Manager Watch: Ange Postecoglou

[Mr Pink]

Pretty difficult away game judging by recent results. I guess he just wanted to try to protect the selotape and chewing gum back 4 he had to use. Nearly pulled it off too.

Yeah agreed.

But still surprised me as we showed more attacking threat with 9 men than we did with eleven.

That said we struggled with their power and physicality.

 

[sidford]

It's not what people want or don't want - it doesn't matter what we think.

This is the case at every club but if a manager isn't willing to tweak things when his system can't / won't work with the players available it's obvious to most it will cost the team.

This isn't a pile in on him in any way but it is a criticism of him. If he is unwilling to adapt to extreme circumstances, IMO Chelsea and Wolves both fell into that with the players missing and who we had to have in crucial CB position, then we will lose which is exactly what Happened.

Overall he has done brilliantly and our points total at the minute is a lot more than any of us would have expected but like every other manager we can discuss whether his decisions are right or wrong and imo Chelsea and Wolves decisions were wrong and it's not heresy to have that opinion

 

[Metalhead]

This is the case at every club but if a manager isn't willing to tweak things when his system can't / won't work with the players available it's obvious to most it will cost the team.

This isn't a pile in on him in any way but it is a criticism of him. If he is unwilling to adapt to extreme circumstances, IMO Chelsea and Wolves both fell into that with the players missing and who we had to have in crucial CB position, then we will lose which is exactly what Happened.

Overall he has done brilliantly and our points total at the minute is a lot more than any of us would have expected but like every other manager we can discuss whether his decisions are right or wrong and imo Chelsea and Wolves decisions were wrong and it's not heresy to have that opinion

I was just making the point that there is no point in people getting annoyed when others say that Ange is unlikely to change his methods. It's an observation.

 

[Japhet]

Yeah agreed.

But still surprised me as we showed more attacking threat with 9 men than we did with eleven.

That said we struggled with their power and physicality.

I said in the match thread that in the second half we played like a team that had run their bollocks off earlier in the week. The repercussions of the 2 sendings off run deeper than many expected.

 

[marion52]

We have all been spoiled with the magnificent start to the season.
Had we just been paying well with a mixture of win, lose and draw no one would suddenly feel bereft because we just lost a game.
Ange was quite clear it won’t be plain sailing, and hard as that seems after our great start, we have to accept we will lose games. Yesterday I felt we threw it away but players are still coming to grips with how Ange wants to play, especially those who started for the first time yesterday.
The international break gives him a chance to work more with the bit part players who will be sidelined again as soon as Romero\Udogie etc return

 

[Metalhead]

I said in the match thread that in the second half we played like a team that had run their bollocks off earlier in the week. The repercussions of the 2 sendings off run deeper than many expected.

Definitely and this is is where the patience aspect comes in. He's said that the process for recruitment is underway but it will take a couple of windows to bring in the players that are needed.

 

[Japhet]

Definitely and this is is where the patience aspect comes in. He's said that the process for recruitment is underway but it will take a couple of windows to bring in the players that are needed.

We've made a cracking start to the season and expectations have soared way above the 'there will be ups and downs' consensus that greeted Ange at first. We've just been through a week of exceptional circumstances with a very steep learning curve and I'm sure Ange knows exactly how to use that to our advantage in the future. The other thing is that it will illustrate in no uncertain terms how important it is that we recruit sensibly in January. It's not all bad.

 

[sidford]

Ange has done a 9/10 job to date and I think you will find very few people who would give him lower than 9 but I do find it strange that some people are unwilling to let anyone criticise any of his decisions. No one is infallible.
He's been brilliant but has gotten some decisions wrong so people should be able to debate his decisions without this "you wanted good football which he has given and now you're complaining" line as if that's enough to stop any discussion about him.

 

[skiba]

That said we struggled with their power and physicality.

I think this is maybe why he went for PEH instead of Lo Celso. Lo Celso has barely kicked a ball whereas PEH has had plenty of minutes and Wolves strength is their ball carrying in the middle.

We lost the battle in midfield and maybe Lo Celso would have been better in there but I sort of understand the thinking behind the selection. PEH is copping some stick from but I was more disappointed in Bissouma yesterday.

 

[spursgirls]

It's just shit circumstances that he gets sent off and then VdV gets injured. If VdV plays today maybe we win too. We could handle the 3 game suspension as long as VdV is fit. Maybe even do better against Chelsea either his pace against Sterling. Had Romero got sent off after VdV got injured maybe deserves more criticism.

I agree with you with this, but also VdV getting injured wasn't deliberate. Romero's tackle was. I've been a huge fan of Romero's since he came to us, but he has to stop doing stupid things like this.

 

[funkycoldmedina]

Ange has done a 9/10 job to date and I think you will find very few people who would give him lower than 9 but I do find it strange that some people are unwilling to let anyone criticise any of his decisions. No one is infallible.
He's been brilliant but has gotten some decisions wrong so people should be able to debate his decisions without this "you wanted good football which he has given and now you're complaining" line as if that's enough to stop any discussion about him.

What decisions, plural, has he got wrong?

 

[spursgirls]

The idea behind the season being a write off is that it’s a time to learn new systems, blood new players, and build for the future. Choosing Davies, Dier, and Hojbjerg today - and Lo Celso from the bench - goes completely against that. Why use players who have no future here ahead of the brilliant young prospects we hope will be a part of the team’s future?

