Reliable football.london journalist Alasdair Gold has shared an interesting bit of detail from “within” Tottenham concerning a “sensational” player of theirs.
Postecoglou praised for excellent debut season at Spurs
The appointment of manager Ange Postecoglou was arguably one of chairman Daniel Levy‘s best decisions in recent memory, as the difference in mood compared to this time last year is vast.
Related
Tottenham now willing to back Ange with transfer bid for £79m “magician”
Spurs are prepared to make an offer.
Around 10 months ago, Spurs were gearing up to sack ex-head coach Antonio Conte after his very public outburst, with the Italian lambasting Levy, his players and Tottenham’s culture in a fiery tirade to the media.
The Lilywhites completed 2022/2023 without Champions League football with the future looking bleak, especially with former technical director Fabio Paratici receiving a 30-month worldwide ban from FIFA as well.
However, Postecoglou’s arrival soon turned the tide in Spurs’ favour, with the Australian implementing an intense, high-pressing style of play to win over many admirers. Levy and co have also proved successful in the transfer market with a new data-driven recruitment model, something which has paid dividends thus far with the successful signings of Micky van de Ven and James Maddison among others.
“He’s put something in place that’s breathtaking to watch but actually, is quite complex when you watch it from a football point of view,” said Sky pundit Gary Neville on Postecoglou earlier this season.
|
Tottenham’s best-performing players per 90 in the league this season |
Match Rating (via WhoScored) |
|---|---|
|
James Maddison |
7.51 |
|
Son Heung-min |
7.37 |
|
Pedro Porro |
7.18 |
|
Cristian Romero |
7.06 |
|
Manor Solomon |
7.05 |
“Spurs fans won’t like this but he is amazing, and if you’re Manchester City losing Pep Guardiola in a year or two, you’d be looking at Ange Postecoglou now thinking ‘wow that’s exactly what we want to see’.
“But for the time being Spurs have just got to enjoy this because it’s brilliant to watch. What they can do is enjoy one of the best brands of football I’ve seen in 10 years since I finished playing football. I love watching Tottenham Hotspur play.”
Another great aspect of Spurs’ season has been the return of star midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur, who made his long-awaited comeback from a long-term ACL injury earlier in the campaign.
Alasdair Gold shares Bentancur doubts from “within” Tottenham
Speaking on his YouTube channel, football.london correspondent Gold has shared an interesting bit of detail on this, claiming some “within” Spurs have held the belief Bentancur won’t be back to his best till next season.
“From what I understand from people within the club, as he was going through his rehabilitation and getting towards the end of it, there was this feeling last year that you weren’t going to see the best version of Rodrigo Bentancur until next season, so the 24/25 season,” said Gold.
“And that’s not particularly down to him, that is purely because when you’ve had a serious, long-term injury, your body needs to rebuild itself. And it’s almost like the player has to re-educate themselves on all the things that were natural and instinctive, because they just haven’t done it for so long, or they’ve barely done it.”
The “sensational” Uruguay international has still managed nine league appearances, scoring once in that time, so if insiders believe he isn’t even at his best yet, then supporters could have yet another thing to look forward to alongside the prospect of potential Champions League football.