Postecoglou already showing up Tottenham 'mistakes' Conte and Mourinho

24 September 2023 , 07:34

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The Spurs boss will look to guide his side to a victory against Arsenal on Sunday

Apart from his humour, his compassion, his eloquence, his bonhomie, Ange Postecoglou has got something else going for him. He is not Antonio Conte. Nor Jose Mourinho, for that matter. He is the sweet to their sour.

Well, at least that is how they and their relationships with Spurs ended up, Daniel Levy finally admitting a few days ago that those appointments were mistakes. But, of course, they are only mistakes with hindsight.

Rightly, Postecoglou is being lauded for Spurs’ highly promising start to the season and to his managerial tenure at Tottenham. But while Conte and Mourinho did not begin their spells at Spurs at the outset of a new campaign, their early efforts were not unimpressive.

After his first five Premier League games, Postecoglou has four wins and a draw. 13 points. After his first five Premier League games, Conte had three wins and two draws. 11 points. After his first five Premier League games, Mourinho had four wins and one defeat. 12 points.

In his first five Premier League games, Postecoglou’s team has scored 13 goals and conceded five. Goal difference eight. In his first five Premier League games, Conte’s team had scored 12 goals and conceded three. Goal difference nine. In his first five Premier League games, Mourinho’s team had scored 14 goals and conceded 7. Goal difference seven. Jose, the great entertainer.

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And after their starts to Premier League life as Spurs managers, Conte and Mourinho had probably won a certain amount of affection from Tottenham supporters.

But there are crucial differences between the first phase of Postecoglou’s era and the first phases of the Conte and Mourinho eras. Over the five-game period we have been talking about, Postecoglou’s side have averaged 61 percent possession, enjoying the majority in every one of their Premier League matches.

The Tottenham boss has impressed in his short tenure to date

In the equivalent spell, Mourinho’s side averaged 50 percent possession (twice having the minority) and Conte’s side averaged 46 percent (only having the majority once).

Over the five-game period we have been talking about, Postecoglou’s side have averaged 20 attempts on goal per game. In the equivalent spell, Mourinho’s side averaged less than 10 and Conte’s side a fraction above eight.

Statistics often fail to reflect a picture but these ones don’t, because - let’s face it - the football under Postecoglou simply LOOKS more attractive than the football under Conte or Mourinho (or, indeed, under the intervening Nuno Espirito Santo).

But if he has already won admirers for his style of play, he has already won hearts and minds for his conduct off the pitch. He believes in himself but it is obvious that he also feels honoured to have the job and will respect that honour.

At the stage of their careers when Mourinho and Conte took the Spurs job, they thought they were entitled to it, that they were doing Levy and Spurs a favour.

And that is why they turned out to be the mistakes Levy referred to - and that is why Postecoglou will turn out to be an inspired choice.

Andy Dunn