That’s what frustrates me today. Not the result, but the way we got there. Players with no future here, playing the way we all knew they would, while the (hopeful) future sits on the bench.

I guess Ange thinks experience is more likely to win us the game than raw youngsters. Winning the game is the priority to him.

 

[spursgirls]

It also sums Hojberg up perfectly good at passing to the opposition.

Son's pretty good at that at times too!

 

[theShiznit]

While i wanted Lo Celso over PEH i can kind of understand the logic behind the selection.
PEH has come in/on several times for Ange and done well to stabilize performances, where as Gio has come in once for an EFL game and looked lethargic before being replaced at HT due to "injury"

Maddison has come off in most games for us and when Gio has been on the bench i don't think he has replaced him.

Could it be that Ange has just seen one player with his head down doing what he can without making a fuss and another that is not doing all he can? (as we all saw there was no reluctance to use Gio in pre-season)

Maybe it's pure meritocracy On Ange's part, to show if you work hard you will get your chance/s.

Having said that i would hope not to see that version of our midfield again anytime soon, as Sarr was misused, Bissouma is stuck in second gear since Luton and PEH plays within his (well established) limits.

 

[spursgirls]

I think this is maybe why he went for PEH instead of Lo Celso. Lo Celso has barely kicked a ball whereas PEH has had plenty of minutes and Wolves strength is their ball carrying in the middle.

We lost the battle in midfield and maybe Lo Celso would have been better in there but I sort of understand the thinking behind the selection. PEH is copping some stick from but I was more disappointed in Bissouma yesterday.

Agree. I also think that he put PEH in there to help shore up the weakness of having Dier and Davies behind him. Lo Celso IMHO wouldn't have done that.

 

[Mr Pink]

We have all been spoiled with the magnificent start to the season.
Had we just been paying well with a mixture of win, lose and draw no one would suddenly feel bereft because we just lost a game.
Ange was quite clear it won’t be plain sailing, and hard as that seems after our great start, we have to accept we will lose games. Yesterday I felt we threw it away but players are still coming to grips with how Ange wants to play, especially those who started for the first time yesterday.
The international break gives him a chance to work more with the bit part players who will be sidelined again as soon as Romero\Udogie etc return

Mate, if we hadnt reveived the two red cards on Monday we'd more than likely still be unbeaten.

Ill discipline has cost us massively, its that simple.

 

[Mattyhp]

My view is the best managers very rarely pivot/adjust style from game to game based on injuries or a bad result/conceding a goal (klopp and pep have both had the occasional bad run but typically due to injuries or squad rebuild). As a fan you either fall into the camp of wanting to see a consistent approach and “identity” or its results driven approach where the focus is very much on nullifying the opponent on a weekly basis. Having watched Poch, Jose, conte and now Ange I know what I prefer. Of course criticism is a part of life and unavoidable but Ange is trying to imbed a style and approach and yesterday was more of a message to the board that the depth just isn’t there. If we really want Ange to try and grind out and change his philosophy and outlook on the game to accommodate the necessity of Dier, Davies, Pierre etc just to potentially pick up a few more points in Nov/Dec then I think it’s a very short term perspective. Ultimately it will result in those that have already made great strides losing a bit of faith. We are building something therefore you have to expose squad depth and those players that can’t or won’t adapt to the vision. After a couple of windows, if we are still conceding points as a result of game management then I’d hope Ange will take on any criticism coming his way.

 

[dontcallme]

Agree. I also think that he put PEH in there to help shore up the weakness of having Dier and Davies behind him. Lo Celso IMHO wouldn't have done that.

Good point.

He tried playing a similar style but changed the personnel a bit to cover for players out.

He’s probably not as inflexible as some are making out.

 

[Archibald&Crooks]

Ange didnt have a lot of options yesterday.

Indeed. And as the transfer windows go by, that will become less and less of an issue. As someone else has said, if you abandon you 'way' at the first sign of trouble, it just isn't going to happen. If you want your players to buy into it, then showing said players that you back your own methods regardless also shows them that they'll be backed when playing to it.

 

[N'Obody]

The last week of results definitely hurts but I'm backing Ange all the way. I never expected us to he flying so high this far into the season. I'm grateful we actually have a manager who wants to play attractive attacking football. He's earned credit in the bank to make some mistakes and I believe he needs to make these mistakes so that he can assess the rest of the squad properly.

Yesterday's results would have definitely showed him that the old guard is definitely not up for it. He is a man of principle and will stick to his way of playing and I appreciate that fully. This season was always going to be a learning curve with ups and downs.

I just feel we as fans got carried away and deep down we dreamed we could actually fight for the title. The realistic view is this wasn't going to happen this season, so its better to temper expectations and let Ange cook and do what he needs to build his squad with the players he can trust.

I agree with other he should just throw the youth in and just let them learn and gain experience in his system. I wouldn't necessarily say he got it wrong by not picking them before the old guard. I just think he felt that the more experienced heads could do a job for him, but they also let him down.

This could be the last we see of some of the old guard. I'm going to trust the process and let Ange do what he does. At least we have seen what his system is capable of with his best XI. That's not even the benchmark, that's just the basic way his team plays. Just imagine what his team can do next season with a full season of learning his system.

That's the real exciting part I can't wait for.