In their last meet up, Tottenham faced a side led by Roy Hodgson, the now former Crystal Palace manager. As they head into their second encounter of the season, Spurs prepare for a new set of tactics from the opposition.
He’s only been at the helm of the ship for one match, but Crystal Palace’s new manager, Oliver Glasner, has gotten off to a quick start with the London side, leading them to a 3-0 victory over Burnley last weekend.
The former Eintracht Frankfurt manager should be a familiar face to Tottenham supporters, as he oversaw the two encounters between the clubs during the 22/23 Champions League Group Stage, in which Spurs walked away with a 3-2 win and a 0-0 draw respectively.
Now, the Austrian gaffer is looking to get the job done in the English Premier League, joining a large group of fresh faces like Wolves’ Gary O’Neil, Chelsea’s Mauricio Pochettino, and Tottenham’s very own Ange Postecoglou, managers who made their way to English clubs in 2023. In fact, seven out of the 20 managers in the Prem joined their clubs in 2023, constituting 35% of the league.
Ahead of their meet up today, Postecoglou was asked for a verdict on the new boss (via Football London):
“It’s always challenging because with your scouting you try to look at teams in recent games and with a new manager things adjust naturally. Usually there’s a positive effect when a new manager comes in and you saw that last week with the way Crystal Palace went about things. Oliver’s a very well-credentialed coach, especially at Frankfurt, he produced a really strong team with a really distinct style of play, so you’ll probably see elements of that.”
Per usual, he delivered a response acknowledging the opposition’s strengths, but ultimately focused more-so on what his boys can do to get the job done:
“At the same time, I think we’re at the stage of our development where real emphasis is still on us and playing our football and making sure we bring the kind of energy and commitment to our game that we’ve shown at times this year. But also the effort that’s got us to where we are right now. So that will be our main focus.”
It’s been quite a while since the two sides faced one another, and it’s fair to say that neither team will look or play as they did in October. This fixture should provide plenty of unexpected moments, and Tottenham will want to win it as they look to face Aston Villa next weekend, the team they’re currently fighting with for a top-four spot.
Leave a Reply