Soccer Football - Premier League - Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester United - Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, Britain - August 19, 2023 Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou celebrates after the match Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Couldridge
LONDON (Reuters) - Ange Postecoglou has only been in charge of Tottenham Hotspur for two Premier League games but already the Australian has managed to lift the gloom that was hanging over the north London club when he arrived from Celtic.
Saturday's 2-0 home win over Manchester United, following up from a 2-2 draw at Brentford, was not without flaws but the positive intent of a new-look Spurs was a tonic for the fans who ended last season close to mutiny.
That campaign, in which Antonio Conte's defensive tactics and moody demeanour sucked the life out of Tottenham and resulted in an eighth-placed finish after the Italian parted ways, left the club at a low ebb.
Postecoglou then had to deal with a daily Harry Kane soap opera until the club's talisman and record scorer was sold on to Bayern Munich on the eve of the new season, provoking more fury from the faithful.
But, suddenly, in little over a week since Kane's exit, there is light at the end of the tunnel.
Postecoglou's trademark high-tempo attacking style has been adopted joyfully by his new charges and the fans love it.
They were not quite singing "Harry who?" from the stands on Saturday, but the way an enterprising Tottenham bossed the second half suggests the hole he left behind is not quite the chasm it was made out to be.
New signing James Maddison again stood out in midfield, Son Heung-min seems to have shaken off any shock at losing his old partner in crime, 20-year-old left back Destiny Udogie looked a real prospect and Yves Bissouma and Pape Matar Sarr worked their socks off to control the middle of the pitch.
Postecoglou is now unbeaten in his last 49 home league games as a manager across spells with Yokohama F. Marinos, Celtic and Tottenham and while it remains early days, the signs are that he could be the man to lead the club into a new era.
"It was good. It was fair to say we looked a bit nervous at the start which wasn't surprising. We had two 20-year-olds, a couple of 22-year-olds out there," Postecoglou said.
"I like the fact that we hang in there and worked our way into the game. Second half, certainly in spells, it kind of showed the team we want to be.
"I keep saying we're still a long way to go but I really liked the belief and resilience the guys have and the bravery they have to continue playing that way."
While Tottenham were applauded off the pitch, United's fans were left wondering whether a less-than-impressive start to the season is a blip or whether there is cause for alarm.
Erik Ten Hag's side were rather fortunate to beat Wolverhampton Wanderers on Monday and although they can point to a host of missed chances and being denied by the woodwork at Tottenham, they were outplayed in the second half.
"I see the start as a few more games. We are disappointed today. We have to look at ourselves to score our chances, and we did not. The first goal is very important in Premier League games," Ten Hag said, referring to some terrible misses by the likes of Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes.
"We created the chances, the first half was completely ours and then you have to score. Then the second half the way we started was no good. But we did not collapse. We fought back."
(Reporting by Martyn Herman, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
