Michael Brown believes that Ange Postecoglou has hugely benefitted from the fact that Tottenham have no European football this season.
Spurs finished in eighth place last season and as a result, failed to qualify for Europe for the first time since 2009.
Postecoglou has thus had to deal with just one game a week so far, and the Lilywhites are flying in the Premier League, currently sitting top of the table after ten matches.
Over the last few days, there has been plenty of debate regarding whether Spurs are genuine title contenders, with the general consensus among pundits being that Postecoglou’s men do not have the squad depth to compete with the likes of Manchester City and Arsenal (talkSPORT).
BANGKOK, THAILAND – JULY 22: Tottenham Hotspur head coach, Ange Postecoglou (R) gives instruction ahead of the pre-season friendly match between Tottenham Hotspur and Leicester City at Rajamangala Stadium on July 22, 2023 in Bangkok, Thailand. (Photo by Pakawich Damrongkiattisak/Getty Images)
Spurs have a non-European advantage this season
Brown believes that the Tottenham players do not have to think about that question and should simply continue to take it one game at a time.
He wrote in his column for BBC Sport: “Tottenham are top and I’m getting asked if they are title contenders. For now, just be top and enjoy the journey. There has been so many questions and criticism of Spurs over the years, so enjoy this.
“They have a nice month and then Manchester City in early December. Just stay in it and keep going. They are not battering teams but are getting good results, grinding out situations and they have players with great flair who can score goals.”
Brown suggested that not having European football to worry about has been a big boost to Postecoglou and his coaching staff as they have had more time to get their ideas across on the training pitch.
The former Spurs midfielder continued: “Not being in Europe is really important, even more so given they have a new manager. A new manager can work on the training ground.
“We are already getting interrupted with international breaks so not being involved in Europe is giving Ange Postecoglou more crucial time to work and recover.
“Defensively, Spurs may face questions against the top sides. They will be able to do so much on the training ground on aspects like this by not having that extra game.
“When you are in Europe you are ‘game, recovery, Champions League, recovery’ and then you’re into a weekend. Recovery-wise, it gives them a much better option as they don’t have the squad to make five changes in a Premier League game.”
Spurs Web Opinion
The media will build up Tottenham as title contenders in order to tear them down later on when they slip up. Most Spurs fans certainly are not getting carried away by the start to the season and the general consensus among supporters continues to be that a top-four finish would be a fabulous achievement this season.
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