If it wasn’t apparent enough already, a run of four successive Premier League defeats was a reminder that, no matter how bad things get, Ange Postecoglou will not be abandoning the principles that brought him to Tottenham Hotspur in the first place.
The Aussie’s idea of a Plan B is to do Plan A better.
And while many managers have been guilty in the past of hiding behind this particular defence, it certainly feels unfair to truly judge Postecoglou’s work until he has a squad of players capable of fulfilling his very specific tactical demands.
As such, this is likely to be a summer of many outgoings as well as incomings at Tottenham Hotspur, Postecoglou himself telling Football London that this is very much a roster in a state of flux, caught between the pragmatism of the Antonio Conte era and a bold, ball-playing new regime.
Tottenham could ship out Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg
“We need change. Change has to happen,” says the former Celtic boss in typically straightforward fashion. “You can’t want to alter your course.
“We’ve had two windows and we’ve had some development of players, for sure. But when I say we’ve still got a long way to go, that’s what I’m talking about. We can’t be there yet because it’s impossible to say you’re going to have drastic change and yet expect everyone to be on that journey.
“I’ve got to change this squad. I have to, because I’ve got to build a squad I think can play our football. For that to happen, there has to be exits. I can’t just keep everyone here and keep bringing in players. So sometimes you let people go who you think ‘he’s a good player’ but how am I going to change if I don’t do that.”
Eric Dier, Ivan Perisic, Djed Spence, Sergio Reguilon are among those who have already been shipped out, albeit the latter duo only on initial loan deals. Postecoglou’s second summer at the helm should see the likes of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg come under threat as his rebuild reaches stage two.
For all the midfielder’s experience and discipline, Postecoglou wants a more natural ball-player to act as the pivot in his possession-heavy style. HITC understands Spurs have watched the likes of Joao Gomes of Wolves, Ederson of Atalanta and Ismail Yuksek of Fenerbahce.
Midfielder ‘not satisfied’ under Ange Postecoglou
One suspects that Kasper Hjulmand, Hojbjerg’s head coach with the Danish national team, would be pretty happy to see the former Southampton skipper embark on a fresh start too. Hojbjerg, starting only seven Premier League games this season, looks destined to head into Euro 2024 undercooked and worryingly short of match fitness.
Not that Hjulmand is too concerned about that aspect of things.
“I thought that Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg could have played more,” sighs Hjulmand, speaking to Bold. “We have a lot of data on him.
“He will come home with lots of energy. He was really good for us in the last (international break). And I’m not too worried about him, because he’s in really good shape.”
“Pierre is a skilled player who can play for any team. He is so good that he can play on most teams in the world.”
‘Most teams’ do not, however, play with the sort of free-flowing, unbreakable principles Postecoglou has brought to North London. A move to Serie A – Juventus are reportedly interested – may be the best case scenario for all parties.
The £25 million-rated Hojbjerg, back in March, appeared to hint at a summer departure while admitting that he is ‘not satisfied’ with his game time – or a lack thereof – under Postecoglou.
Tottenham host Manchester City in their penultimate game of the 2023/24 season tonight.
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