The away section of the Tottenham Hotspur stadium chanted, “We’ve got our Tottenham back,” when Ange Postecoglou’s team defeated Burnley 5-2 over the weekend.
But of their five goals, it was the last one that most reflected the Australian manager’s philosophy for his new team and how far they had gone in such a short period of time.
On his own byline, Cristian Romero won the ball and instead of clearing it, he shrewdly and assuredly kept it in play with a poked pass.
Heung-Min Son, the team’s captain, then sped through on goal and slipped the ball home for his hat-trick after Spurs had completed a magnificent 16-pass play.
Pedro Porro broke the defense in half with a beautiful through ball after the ball was played from the right side of the box all the way to the very left flank at the halfway line, back to the center defense.
On the global network, commentator Ian Crocker proclaimed: “A beautiful hat-trick from Son. Tottenham gave the thumbs-up. They’ve all brought into Ange-ball and it works, it truly works!”
In the future, Tottenham “look so dangerous,” remarked co-commentator Paul Robinson.
Star’s heartfelt remembrance of Ange is met with adoration from the public and critics alike.
After a five-star Spurs rout, Ange made the audacious statement, “Still at the beginning.”
The fans sang the same thing during Spurs’ 2-0 victory against Bournemouth a week ago, so this is not the first time they have earned the cries “We’ve got our Tottenham back.”
But it’s obvious that the style has significantly improved following years of gloomy football played under Jose Mourinho, Nuno Espirito Santo, and Antonio Conte. The fans are ecstatic that Postecoglou has brought back the attacking style that made them so happy under coaches like Mauricio Pochettino.
They are averaging more shots, box entries, passes in the final third, and goals than they did last season after only four league games.
Harry Kane’s departure, who accounted for 43% of the team’s league goals last season, has made it evident that Postecoglou has drilled forward moves and play segments in practice.
It was summed up brilliantly in the fifth goal, which involved moving the ball rapidly to tire out the defense before another incisive pass that had been used throughout the game to sneak in behind the two center-backs and spin them around.
Son only needed to place it in the net’s back.
The game’s winner, a grinning Son, said: “He wants us to have the ball, control the action, and play as high as we can in their half of the field.
On the field, it is evident that everyone is playing joyfully and happily.
The way Spurs players moved both on and off the ball throughout the build-up to the goal, from taking on defenders to spinning on the ball in their own half, demonstrated their enjoyment and freedom of expression. It’s a kind of bliss that has sadly been lacking lately.
As the final player on the field, Postecoglou soaked up the cheers from a jubilant group of Spurs supporters, as well as the shouts that featured his name.
The post-game celebrations “summed up the relationship that’s developing between the Tottenham fans and Ange Postecoglou,” according to BBC sport analyst John Bennett.
“He was the last player off the field to acknowledge the fervent cheers coming from the opposing end. Although there was plenty to like about Spurs today, the Son and Maddison combination stood out.
They appear to have been playing together for a long time. Ange-ball never ceases to amaze.
Asked about the singing Spurs supporters “We’ve got our Tottenham back,” Postecoglou exclaimed following the match. “It means everything because it’s their club. You want them to have fun with it. You
After Son Heung-min’s hat-trick propelled Tottenham to a 5-2 thrashing of Burnley on Saturday, Ange Postecoglou argued that the team is only just getting started.
Following their unfortunate midweek League Cup elimination at Fulham, Postecoglou’s team recovered to win their third straight Premier League game.
Burnley’s Lyle Foster’s fourth-minute goal might have caused another Tottenham misfire, but the north Londoners responded magnificently courtesy to Son’s deadly finishing.
The South Korean forward tied the score in the 16th minute before goals from James Maddison and Cristian Romero gave Tottenham the lead.
Just after the hour, Son scored twice in four minutes to score his first hat-trick since September 17 of last year.
Burnley was outmatched, and Josh Brownhill’s late goal was no consolation as second-place Tottenham extended their unblemished league season start to four games.
Postecoglou responded when asked if Son’s performance demonstrated how Spurs can function without Harry Kane after the England captain joined Bayern Munich: “It’s not exactly why, but it’s one of the reasons.
“I have an image of the squad in my imagination, but I keep telling people that we are just getting started.
There is still much work to be done and we are still building. It involves connecting all the dots.
Tottenham’s loss of Kane ahead of the new campaign was a significant blow, but Postecoglou claimed that without their all-time leading scorer, others may now have a chance to shine.
Son and Maddison will be essential to Postecoglou’s makeover as the former Celtic manager attempts to provide exciting football to a fan base starved of standout performances under the somber reigns of Jose Mourinho, Nuno Espirito Santo, and Antonio Conte.
