Atmosphere, vibes, belief and good fortune: Spurs are a club transformed

After seven matches last season, Tottenham Hotspur had 17 points on the board, just like they do now.

They had scored 18 goals in those seven games, one more than free-scoring Ange Postecoglou’s side have netted so far.

Comparisons with last season are hard to ignore as things feel so different now because, even if the points or goals tallies aren’t dissimilar, pretty much everything else is.

It is those stark differences, principally between negativity/pragmatism and positivity/creativity, which have led to the Spurs supporters — but, more importantly, the Spurs players — embracing the Postecoglou revolution so earnestly.

And if Spurs are beating Liverpool, well, you know Postecoglou is really onto something. This was their first victory over Jurgen Klopp’s team since a league game at Wembley in 2017. Liverpool were the only team Spurs had not yet beaten at their new stadium.

Last November’s home defeat to Jurgen Klopp’s side was a microcosm of the 2022-23 season in many ways. Similarly, in the infant weeks of Postecoglou’s reign, Saturday’s win felt like a representation of everything good — and also the odd warning sign — that we have seen from Tottenham so far in 2023-24.

Last year, Spurs were deep in the midst of their frustrating ‘first half bad, second half not so bad’ thing, partly by design as Antonio Conte looked to conserve energy to come on strong late in matches.

But against Liverpool, Spurs went 2-0 down for the fourth league game in a row and conceded the first goal for the sixth match in succession. Emerson Royal and Eric Dier were targeted down Liverpool’s left and the team were booed off at half-time.

Typically, they rallied in the second half and it was Dejan Kulusevski, back from injury, who almost inspired a comeback. Harry Kane scored. Antonio Conte said he was disappointed with the fans booing and called for time and patience. “We are far from other teams who are used to winning,” he added. The vibes? Pretty grim.

This year, far from conserving energy, Spurs are full pelt throughout matches. The right side of the defence is a strength rather than a weakness with the excellent Pedro Porro thwarting Liverpool on a number of occasions. And instead of trying to quell Liverpool, Spurs now have a “you miss, I hit” mentality. It was telling that Postecoglou’s team became less effective as Liverpool lost first Curtis Jones and then Diogo Jota to red cards.

A nine-man Liverpool low block caused them issues — as it did against the 11 men of Sheffield United, a team who conceded eight goals in their next fixture — but right now it feels like the team’s sheer will to win can overcome any tactical problems, and along came a late winner. Again.

“Sometimes, when you score that late it just helps to continue to build that belief in the group and the spirit that we have to go to the last minute,” Postecoglou said after the match.

There are contrasts almost everywhere you look: in the style of football, in the demeanour of the managers (Postecoglou seemed to be the only person of a Spurs persuasion who didn’t lose control of their senses after a 96th-minute winner) and in the atmosphere which, as it had been for the previous two home games, was special.

“That feeling is very rare,” James Maddison said. “When we beat Sheffield United, I said I hadn’t felt that in years. If you could bottle that, you could sell it for millions and millions.

“We don’t like it easy, do we? That is digging in, that’s character, and I’m proud of them.

“The feeling after Sheffield United is something I’ve never really felt before in terms of a togetherness between everyone at the club. You see the faces on fans, stewards; there’s a feeling.”

He’s right. There is a feeling. It’s tangible.

Again, contrast that with the feeling after last season’s defeat, when there was actually a sense of it not being a bad loss — partly because of Kulusevski’s comeback but also because, as was written in The Athletic, “Spurs showed up for this one”.

Expectations of Postecoglou’s likeable team are wildly different. It feels like they will show up every time, win or lose. This was actually Spurs’ weakest performance of the season in many ways — they understandably didn’t find it easy to handle a rampant Liverpool attack, they clearly should have gone 1-0 down and they lacked clarity of thought in those closing minutes against nine men when the passing was too staid and the combination play too laboured.

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With Maddison and Son Heung-min — both not 100 per cent fit — withdrawn in the second half, Spurs’ paucity of game-changing options on the bench was also shown up, something which may become an issue in the weeks and months ahead. They certainly missed Ivan Perisic’s expert delivery from wide areas into an inevitably packed penalty area.

And yet, they won. They beat Liverpool. All the challenges thrown at them so far have been met, be it overcoming defensive-minded teams or showing bravery and positivity in the cauldron of a north London derby.

For timidness last year, read enterprise this. For pragmatism, read idealism. For a methodical approach, read balls out who dares wins.

Or, more succinctly: to dare is to do.

“I don’t know how far we can go with the group,” Postecoglou said. “We just need to keep pushing on.”

He’s right. No one knows how far this group can go and that is all part of the adventure. Strap yourselves in.

(Top photo: Ryan Pierse via Getty Images)