Four Things We Learned From Ange Postecoglou's First Tottenham Game

We take a look at the tactical changes implemented by Ange Postecoglou at Tottenham Hotspur after his first game as manager ended in a 3-2 loss to West Ham.

Ange Postecoglou tasted defeat in his first game as Tottenham Hotspur manager as his side lost 3-2 to West Ham in a pre-season friendly on Tuesday.

Spurs had 71 percent of the possession in Perth and registered 30 shots - 26 more than the Hammers.

Giovani Lo Celso and Destiny Udogie found the net for Postecoglou's side, but strikes from Danny Ings, Divin Mubama and Gianluca Scamacca saw West Ham claim victory against the run of play.

While it is hard to draw too many firm conclusions from a pre-season game, Tottenham under Postecoglou looked like a very different team to the one that had spent most of the 2022/23 season with Antonio Conte in charge.

Below are four things we learned from Postecoglou's first assignment as Spurs boss.

Pressing Is Back

Tottenham had been an aggressive pressing team when Mauricio Pochettino was in charge, but developed into a deep-sitting counter-attacking side under Jose Mourinho, Nuno Espirito Santo and Conte.

Pressing was very much back on the menu on Tuesday and it was not only Tottenham's front three doing the work.

Spurs deployed a five-man press on multiple occasions, leading to some encouraging turnovers in West Ham territory.

Ange Postecoglou began his Tottenham career with a 3-2 loss to West Ham in a pre-season friendly on Tuesday :: IMAGO/AAP/Richard Wainwright

Inverted Full-Backs

Spurs played with a back three for most of last season but Postecoglou is very much a 4-3-3 man.

Sergio Reguilon and Pedro Porro were deployed as Tottenham's full-backs in the first half on Tuesday, before Emerson Royal and Destiny Udogie replaced them for the second period.

Many would have expected to see those full-backs camp out in wide positions when Spurs had the ball.

However, although they did overlap at times, Reguilon and Co often moved into central areas when their team had possession, allowing midfielders like James Maddison and Oliver Skipp to push much further forward.

Kane Still Dropping Deep

Harry Kane has emerged as Tottenham's chief playmaker, as well as the team's main scoring threat, in recent seasons.

Following the introduction of another top-level creative player in Maddison this summer, it was thought that Kane may revert to his original role as a more traditional striker.

However, Kane frequently dropped deep during the first half and often found himself behind Tottenham's midfield.

Harry Kane played the first 45 minutes against West Ham :: IMAGO/Sports Press Photo/Daniela Porcelli

Defensive Problems

Although Tottenham impressed going forward, Postecoglou will likely be very concerned by how his team defended at times.

Spurs looked vulnerable against the West Ham counter-attack and also conceded two very soft headed goals from crosses.

Central defenders Cristian Romero and Japhet Tanganga were often the only two players left back during a frantic first half, with both needing to rely on their pace on multiple occasions.

Ben Davies and Davinson Sanchez replaced Romero and Tanganga at half-time. On Tuesday's evidence, Eric Dier - who did not play - may struggle to cope with the demands of playing in a back four under Postecoglou due to his lack of speed.