"It's amazing that running without rotation with unlimited activity leads to failure in the league."
The global 'The Athletic' reported on the 8th (Korean time) that "Ange Postecoglou's tenure at Tottenham was marked by a coexistence of light and darkness. In the early part of his tenure, he created a storm with strong attacking football, and towards the end, he lifted trophies with defensive football." However, it also noted, "The league's worst performance in Tottenham's history was due to incomprehensibly poor results compared to the philosophy."
Tottenham announced on its official website on the 7th that "after considerable deliberation, the club can confirm that Postecoglou has been relieved of his duties." The statement continued, "Winning the Europa League this season was indeed one of the great moments, but we cannot base decisions on emotions. We thank Postecoglou and wish him well in his future endeavors."
This was the decision of Chairman Daniel Levy. Before the official announcement, the British 'Telegraph' reported exclusively that "Postecoglou is set to be sacked as manager of Tottenham. His dismissal came just weeks after winning the Europa League." It added, "Tottenham is expected to finalize the terms of Postecoglou's dismissal on Friday afternoon after he returns from his holiday. Club officials learned that Chairman Daniel Levy made this final decision, and an official announcement is anticipated soon."
Postecoglou, a coach from Australia, took charge of Tottenham in the summer of 2023. He succeeded Antonio Conte, who had parted ways with the club mid-season. While there were concerns due to Postecoglou's lack of European experience outside of Scotland's Celtic, he made a splash by leading Tottenham to 1st place in the Premier League in the early part of the season.
At this point, it seemed that Postecoglou's confident "attacking football" was finally shining. However, this did not last long. The simplistic attacking tactics and strained game management began to show cracks, and due to intense training and play, injuries started to pile up, leading to a collapse in the second half.
Despite this, Postecoglou remained confident. He boasted that he always won in his second year, and the Tottenham board invested a club record transfer fee to bring in striker Dominic Solanke. However, Tottenham fell into even more serious poor form. Although they occasionally managed to win against strong teams, they constantly stumbled against weaker opponents, failing to accumulate points.
As a result, Postecoglou kept his promise by lifting the trophy. Tottenham triumphed over Manchester United 1-0 in the UEFA Europa League final to claim victory. Son Heung-min also finally achieved his first career title.
However, Tottenham could not escape the worst slump in the Premier League. Although it was shortly after winning the Europa League, they ended the season with a disappointing 1-4 defeat against Brighton in the final match, finishing with 11 wins, 5 draws, and 22 losses, totaling 38 points with a goal difference of -1 (64 goals scored, 65 goals conceded). The rank was a club-record low of 17th in the Premier League, surpassing the previous worst record of 15th set in the 1993-1994 season.
Tottenham also set a new record for the most losses in a single season. Until before the establishment of the Premier League in 1992, the last time a team recorded 20 losses in a 38-game format was in the 1912-1913 season. This time, however, they added two more losses. The total of 22 losses tied the club's record for the most losses in a single season, leading to the dismissal of the coach.
'The Athletic' pointed out that "Postecoglou was a strong-willed leader. He firmly dismissed vague questions while showing trust in his players," while also noting, "However, despite his strong football philosophy, Postecoglou crumbled under critical weaknesses such as injuries and rotation issues."
The media analyzed that "Postecoglou left respectable results on relatively smaller stages like Celtic, Yokohama, and the Australian national team. However, he was simply not up to par in the Premier League," adding, "Even the Europa trophy was achieved through a defensive tactic that betrayed his football philosophy."
Indeed, while acknowledging the achievement of winning the Europa League, Postecoglou emphasized, "The trophy was obtained by breaking my football philosophy." This raises the possibility that a coach like Postecoglou might not be suitable for a long-term position at Tottenham. Although it started well and ended beautifully, the chaos in between was unavoidable.
'Opta' noted that "22 losses and 38 points in the league represent the lowest records in Tottenham's Premier League history, and such figures would typically indicate relegation in a regular season." It also pointed out, "In recent seasons, Tottenham struggled so much that they barely survived due to relegation or goal difference. Fortunately, this season, the three promoted teams (Leicester City, Ipswich, Southampton) were the worst-set-up promotees in history, allowing them to survive."
'Opta' explained that "Regardless of the Europa victory, Tottenham's performance in the league was unacceptable. They lost at home to promoted teams twice, and injuries were so numerous that it became difficult to field a starting team mid-season. The club acknowledged it was an 'abnormal season,' but many attributed the cause to Postecoglou's extreme and high-intensity football."
Indeed, the statistics presented by Opta prove this. Tottenham averaged 111.5 kilometers per match, with 167.5 sprints and 55.2 high presses, which were among the top levels in the league. The problem is that despite this tremendous activity, the absence of rotation led to ultimately unsustainable football.
Although some tactical adjustments were made in the Europa League, in the league, Postecoglou stubbornly adhered to his philosophy, and the price was a dismal rank of '17th.' This was not merely poor performance, but a failure that revealed structural limitations. Faced with the harsh statistic of 'only 78 points from 66 league matches,' the board unanimously decided to relieve him of his duties.
'Opta' concluded that "No matter how shiny the European trophy was, the collapse in the league was an undeniable reality. Tottenham decided not to package their results with the term 'football philosophy' any longer," analyzing the reasons behind Postecoglou's dismissal with a cold perspective.
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