One former Tottenham midfielder thinks Spurs are in danger of missing out on a top-four finish if Ange Postecoglou does not change his ways.
Postecoglou expected to deliver a top-four finish
Despite all the talk of this being a long-term project, Postecoglou will be aware that his time at the Tottenham hot seat might be short-lived if the team has a poor showing this season.
After leading the club to a fifth-place finish last term, the Argentine will be expected to get a guaranteed Champions League place this time out.
There will also be a lot of interest in how the club does in cup competitions, with Postecoglou making it clear that anything other than winning silverware will be a failure (Sky Sports).
Call for Spurs to change tactics
However, Gus Poyet believes that unless Postecoglou mends his approach, the Lilywhites will struggle to get into the top four.
The Uruguayan suggested that the 59-year-old has to alter his tactics depending on the team that Tottenham are coming up against each week.
When asked which of his two former clubs (Spurs and Chelsea) are more likely to finish in the top four, Poyet told Vavel: “At this stage, I would say Chelsea, just. I think they have the more younger and talented players who can get the team into the top four.
“I think more quality in depth is going to help Chelsea and with the likes of Palmer, [Jadon] Sancho, Jackson and [Noni] Madueke picking up good form, this could be good for Chelsea. Spurs will be a threat, but Ange [Postecoglou] has to adapt his tactics to who he plays.”
The same but different
The one thing we know for sure is that Postecoglou will not change his principles of play and he will double down on his hyper-attacking philosophy.
However, that does not mean that the Australian will not tweak his tactics slightly depending on how certain plans are working or who Spurs are coming up against.
In fact, we have seen Postecoglou make some significant tweaks this season, including playing Dejan Kulusevski as a number eight alongside James Maddison, as well as asking his full-backs to invert less often than they did last season.