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.
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
The Tottenham vs. Fulham game tonight will be one óf the most unpredictable games this season, and a game that can create Premier League history for Ange Postecoglou, and also Tottenham.
Here is what to expect, my predictions, and how Tottenham can tackle this game.
THREAD.
Marco Silva is certainly one of the most interesting and unique managers in the league. For that, I like him, and quite rate him too. I feel he has overachieved with this Fulham side, and has done an impressive job. So really, today’s game is a good test not for Ange Postecoglou, but rather his squad, how they will play against such a fluid midfield.
One of Marco Silva’s key principles is positional freedom, particularly within his midfield. And we often see both Palhinha and Andres Pereira adapting a “free role”. And not just a partial free role, very much complete freedom. And this is what makes Fulham such a tricky team to deal with.
Arsenal vs. Chelsea, a game that will make or break Chelsea’s chance of salvaging something this season. A game that will either boost or put a dent in Arsenal’s title hopes.
An insight of how the game will play out, my predictions, and ultimately, a tactical analysis.
THREAD
I am taking a more Chelsea-related approach for this game, as I feel tactically, less is known about them. Because at this point, Arteta’s style of play is relatively known. Pochettino, however, is a bit more unique and unorthodox compared to the current climate of possession based football.
Pochettino acknowledges the current climate of football. He acknowledges that inverting the fullback often will create vulnerabilities out wide, or within the half spaces near the final 3rd.
That is why Pochettino’s focus has been on keeping width, similar to traditional systems as opposed to modern ones.
At first, what we saw was a 4-3-3 in possession, and a 5-3-2 out of it. I said at the start of the season, a system like this is a system I am a fan of, and will give teams like Tottenham the hardest game of their season. Again, due to how he it is able to exploit width, and essentially match the opponent.
The Tottenham vs. Arsenal game this Sunday will begin the era of the Modern El Clasico.
Here is how Tottenham should lineup for a game that will ultimately decide the title, my predictions, and a tactical analysis.
THREAD
Modern day El Clasico? Yes. The Modern day El Clasico.
This fixture will be some of the highest quality football you will ever watch this decade. Even as a neutral, watching Tottenham vs. Arsenal has always been my favourite game, way before Postecoglou and Arteta. Everything from the atmosphere of such a game and the thril is something that no other fixture in world football matches.
Now combine one of the most fierce rivalries in world football with 2 of the current greatest managers playing a game that in the grand scheme of things will decide the title.
Manchester City-Liverpool had the quality, not the atmosphere.
By now, it should be no secret how Arteta sets up in possession. Zinchenko will join the midfield and form a double pivot alongside Rice in possession, whilst Havertz will either occasionally advance into a False 9 role, or Jesus will drop deep, depending on the phase of play.
Tottenham, Manchester City, and Arsenal will all face off in a historic title race. A title race that, in a perfect world, will go on towards the last few gameweeks. A title race that will impact the next decade of football. A title race we will never have seen before.
THREAD on who I think will come out superior, and why.
The current mount rushmore of football managers: Pep Guardiola, Thomas Tuchel, Mikel Arteta, and Ange Postecoglou.
3 of them are in the same league. 3 of them manage some of the biggest clubs in the world.
How often does such a scenario happen, that too with equally balanced teams?
I made some pre-season predictions regarding the table, but never delved into detail. So this is what this thread will do.
If you all recall, my predictions were as followed:
1. Arsenal 2. Manchester City 3. Tottenham Hotspur
The other positions are irrelevant for the scope of this thread. What truly matters in football is winning.
The order of thes 3 teams is not so clear. And by putting Arsenal first, that is not saying they are guaranteed this title. There are a lot of variables that come into play, some more than others.
And taking into account these factors, looking at this like a Monte Carlo simulation, Arsenal ultimately comes out on top.
Why Brennan Johnson is the perfect fit for Tottenham, and how his signing will elevate Tottenham in their quest for title contention.
THREAD
I am not going to sit and bore you giving an in-depth analysis of what type of play Brennan Johnson is, considering he's not some "hidden gem" that no one has seen play. Everyone should know at this point.
However, what I will address is how he elevates Tottenham, and from a tactical standpoint elevates Tottenham and fits under Postecoglou.
Let me start by addressing the key factor. His positional versatility. For Nottingham Forest, he has played roughly ~33% of his games as a lone 9, ~33% of his games as a 10 or the 2nd striker, and ~33% of his games on the right.
This is exactly what Postecoglou likes in his wingers, positional versatility.
From a surface level, it means he has a player who can start as a 9, or RWer, but it goes much deeper than that.
How Ange Postecoglou should lineup vs. Manchester United, the one crucial factor which will decide the entire match, and the weaknesses that can be exploited.
Pre-Match Analysis.
THREAD
You know, it’s always fun to look back on my predictions, especially now I have them physically written. It’s like a diary. And I can say my Brentford one was spot on, not sounding arrogant, but it makes me feel better about myself and my tactical understanding of the game. I predicted a draw or loss, the match was drawn. I said Brentford will play a back 5, even though they lined up with a back 4 for the entirety of the preseason, they played a back 5. I said they will exploit the lack of width in-possession, they exploited the lack of possession, and is how they got that very good chance Mbeumo missed towards the end of the 2nd half.
So now, I will attempt to break down the Manchester United game. And as a note, this not how I think Postecoglou will line, albeit I will touch on that, but rather how he should to maximise his odds of a result.
In my opinion, Manchester United have the best midfield in the league. They play primarily counter attacking football, and their midfield is setup perfectly for such. Casemiro, one of the best ball winners in the Premier League, Mason Mount one of the best pressers in the Premier League, and Bruno Fernandes, one of the best creators in the Premier League. Ultimately, these 3 cogs are the cogs you need for counter attacking football to be pure flowing.