How Patient Are Daniel Levy And His Board?

The expectations when Ange Postecoglu took seat at Spurs were moderate. The Aussie's debut campaign was acceptable, but concerns were growing. What happens with Daniel Levy's patience if Big Ange is unable to address Spurs' challenges in the coming season?

Ange Postecoglu took Tottenham by storm, and the first months were a never-ending love story. He won three Premier League Manager of the Month awards in succession, led Spurs to their best Premier League start in history, and transformed Tottenham Hotspur Stadium into a "nightclub" with his attractive style of football.

Just how impressive was Ange Postecoglu's first season at Tottenham?

Just like Alice in Wonderland, Tottenham supporters did wake up from their dreams. Everything that had gone Spurs' way during the first (almost) third of the season came to an abrupt end during the home tie against Chelsea in November 2023.

Even though the home supporters gave Postecoglu and the players a standing ovation for the 1-4 loss against their bitter rivals, it is impossible not to point to that game when identifying the turning point of the season.

Tottenham ended the Premier League season in fifth place, missing out on next season's Champions League. A huge disappointment after the fantastic start to the campaign and Aston Villa doing its best to hand Spurs the place in Europe's finest club football competition.

Spurs supporters are claiming that participating in Europa League is to the better, as the team is "not ready for Champions League yet". At the same time, the same supporters believe Tottenham should be a Top 3 Premier League team next season.

Who said contradictions?

Trigger-happy chairman

Even though Postecoglu's fifth place is no immediate threat to his job, the poor results in the latter part of the season can be if Big Ange is unable to improve his players, the results, and the mentality during the first months of the upcoming season.

Two wins out of the last seven (against relegated Burnley and Sheffield United) and four wins out of the last 11 (BUR, SHU, Luton, and Nottingham Forest) give supporters and the boardroom reason to worry, as most of those wins were indeed unimpressive. Top that off with horrendous performances in a majority of the losses and you have a recipe for disaster.

Knowing how trigger-happy Daniel Levy (appointed 17 managers since 2001) has been about "liquidating" managers, there is no guarantee that his patience suddenly grow remarkably during 2024.

Who can forget the sacking of José Mourinho just days before the Carabao Cup final against Manchester City in 2021?

Postecoglu is not in the same place as Mourinho was before being asked to leave his managerial role at Spurs, but his buffer is probably not as comfortable as it was in December.

The supporters are divided on whether or not the 58-year-old is the right man to take Tottenham forward. There hasn't been much of the "progress" Postecoglu promised since the infamous Chelsea game in November.

Also, Postecoglu has had media appearances during the last couple of months that have upset some fans. After not saying one wrong word - or having one unpopular opinion - in 2023, Postecoglu has - at times - found himself in deeper water during the season run-in.

• First, he stated that he didn't care about ending fourth, fifth, or sixth (which indeed was the same as saying that results didn't matter) when asked about a potential Champions League qualification spot. The results diminished after this press conference.
  

• Then, he neglected Tottenham's bleeding wound: the vulnerability on defensive set pieces.
  

• And lastly, he (nearly) made a fool out of himself underestimating the fans' feelings towards Arsenal, not understanding why Tottenham should deny the Gunners the Premier League trophy by losing to Manchester City at home.

Pressure is piling up

Ange Postecoglu must feel the pressure starting to grow in the hallways of Hotspur Way, partly because the Aussie himself has turned the heat up by saying he wants Tottenham to challenge for the title in the coming campaign.

With this in mind, the painting on the Spurs wall can look drastically different come October/November.

Imagine Tottenham having six points seven games into the new season and, at the same time, having been battered by some of their fiercest competitors. Then, Ange Postecoglu has reason to be nervous if Daniel Levy knocks on his door, no matter how much (or little) money he has been allowed to spend during the summer.

The Premier League calendar is to be released on 18 June. There might be reason for Big Ange to take an extra close look at Spurs' first 8-10-12 matches of the new season.

Who do you think is managing Spurs by the end of next season?

• Ange Postecoglu
• Not Ange Postecoglu