In an injury-plagued season that has seen Spurs slump to in 13th place in the Premier League, Postecoglou has faced criticism for failing to adapt his attacking style to the rigours of English football.
Shane Stefanutto, a senior member of Postecoglou’s Brisbane Roar side that won back-to-back A-League championships and went on a league-record 36-game unbeaten run, says there are parallels with Spurs’ struggles this season and what the coach had to deal with at his old club.
Now director of football at Roar, Stefanutto recalled a period when the side lost five games in a row after its unbeaten run, with Postecoglou announcing a tweak to his usual gung-ho attacking approach.
“That was the only time Ange changed the system,” Stefanutto told ESPN. “At the time it was called a ‘Plan B.’
“I later found out it was just to get our minds off losing and to refocus on playing football. After five games we went back to our normal style.”
The full-back, who represented Australia on three occasions, said Postecoglou was a manager who had a “really strong belief” in how his team needed to play football.
“He had high expectations. There was a strong belief in our playing style and philosophy,” he said. “We trained hard, we worked hard, and we didn’t deviate. It would be:
‘This is how we are going to do it. And this is how we want to do it.'”
Despite the mounting pressure on Postecoglou — albeit slightly eased after a three-game winning streak in February — Stefanutto said his former manager wouldn’t have changed his message at Spurs.
“It was always: ‘Perform well and the result takes care of itself’ — that’s what he would be saying,” Stefanutto said.
“He would be talking to them about performances, not wins and losses. Not, ‘we have to win this game.’
“From my experience with him, we’d be told when we were doing something well.
At the same time, he would highlight areas for improvement. I’m sure that’s what he’s trying to do at Tottenham.”
Postecoglou has spoken of growing tired of journalists’ consistent questions relating to Spurs’ style of play, and at one point said he wouldn’t answer any more questions about the matter this season.
“Whether it’s fair or unfair … I’m sure Ange would understand that when you’re managing a big club like Tottenham, this is what comes with it,” Stefanutto said.
“He’s like everyone else; he gets disappointed when the feedback is potentially — in his eyes — unwarranted.”
Postecoglou won 10 major trophies during spells at Brisbane, the Socceroos, Yokohama F Marinos and Celtic.
Stefanutto said he was confident Postecoglou will succeed at Spurs too, if he is given time.
“He had a really solid start last season. He’s had a strong cup run in Europe … there are ingredients for really positive signs,” he said.
