da lvbet： The Australian coach has given Spurs supporters a reason to feel proud of their team once again – and this is only the beginning

da pixbet： Tottenham have come a long way since May. Despite a 4-1 win over Leeds United on the final day of the 2022-23 season, Spurs finished eighth in the Premier League and missed out on a place in Europe for the first time since 2009-10.

They were also still on the lookout for a new permanent manager, having sacked Antonio Conte on the back of the Italian's explosive rant against the players and chairman Daniel Levy in March. The likes of Luis Enrique and Julian Nagelsmann were reportedly among Spurs' top candidates for the role, but their options quickly dwindled.

In the end, Tottenham turned to Ange Postecoglou, who left Celtic after delivering back-to-back Scottish Premiership titles. It wasn't the big name Spurs supporters have been accustomed to in recent years, but Levy gave the Australian a glowing endorsement.

"Ange brings a positive mentality and a fast, attacking style of play," said the Tottenhamp chief. "He has a strong track record of developing players and an understanding of the importance of the link from the academy – everything that is important to our club. We are excited to have Ange join us as we prepare for the season ahead."

Expectations were already low, but they plummeted even further when Harry Kane completed a long-awaited transfer to Bayern Munich two months after Postecoglou's arrival in north London. A huge job suddenly looked like an impossible one.

But Postecoglou has defied the odds in spectacular fashion. Spurs have picked up 13 points from a possible 15 at the start of the new season, and sit second in the table behind champions Manchester City.

The whole squad has got right behind the new manager, whose attacking style of play has been a breath of fresh air for a fanbase that was starved of entertainment under Conte, Nuno Espirito Santo and Jose Mourinho.

GettySpurs finally have some bottle

The fresh mood of optimism around the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was minutes away from evaporating on Saturday, as Postecoglou's side found themselves 1-0 down at home to Sheffield United heading into stoppage-time.

Last season, Spurs would have lost the match. But there has been a major mentality shift in the squad, and they simply refused to give in. Richarlison eventually broke through Sheffield United's stubborn rear-guard after stepping off the bench, heading home an Ivan Perisic corner for his first Premier League goal of the season.

The Brazilian turned provider for Dejan Kulusevski less than two minutes later, with the Swede producing an emphatic finish to send the home crowd into raptures. Spurs have been accused of lacking 'bottle' for so long, but they showed it in spades last weekend.

And no one was more pleased than Postecoglou. Pressed on whether it's his job to temper expectations amid dreams of a potential trophy pursuit after the game, the 58-year-old told : "Let them enjoy it. I've said this before, my role is not to burst peoples' bubbles. Let them get excited and ahead of themselves, that's the beauty of being a supporter.

"They go through enough pain, let them enjoy and if they think we're going to be world-beaters great, it's then up to us to match those expectations. Our supporters deserve to have some happiness and they can enjoy it anyway they want to."

Advertisement(C)Getty ImagesSmashing through the ceiling

Tottenham's last few managers were unable to build a strong relationship with the fans – not least because they were too busy publicly digging out their own players or lamenting a lack of transfer activity. But Postecoglou is well aware of how important it is to have supporters on side, and that they can push the team that extra yard when the stakes are high – as they were against Sheffield United. He won't blame anyone else when Spurs inevitably fall short at times either.

A disappointing penalty shootout loss to Fulham in the second round of the Carabao Cup saw one trophy route close early for Spurs, and Postecoglou took full responsibility. “When Daniel [Levy] and Spurs decided to go with me then I knew that they were open to going in my direction," he said in a recent interview with . "Then it’s down to me. After that I’m going to take responsibility for what happens here, good, bad or otherwise. If I don’t succeed it’s not going to be because of external factors, because I’ve accepted taking them on. It’s all up to me from now on."

The Spurs boss added on his long-term vision: "I’m not going to tell [the fans] to not be disappointed. But I’m here because I want to create a club that has the opportunity to win things on a yearly basis. And there’s a difference, because us winning a Carabao Cup and finishing 10th is not what I think this club is about.

