LONDON – Months on from losing a lead and crashing 4-1 at home against London rivals Chelsea in the English Premier League, there is still only admiration from Osvaldo Ardiles for the style Ange Postecoglou has brought to Tottenham Hotspur.
The 1978 World Cup winner, who returned to manage Spurs in 1993, commended the attack-minded approach and bravery displayed in that game, even when Spurs were reduced to nine men.
Clapping to emphasise his point, the club ambassador said: “I applaud that, I am very happy with that... If you want to win something in football, you have to take chances. It is as simple as that. If you do not take chances, you are not going to win.”
The Argentinian was effusive in his praise of “Ange-ball”, which focuses on moving the ball quickly up the field and keeping the tempo throughout the game.
It is no surprise that Ardiles, speaking to The Sunday Times at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on March 29 in a visit facilitated by AIA Singapore, loves this positive and fast-paced approach as it was a similar mentality he had when he was in charge of the Lilywhites.
He often deployed five forwards but, despite having star names such as Darren Anderton, Teddy Sheringham, Jurgen Klinsmann and Gheorghe Popescu at his disposal, he fell short and was sacked in November 1994.
“You can have a lot of different styles, you could be waiting for the opposition, you could be playing counter-attacking football, you could be very negative... or you can choose to be very positive,” the 71-year-old Ardiles said.
“All the best teams in the world, Argentina for example, what they are doing extremely well is they are very positive... So the teams who go forward, want to go for it, are the ones winning things. So this is what we have to copy.”
This mindset is exactly what England need to adopt, he added, if they want to end their 58-year wait for a trophy.
Ardiles believes the Three Lions have, on paper, the best team to win Euro 2024, but urged manager Gareth Southgate to take the initiative and show the belief needed to turn potential into reality.
“Player for player, England have the best squad. The problem with England is that they have to have the confidence to go for it,” he said.
“In the last Euro final against Italy... (they were up) 1-0 in the first half, but they incredibly stopped playing in the second half and gave Italy the opportunity to come back. So if they really believe and have a go (this summer), they will have a big chance.”
While Ardiles, who won the FA Cup twice and the 1984 Uefa Cup (now Europa League) with Spurs, was non-committal about Tottenham’s chances of lifting their first silverware since their 2008 League Cup triumph, he backed them to secure a Champions League spot this season.
Such has been Postecoglou’s impact in north London that several top sides are reportedly interested in the 58-year-old, who won the Scottish treble with Celtic and the Asian Cup with Australia in 2015.
Jurgen Klopp had already signalled his intention in January to leave Liverpool after a trophy-laden stint, while a difficult second season in charge of Manchester United has left Erik ten Hag needing an FA Cup triumph or a Champions League spot to potentially secure his immediate future.
Ardiles’ close friend and compatriot Mauricio Pochettino, a former Spurs manager, is also having a turbulent time at Chelsea, while Bayern Munich are in search of a new coach after Thomas Tuchel was asked to leave at the end of the season.
Ardiles said: “He (Postecoglou) is a very clever (tactician) and a very warm person with a nice sense of humour, very natural.”
Instilling a conviction to play offensive football is also something Postecoglou excels at, he noted. Not only has the Australian won over fans, who have tolerated bland football under Nuno Espirito Santo, Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte in recent seasons, he has also changed the mood around the club within a short span of time.
“Now we have Ange, with an attacking style which I love very much, so I’m a big supporter... we are Tottenham, so we don’t react to the other teams, the other team have to react to us,” Ardiles said.
“It is unbelievable how much he has changed the club because, after the last two managers, (it was) a bit difficult. He changed (things) immediately and has been a breath of fresh air.
“Wherever you go, is much more comfortable... coming towards the game or coming into training ground, it is very natural as it should be, so it is brilliant.”
Ardiles also a paid a tribute to club captain Son Heung-min. “Son is nothing short of extraordinary... He is very humble and has wonderful personality,” Ardiles said of the AIA Singapore brand ambassador.
“He is a super, super player who has (created) a wonderful opening for Spurs in Asia... We are delighted to have him here.”
• Narendaren Karnageran’s trip was hosted by AIA Singapore.
