no idea how to handle Kane dropping deep. Now, add Maddison to this. Whilst Kane drops deep, Maddison has the license to advance. Whilst Maddison drops deep, Kane has the license to advance.

This is similar to what we saw with the Kane-Dele dynamic, and look how well that worked. With Kulusevski acting as essentially a right sided 8 with license to drive forward. Again, similar to Eriksen under Pochettino.

And this dynamic of Kane-Maddison-Kulusevski is honestly something I think is able to replicate the system of the Tottenham "glory days". And Ange is the perfect manager to utilise it.

Let's not forget about Son, a player that can either stay wide, drag out players, or drift more centrally. Similarly, the alternating roles of Kane and Maddison can create space, allowing Son to make his lethal runs in behind or find gaps in the defense to place his shots.

The main issue with Tottenham's set up right now is the lack of good full backs. The players you have are catered towards a wingback system, and simply are too attacking to succeed right off the bat for Ange. And as a result, I think Ange is forced to play a 3-4-3, similar to Guardiola.

I think when fit, Bentancur should be that man who drifts from a 6/8 in possession to the right back position out of possession. On the ball, he's elite. Off the ball, he's elite. And until he recovers - I think this position should be played by Skipp. He is the only one who has the defensive capabilities as well as the on the ball quality to play such a role.

As for the rest of midfield, I do think Ange has a big arsenal to choose from, but it's tough to say what's the best. Ndombele, Lo Celso, Bissouma, Bentancur, even Hojbjerg in a double 6 would be very good.

For balance sake: I would say Lo Celso-Bissouma is the way to go. Lo Celso is a very elegant player. There's a key reason why some people call him one of most Argentina's important players, look at the reaction when he was injured in the world cup.

Lo Celso is a great ball carrier, and also has a very good knick for threading through delicate passes through tight gaps. I very much see him being able to play a similar role to what David Silva did to Manchester City, and Maddison-Lo Celso could create a similar dynamic to that of De Bruyne-Silva.

So my second dilemma was picking between Hojbjerg and Bissouma. The former, elite ball winner, and I think without fatigue and exhaustion, he would excel in this setup. But I think he is on his way out.

Bissouma, however, also elite. His on the ball tendencies are much better than Hojbjerg's, so I think he will fit in well to this system.

And I think the centre half pairing really picks itself. Van De Van with his insane ability to track back and his recovery pace will allow Ange to play a lot more aggressively, whilst Romero is there to progress play with his elite ball playing.

The final issue is left back - I would honestly choose Ben Davies, but after some thought, I think Udogie provides good width on that left flank. It allows Son to cut inside, allowing him to get good angles for shots, whilst also providing another attacking outlet.

Ben Davies can be utilised for teams you maybe don't want to be so attacking against, like your Manchester United's who aim to play off the counter.

Tottenham have the best attack in the league. After Manchester City, Arsenal, and Manchester United, probably have the best midfield in the league. And also have a Top 3 manager in the league, alongside Arteta and Guardiola. The only issue is the fullback situation, which is unfortunate, but we will see how it works out. If they suffer this season - it's largely due to the lack of competent fullbacks for such a system.

Final Lineup:

I cannot respond to everyone, but I do want to say I am very grateful for the positive feedback. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.

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