‘Will get blown away’: PL great’s warning to stubborn Ange as Aussie faces biggest test yet
Since taking charge of Tottenham Hotspur, Ange Postecoglou has faced a number of significant challenges.
He took over a team reeling from its lowest Premier League finish since 2009 and lost Harry Kane, the club’s record goalscorer, to Bayern Munich for a cool $AUD169 million.
Stream Over 50 Sports Live & On-Demand with Kayo. Join now and start streaming instantly >
Postecoglou also had to oversee a desperately-needed refresh of the squad and ensure they would hit the ground running once the Premier League got underway.
Yet the Aussie has cleared every hurdle in his path to date, aside from an unceremonious Carabao Cup exit at the hands of Fulham.
He has Tottenham playing the swashbuckling style of football he is known for and the fans are lapping up every moment of his tenure, even if it remains in its infancy.
But now, Postecoglou faces his biggest test since taking over: a North London derby.
Tottenham will make the short trip to the Emirates Stadium on Sunday night (11pm AEST) to take on bitter rivals Arsenal in the first derby of the season.
Like their cross-town rivals, Arsenal are undefeated with four wins and one draw from their opening five games.
Granted, the Gunners haven’t had the same attacking output as Tottenham have had this season with only nine goals scored.
But a 4-0 thrashing of PSV in the Champions League provided a timely reminder why Mikel Arteta’s side remain as dangerous as ever in front of goal.
History is also not on Postecoglou and Tottenham’s side, either.
Since a 3-2 victory in November 2010, no Tottenham boss has been able to go to the Emirates and bring home three points as Arsenal have won eight of their last 12 home derby games.
Go even further back and Tottenham have won just twice at either Highbury or the Emirates since the Premier League’s inception in the 1992/1993 season.
Grim history aside, Postecoglou’s insistence of sticking with his gung-ho style of play could be another element that swings the derby in Arsenal’s favour.
That is the verdict of Premier League legend Paul Merson, who played 327 games for the Gunners.
In a column for Sky Sports, Merson was quick to remind people that Postecoglou is taking on an Arsenal team that led the league for the majority of last season and has several weapons in the final third.
In fact, the 55-year-old would be “amazed” if Postecoglou manages to steer his side to three points and predicted Tottenham will be “blown away.”
“Sunday is all about how Tottenham approach it and I don’t know if Ange Postecoglou will change his game,” Merson said.
“Speaking to Celtic fans, he won’t — he plays the same football everywhere he has gone.
“If he doesn’t, it will open the game up. And if you go toe-to-toe against Arsenal, there’s only one winner.
“Because of the way they pass the ball and move between the lines, I don’t know if Spurs could live with Arsenal. They will get blown away.
“If they go counterattacking, it’s a different game. But I don’t think this manager is going to do that.
“So I would be shocked if Tottenham won this football match, I would be amazed.”
If recent history is to repeat itself on Sunday, it could very easily bring a grinding halt to Tottenham’s momentum and extinguish the feel-good factor around the club.
Postecoglou could lose against any other Premier League team and the fallout would be nowhere near as severe as defeat against Arsenal.
But Tottenham fans will be at pains to point out just how early into the season and Postecoglou’s tenure this game has arrived.
There is a long, long way to go in the season and even then, history is largely on Tottenham’s side for the reverse fixture having won six of the last nine North London derbies at home, although Arsenal hold the bragging rights in the last fixture.
Postecoglou will also go into this fixture without winger Ivan Perisic, who tore his ACL in a midweek training session and will be out for the season.
Although the Croatian hadn’t started a Premier League game under Postecoglou, he came off the bench in all five of their fixtures and contributed an assist in Tottenham’s last-gasp victory over Sheffield United.
“It’s going to be a really difficult game but they won’t want to face us at this time,” Son said.
“We just have to give it everything we have but we’re looking forward to this game because it’s the right time to play against them.
“We’ll have a good game.”
Former Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp also feels Postecoglou’s side will feel full of confidence from their strong start to the season.
“Tottenham are looking strong,” Redknapp told talkSPORT.
“So, I think they will go to Arsenal on Sunday and feel they can get something from the game.
“It’s going to be a great London derby between two good teams.”
Should Postecoglou’s side managed to raid the Emirates and scurry away with all three points, the praise will inevitably come thick and fast while supporters will enter a new state of euphoria.
After all, very few — aside from Postecoglou and his players — could have seen such a turnaround in results, morale and the style of football this early into the season.
However, Manchester United legend Gary Neville believes whether Tottenham win, lose or draw, it is far too early to use this game as a signpost for how Postecoglou’s side are travelling.
“There is no doubt with Ange Postecoglou that they believe this is a good man, a man that speaks up in interviews and has an honesty about him,” Neville said on Sky Sports’ Gary Neville Podcast.
“He plays good football, he takes risks and that is really important for Spurs fans. Remember, they’ve lost Harry Kane. At this moment in time, it is absolutely fantastic what is happening at Spurs.
“However, we will need to review it in January. I’m sure that is what the Tottenham coaching staff will be thinking.
“It’s very early in the season, it’s not a time to get carried away, it’s a team to keep working and next weekend is a showcase game for them and Arsenal.
Time will soon tell as to whether Postecoglou can buck the trend of Tottenham’s brutal record at the Emirates.
But if he can, good luck telling Tottenham fans not to get carried away.
