The Tottenham manager saw his side beat Crystal Palace 2-0 on Friday night.
On Friday night, Tottenham Hotspur picked up another three points in the Premier League as they beat Crystal Palace 2-1 at Selhurst Park. That victory leaves the north London side at the top of the table for another game week and new manager Ange Postecoglou must be delighted with how things are going.
After all, he had a big task on his hands when he arrived at Spurs with the club finishing eighth last term and also losing star man Harry Kane to Bayern Munich in the summer. However, the Australian has hit the ground running and now has made the best start for a new manager in Premier League history, having picked up 26 points from his first 10 games in charge.
He owed the win over the Eagles to an own goal from Joel Ward – coming via a deflected James Maddison shot – and another effort from Son Heung-min, who now has eight goals already this term. The South Korean seems to be loving life under his new manager after struggling at times last term.
Guus Hiddink managed 25 points from his first 10 games in charge of Chelsea, and Maurizio Sarri and Carlo Ancelotti both picked up 24 but Postecoglou has more points (26) than those three former Blues managers. And four of the eight teams to have got more than 23 points in their opening nine league games have gone on to win the Premier League. With all that in mind, everybody must be trying to work out just what the former Celtic man’s secret is.
mind, everybody must be trying to work out just what the former Celtic man’s secret is.
|
Most points after
Most points after 10 PL matches |
Club |
Points |
|---|---|---|
| Ange Postecoglou | Tottenham |
26 |
| Guus Hiddink |
Chelsea |
25 |
| Maurizio Sarri | Chelsea |
24 |
| Carlo Ancelotti | Chelsea | 24 |
| John Gregory | Aston Villa | 24 |
| Frank Clark | Nottingham Forest | 24 |
Well, the Australian has already dropped a hint about how he gets the best out of his players tactically. Indeed, in an interview with TNT Sports earlier in the season, he joked: “There’s no secret, I’m just copying Pep, mate.”
Speaking to pundits Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville on Sky Sports after the game against Palace on Friday, Postecoglou was once again quizzed about his tactics. This time it was Carragher who referenced that prior quip, saying: “At the moment you’re just copying Pep, aren’t you?”
Without missing a beat, the Spurs boss joked back: “Yeah, so I just study one game a week and see what he’s doing. And I go from there. And you know what, there’s nothing wrong with that.” Gary Neville then chimed in with a self-deprecating reference to his own managerial struggles, saying: “I tried to copy him…”
Manchester City to face Man United this Sunday
At the moment, it actually seems as though Pep Guardiola may well be keeping a careful eye on what the Australian is doing. After all, Tottenham are five points and one place ahead of Manchester City. Of course, the Cityzens still have a game to play but the points aren’t guaranteed as they travel away to rivals Manchester United in what will no doubt be a fiercely contested derby.
Even if Guardiola picks up all three points, Postecoglou and co will still end the week sitting at the very top of the Premier League table. However, Spurs’ lead will be cut to just two points if either City or Arsenal can win this weekend. The Gunners take on Sheffield United at home.