“That’s not dismissing the Carabao Cup. I want to win every game; trust me, I was disappointed on that night as well. But that’s not the endgame for me. It’s not about just winning something for the sake of winning something. It’s about building something. When we get to where we want to and play the football we want to, the winning should take care of itself. Whatever the ceiling that may exist is, let’s see if we can smash through it."

GettySmart signings

Spurs had a healthy transfer pot in the summer window, which was boosted significantly after Kane's £100 million ($124m) move to Bayern Munich. But instead of chasing big names, Postecoglou identified targets that fit his philosophy.

Four major signings were acquired in the form of James Maddison, Micky van der Ven, Brennan Johnson and Guglielmo Vicario, while Manor Solomon joined the club on a free transfer. Tottenham also snapped up Argentine teenager Alejo Veliz, who has been tipped for stardom after a bright start to his career at Rosario. Postecoglou brought in six new players for a combined total of £150m ($186m), and all of them could have key roles to play as the season progresses.

Maddison looks the best value of the lot so far, having made the switch to north London from Leicester City following their relegation in 2022-23. The 26-year-old has managed four goal contributions in his first five Premier League outings for Spurs, adding new dimension to their attack with his creativity and technical wizardry. Johnson, meanwhile, will no doubt be one of the beneficiaries of Maddison's service, though the 22-year-old is still getting up to speed after his deadline-day move from Nottingham Forest.

Van de Ven, meanwhile, has injected much-needed pace into Spurs' backline while forming a strong partnership with Cristian Romero. The Dutchman is also brilliant at carrying the ball out of defence and will have a key role to play in kick-starting attacks.

Signing a new goalkeeper was also a necessity for Spurs, with former captain Hugo Lloris now an outcast after pushing for a move away from the club. Vicario has already proven himself to be a big upgrade on the Frenchman with his distribution and shot-stopping skills, and will only keep improving at 26.

Solomon is the only new arrival who looks set to serve as more of a squad player, but the Israel international has also shown his value with two assists in the 5-2 thrashing of Burnley on September 2.

Getty'Everyone wants to play this way'

Quizzed on his utilisation of inverted full-backs after Spurs' 2-0 win over Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium, Postecoglou quipped: “There’s no secret, I’m just copying Pep [Guardiola], mate.”

There are some similarities to be drawn between the Spurs tactician and his Manchester City counterpart, but Postecoglou's system is not as strict as Guardiola's. He encourages his full-backs to exploit any space in the final third without hesitation.

Postecoglou also aims to build from the back and play through a high press with the least possible amount of players involved. Spurs' main focus is not to dominate possession, but rather to explode into life at the opportune moment.

It certainly makes for an exciting spectacle, and the players are all enjoying the ride. After Tottenham's impressive 2-0 home win against Manchester United last month, Son Heung-min told : "It's very early, but we want to have the ball, create chances, play attacking football, if we lose the ball we're going to be counter-pressing, it's really, really fun even to play in, but I think watching this game is more enjoyable for the Spurs fans.

"One hundred percent it's enjoyable for the players, for the attacking players, I don't know about the defenders, but for me, it's playing high, pressing high, it's an easier job than running 70 metres behind!"

Kulusevski went a step further while away on international duty with Sweden, taking a subtle swipe at Conte when explaining the impact Postecoglou has had on the Spurs squad. “We had a tough time at the end of last season,” he told reporters. "[Postecoglou] has come in with really positive energy and it has gone very quickly. Of course, we are all a little surprised. But he’s really good. We are a young team and everyone wants to play this way. I’m not saying that what we did before was completely wrong, but it was something completely different.

“I think it’s easier to come to training every day and know that you should play with the ball, that you should attack and run forward and not backwards. So, it is clear that all of us players have done everything possible to listen as much as possible.”