Bazball shares many traits with Angeball, and proves Spurs should stick with Ange Postecoglou

Simultaneously, a couple of bold, exciting experiments have been playing out at the elite level of two very different sports. Both, at their best, have enthralled spectators and provided some exceptional results. Both, at their worst, have invited media frenzies and the ire of supporters. But while one project has made slight adjustments to get back on track this winter, another is threatening to implode.

In football, Angeball initially took the Premier League by storm, winning plaudits for its attractive, front-foot style while leading Tottenham Hotspur to the top of the league after ten games of the 2023/24 season. Spurs dispatched teams in style, pressing high up the pitch and moving the ball forward at pace to seemingly consign the loss of talisman Harry Kane to the distant past. Ange Postecoglou, the Australian manager who had arrived in North London to much trepidation, appeared an inspired hire, duly winning manager of the month for the first three months of the season.

In the cricketing world, another Oceanic appointment was making waves in the English game. Brendon McCullum, the New Zealand cricketer turned coach, was a little over a year into his role as England cricket coach during which he had won similar praise for instilling an entertaining style while producing test match victories against the likes of New Zealand, India, Pakistan and Australia. Fresh off a drawn Ashes series, having only missed out on securing the urn due to some dodgy Mancunian weather, the future looked bright.

But things are never so straightforward in professional sport. While Bazball suffered its first series defeat in a 4-1 thrashing at the hands of India, Angeball stuttered after a spate of injuries and tumbled down the table, eventually finishing in fifth place.

And, despite the initial successes of both projects, some of these defeats drew fierce media criticism. Naive, disrespectful, brainless. These were a few of the words used to describe some of the tactics and decision-making on show. Each side was accused of only having one way of playing, of not adapting to different game situations and of not placing sufficient importance on the more defensive aspects of the game. Postecoglou and McCullum, for all their successes creating a positive environment and producing thrilling entertainment, faced calls to compromise their philosophies.

The summer was seen as an inflection point for both men’s visions. Would they continue to entirely ignore football and cricketing conventions or refine their styles to something more pragmatic?

In the wake of the India defeat, McCullum spoke of the need for “some pretty deep thinking and some adjustment” and, sure enough, series victories against West Indies and Sri Lanka drew plaudits for a refined, Bazball 2.0. These wins were followed by a 2-1 defeat in testing conditions in Pakistan, but the recent success in New Zealand points to a promising 2025 during which England will play the top two teams in the world, Australia and India.

Conversely, Postecoglou has continually emphasised he will not change his approach and has no interest in pragmatism. And while Spurs have continued to ignore defensive stability in the name of attacking football, they have remained consistently inconsistent, stumbling their way to 11th in the table, 15 games into the season. They have scored the joint-second most goals in the league, but kept only three clean sheets and have now conceded 80 goals in 53 Premier League games under Postecoglou.

This has led to increased discontent among the Spurs faithful, while pundits deride him as stubborn for refusing to ever adjust his methods based on the game situation, something the England cricket team has improved at.

So is Angeball destined to fail while Bazball succeeds? And what can Postecoglou and pundits take from the improvements McCullum has made, while Spurs have stuttered?

Despite the tweaks England cricket has made, they have still stuck to the fundamental principles of putting the opposition under pressure by playing positively. Instead, the key difference is in the regeneration of each side. Earlier this year, McCullum and co. identified the need to move on several personnel, while blooding new talent that have the specific skill sets to fit into their defined style and succeed in certain conditions around the world. Out went the likes of Bairstow, Anderson, Foakes and Leach. In came Smith, Atkinson, Carse, Bethell and Bashir.

At Tottenham, while there has been some squad turnover, too many key positions still lack players already at the required level for Postecoglou’s unique style of play. They lack a top class number 6 required in teams that play a high defensive line, evidenced by how easily teams play through them. Their wingers, although talented, lack the ability to consistently beat their man and deliver balls across the box. And, with the increased frequency of injuries in football compared to cricket, losing a few key players leads to a drastic drop in performance, as evidenced by matches in which Christian Romero, Micky Van de Ven or Dominic Solanke have been missing. Upfront and in defence, their second choice players are not suited to Postecoglou’s philosophy.

Of course, unlike McCullum, Postecoglou doesn’t have free access to the best players in the country. But, with the correct backing in the transfer market, he can go out and buy players who fit his system, something a national team coach like McCullum cannot do.

Simply put, a drawback of Angeball is its need for very specific players who can match the high intensity output it requires. But, if the Tottenham hierarchy support Postecoglou with the necessary reinforcements, Angeball at its best has shown what it can do. Sensational victories away at Manchester United, Manchester City and home to Aston Villa are proof of this and illustrate the potential rewards of sticking with the Australian through this difficult period.

As many have pointed out, Arsenal kept faith with Arteta despite consecutive 8th place finishes. Look at them now. Klopp took a season and a half to tune Liverpool to his methods and, going back a while, Manchester United finished in the bottom half three times out of the first four seasons under Sir Alex Ferguson.

That isn’t to say Postecoglou will lead Tottenham to 13 Premier League titles, but rather that even the best managers often need time to achieve success. Postecoglou is barely 18 months into his tenure at a club that was reeling from successive managers who spent more time criticising the club than attempting to resolve its woes. Furthermore, both Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte preferred defensive, pragmatic playing styles. Postecoglou couldn’t be further to the opposite end of the spectrum from this. For this reason, he needs several transfer windows to reshuffle the squad to one which fully suits his methods.

McCullum’s England stumbled 18 months into his tenure, but now, 12 months further down the line, is looking better than ever while continuing to enthrall viewers. Stick with Postecoglou for another year, with two more transfer windows, and the inconsistency and fragility that have plagued recent months might become a relic of the past.