Ange Postecoglou sacked: Tottenham part ways with head coach in Daniel Levy’s ‘most controversial decision yet’ | Football News

Postecoglou’s successor facing an awkward environment

Sky Sports’ Adam Bate:

After previously sacking a manager on the eve of a final, Daniel Levy has switched it up this time around and ditched Ange Postecoglou in the aftermath of victory. The Tottenham chairman will no doubt feel he was damned either way with the Australian.

If Spurs had started next season facing the same Premier League struggles as before under Postecoglou, Levy’s critics would have made the point that these problems were just more of the same after a miserable run of results stretching back over 18 months now.

But sacking the man who has ended a 17-year trophy drought, denying him the opportunity to lead his team out in the showpiece UEFA Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain in August, makes for an awkward environment for Postecoglou’s successor.

Kick-off with defeat in Udinese and momentum will already be against the new manager, with Postecoglou’s claims about his ‘season three’ serving as a constant backdrop. Strip out emotion and change can be justified. But the reaction of the players will be key.

Most controversial Levy decision yet?

Sky Sports’ Sam Blitz:

Always listen to the room. Pedro Porro said keeping Postecoglou would be good for the dressing room, while James Maddison, Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray all publicly backed him. It all links to that famous saying: if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it.

Yes, Postecoglou had his faults – the league form was a shambles. But his season objectives last August would have been to get into the Champions League and win a trophy.

He did that, albeit in a fortunate way. And he even went against his ‘Angeball’ principles to achieve it – showing he could be developing into more than the stubborn manager with one plan.

In getting rid of the Australian, Levy is back to square one. And whoever he brings in faces an uphill struggle. If you’re Thomas Frank or Andoni Iraola, you should look at when Nuno Espirito Santo – an experienced manager who took outsiders into Europe – took the step up to that role. He lasted 17 games.

At least with Postecoglou, there was proof that Spurs had a manager who could win silverware and achieve objectives. Levy has made some bold managerial choices before, but this may be his most controversial yet.

Injuries don’t justify Premier League struggles

Sky Sports’ Nick Wright:

Postecoglou was the architect of the club’s greatest night in recent history. He deserves huge credit for the manner in which he adapted his approach to win the Europa League and end the 17-year wait for silverware.

But his side’s Premier League struggles could not be discounted. He justifiably pointed to the injury problems that dogged Spurs as a factor in their 17th-placed finish last season but the reality is their underperformance goes back further. A lot further.

If you take the Premier League table since the end of October in 2023, excluding Spurs’ eight wins and two draws from Postecoglou’s first 10 games in charge, they sit second-bottom, excluding relegated sides, above only Wolves and with a negative goal difference. It might seem harsh in light of events in Bilbao but a change was needed.

Postecoglou deserved more time

Sky Sports’ Lewis Jones:

The question should run a lot deeper than whether Postecoglou was the right man for Spurs next season. What needs changing and implementing is a proper process behind the scenes where a strategy is aligned – then, there won’t be the need for such resets every time a manager is sacked.

For what it’s worth, I think Postecoglou deserved another crack.

Spurs are a completely different team to their overall form of this Premier League season when their first-choice back five plays. The difference is simply huge.

When Guglielmo Vicario, Porro, Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero and Destiny Udogie all played under Postecoglou, across all competitions they won 19 of those 31 games, losing just six times.

If you were converting that to points per game, that’s two per game. If you translate that over the course of a Premier League season of 38 games, you get 76 points, which would be enough to finish a clear second in the Premier League last season. There is a really good side lurking there. Postecoglou deserved more time.

Thanks for the low block in Bilbao, but it’s time to go!

Sky Sports’ William Bitibiri:

Postecoglou finally adapted. The principles he held so dear to him, the philosophy he promised to adhere to set aside for one historic night in Bilbao. But it felt like too little, too late.

For some fans, the decision to tighten up at the back against Manchester United after taking a one-goal lead will raise questions as to why it wasn’t done sooner.

Their Premier League displays were nothing short of embarrassing, with fans expecting defeats towards the latter stages of the campaign.

Postecoglou has pointed to injuries and an inability to consistently field his leadership group of Heung-Min Son, Romero, Maddison and Vicario.

But injuries are a part of the managerial challenge, with a real test of competence being how well you can adapt your side in the face of adversity.

The Europa League represented a light at the end of the tunnel, a night etched into Spurs folklore.

Many fans may object to the decision to move on from Postecoglou after he achieved what many would have deemed the impossible over the last 17 years, but a reality does exist where you can amicably end what has been a near-toxic relationship, thank him for the Europa League and move onto pastures new – a rebuild without the lingering cloud of a lack of material success.

Don’t sour the memory – now is the right time to go

Sky Sports’ Patrick Rowe:

“I always win something in my second season.”

Famous words from Ange and he proved the doubters wrong by keeping that promise. Tottenham’s season ended on a high with their Europa League triumph in Bilbao – but now is the right time for him to go.

Despite admitting Europa was always the priority, you cannot hide from the league form – 22 defeats in 38 league games is simply not good enough for a club of this stature and plenty of managers have lost their jobs for less.

If the relegation battle hadn’t been signed and sealed by Christmas, Spurs might have had a very real chance of playing both Champions League and Championship football next season.

“The third season is always better than the second.”

Another promise made and I have no doubts that he would have delivered on this one too.

Tottenham will likely be better next season. They have to be. It doesn’t get much worse than a record-low finish and points tally since achieving promotion to the top flight in 1978.

Erik ten Hag’s Carabao Cup and FA Cup wins with Manchester United offer a clear example of trophies papering over the fundamental cracks within a team – and look at where they are now.

Regardless of the trophy, which could have easily ended up at Old Trafford if it weren’t for the acrobatic efforts of Van de Ven, change was needed.

Postecoglou proved the doubters wrong and gave Spurs fans a day that was nearly two decades in the making.

Carrying on would’ve risked souring that memory.

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