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Gameweek two in the Premier League brings Ange Postecoglou head-to-head with Erik ten Hag as a revamped Spurs look to stun the incoherent Manchester United.
The mood around Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United could not be more different after both teams’ Premier League results in gameweek one of the 2023-24 season.
The excitement in North London is striking despite the recent sale of the club’s greatest-ever player Harry Kane, while fans of the Red Devils are more restrained.
If you had not seen the outcomes in the opening round of games, the assumption would be that Spurs were the winning side, whereas Erik ten Hag’s men lost their encounter with Wolverhampton Wanderers.
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However, the reality was the opposite. The Red Devils defeated Wolves 1-0 in Monday’s success under the lights at Old Trafford, while Spurs played out a 2-2 draw with Brentford in their first game since Kane joined Bayern Munich.
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Postecoglou’s new look Tottenham
For anyone who had not followed Tottenham in the off-season, Sunday afternoon’s game at the Gtech Community Stadium could have been somewhat jarring.
In a game where the Lilywhites played without the departed Kane, their newfound bravery was not lost on anyone neither was the team’s proactive outlook. A three-game comparison of Spurs’ average positions in Sunday’s encounter, vis-à-vis the corresponding game last season and Antonio Conte’s final fixture in charge of the club in March, validates the eye test.
The first screen grab shows the average positions occupied against Southampton in March…
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The corresponding fixture at Brentford on Boxing Day last year…
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And Sunday’s 2-2 draw against Thomas Frank’s men.
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Not only striking was the team’s superior possession in the recent game with the Bees (69 percent), compared to last year’s game in West London (62%) or at Saints (50%), but also the more aggressive positions in gameweek one’s encounter at Brentford.
It signifies the change in mentality at Spurs under Postecoglou, and it was noteworthy to see every outfield player inside the home side’s half in one sequence of Tottenham’s play.
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The North London club had 345 touches in the attacking third in Sunday’s 2-2 draw, interestingly outranking every game from last season in which Spurs crossed the 300-touch mark only once (302 touches against Bournemouth in October 2022).
Fascinatingly, ranked second and third were 205 and 203 attacking-third touches in home games against Liverpool and Bournemouth, respectively. The chasm further underscores the altered approach under Postecoglou.
Admittedly, conclusions should not be reached after one competitive fixture, but it made for attention-grabbing viewing on Sunday.
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While they could do better with creating better quality chances and defending more assuredly against the counter-attack, the early signs suggest 2023-24 will be fun under the erstwhile Celtic boss.
With Saturday’s opponents, Manchester United looking to maximise their menace in attacking transitions, Postecoglou’s bow at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium should be exciting.
Ten Hag’s Manchester United vow
Raphael Varane spared United blushes on Monday night, scoring a headed finish to dispatch the game’s only goal in the Red Devils’ 1-0 success over Gary O’Neil’s side.
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United secured the three points, but Wolves were the more integrated team with and without possession. Without the ball, the visiting side were hard to play through and necessitated Ten Hag’s men to go around them, forcing the Red Devils out wide and limiting the hosts’ ball progression in central areas.
With the ball, Wolves carried a threat on the counter-attack and were unfortunate not to score on the night.
The late refereeing and VAR gaffe at the death was the story of the night when it should have been O’Neil’s troops’ tactical intelligence at Old Trafford.
For United’s part, the questions are evident from day one. Ten Hag is committed to maximising attacking transitions, but that approach seems misguided.
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Last season emphasised the dangers of the Red Devils’ inclination to favour end-to-end games, with the team’s absence of control nearly costing them a goal before they went in front and almost seeing Wolves level after Varane headed them 1-0 up.
The Expected Goals (xG) on the night was 2.35-2.21 in Wolves’ favour, with the away side’s 23 shots the most faced by Man United at the Theatre of Dreams since Chelsea in 2005. It is far from ideal for Ten Hag, whose side can ill-afford games of that ilk despite their manager’s promise to create the best team in transition.
That approach became the modus operandi in the Dutchman’s first year, and Ten Hag’s second pre-season underscored that commitment.
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14:18 - 03.08.2023
ANALYSIS Erik ten Hag has embraced Manchester United's identity. Will it blow up in his face?
The Manchester United head coach is committed to playing transition football but does that bode well for the Red Devils’ Premier League prospects?
No club has won the Premier League title leaning heavily on counter-attacking football since Chelsea in 2016-17, and it remains to be seen if Manchester United perfect the art of that approach. As it is, there is a sense that their games are far too chaotic to produce title-winning football.
The Red Devils are unbeaten in their last five against Tottenham, winning four games against the North London side since the heavy 6-1 beatdown suffered at the hands of Jose Mourinho’s Lilywhites in 2020.
Postecoglou ending that run secures Spurs’ first-ever win at their new home against the Manchester giants.
Even at this embryonic stage of the Australian’s tenure, such an outcome would give him credibility and announce the well-travelled manager to the Premier League.
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