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Eric Dier may have already let slip why so many Tottenham players seem to be going backwards under Ange Postecoglou
Tottenham delivered a truly worrying performance at Wolves on Sunday.
The Old Gold – who began the day sitting 17th in the Premier League – put four goals past Guglielmo Vicario without truly breaking a sweat, with the Italian practically handing Wolves their first two goals.
Cristian Romero then looked like a man who had given up on Ange Postecoglou after allowing Rayan Ait-Nouri, who Spurs have bid for, to easily dispossess him in the final third, before rolling the ball to Jorgen Strand Larsen for a simple finish.
June will mark two years since the Australian was hired, although several Tottenham players appear to have either stagnated or gone backwards, such as the aforementioned duo, as well as the likes of Yves Bissouma and Brennan Johnson.
The reason behind that may have actually been revealed by Eric Dier during a chat with Gary Neville back in April 2024.
What Eric Dier said about Ange Postecoglou
A manager is not just supposed to drill his philosophy into his players relentlessly – they are supposed to manage, which means working closely with individuals who may struggle to adapt to this style, and helping to iron out personal deficiencies along the way.
However, it sounds like Postecoglou only does the former.
Speaking on The Overlap last year, Dier revealed to Neville when asked if the 59-year-old is the best tactician he’s ever worked with: “No. Interestingly he really doesn’t do any tactical work, barely any. What he does is, every single training drill from Monday to Friday is drawn up to represent the way that he wants to play.”
That is not only an issue in terms of players potentially becoming bored or disillusioned under Postecoglou, but it also makes Spurs incredibly easy to play against, with opposition managers knowing exactly what to expect, with little chance of a curveball being thrown.
Tottenham have approached Oliver Glasner – which suggests Daniel Levy is starting to lose patience.
Too late for change at Tottenham?
Postecoglou has often responded firmly during interviews when asked if he would consider adopting a different style.
"Why can't it just be entertaining mate" 😆
— Sky Sports (@SkySports)
Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou does not want to change his attacking approach ⚪
However, if the man born in Greece does now decide to change his tactical shape, due to the fact Tottenham are 15th in the Premier League, he would cut a desperate figure, and would potentially lose the respect of some who have admired his stubbornness to this point.
Ultimately, it is inexcusable to keep repeating the same methods which are clearly not working, so Postecoglou could have to back down on his principles in order to stay at Hotspur Way.