Ange Postecoglou's speechless touchline moment against Liverpool summed him up
Tottenham were looking to take the fight to Liverpool right from the off on Saturday evening, and manager Ange Postecoglou was up for it.
Spurs knew that victory over the Reds would take them above their opponents and, on a day when Manchester City suffered their first defeat of the season at Wolves, perhaps even stake an unlikely claim for the title.
It was little wonder then that Postecoglou was quick to urge on his players and try to get them on the front foot, particularly after Liverpool had made a strong start in the game.
Cody Gakpo and Andy Robertson's efforts had forced Guglielmo Vicario into a fine double save in the first period, and it was shortly after that that Spurs began to turn the screw, aided by the urgings of Postecoglou.
The Australian boss was gesticulating and demanding his side get the ball forward quicker, only for full-back Destiny Udogie to dally on it and come back inside when a break forward was on. Postecoglou, although not outwardly angry with his player, raised his hands to the sky and then covered his mouth in disbelief at what Udogie had just done. It was a moment which summed up his managerial style though, and soon enough he was back praising his players and encouraging them.
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The game would a such momentum shift shortly after that moment, when Curtis Jones was dismissed after his studs caught the ankle of Yves Bissouma, with his initial yellow card upgraded to a red by referee Simon Hooper following a VAR review.
Postecoglou encouraged his players in the first-half (NEIL HALL/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)Now with a man advantage, Spurs took the 10 minutes after Jones' dismissal when Richarlison's centre was turned in by captain Son Heung-min. The Brazilian would also hit the post later in the half as the hosts dominated, before Gakpo levelled for the Reds before the break.
Postecoglou had come into the game citing Liverpool as a side Spurs can learn from. "We look at Liverpool, Arsenal, even Brighton now - there's a plan there that they've stuck to," said Postecoglou. "It hasn't brought short-term success if you look at the trajectory of those teams.
"They've believed in something and allowed it to grow. They all had a different way to do it, with different managers with different levels of experience.
"There are definitely lessons there, but you look over the course of time - teams who have dominated over longer periods have normally had a plan or ideology to follow and they've stuck to it.
"It's not easy, because short-term results mean pressure and scrutiny and some clubs buckle under that. Liverpool's short-term success didn't come straight away, but they saw if they backed Jurgen they'd reap the rewards."
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