Eddie Howe found a different way to win here. Ange Postecoglou continued with the same way of losing.
The Newcastle manager didn't like some of what he saw in the second half. Still, he celebrated the determination and improvisation shown in achieving a sixth consecutive victory.
On the contrary, the Tottenham manager loved what he had seen – a chaotic and doomed pursuit – and yet he lamented the sixth successive Premier League home game without a win.
Howe is an idealist who lives in the real world. Postecoglou is an idealist who seems trapped in his own delusional world.
In mid-December, Newcastle and Spurs were neighbors in the bottom half of the table. They were on 20 points after winless streaks and were looking at Fulham, Brentford and Bournemouth. Back then they seemed like rivals, each with their own flaws.
Howe made some changes, and with that, everything changed. Postecoglou, although hampered by injury, refused to give in and kept the bad Spurs ship heading towards the iceberg. Eleven points separate them now.
Ange Postecoglou should learn from Eddie Howe's flexibility instead of continuing to lose the same way.
Howe has made changes and Newcastle are now 11 points clear of Tottenham
Forcing substitute goalkeepers to play like Guglielmo Vicario shows Postecoglou's stubbornness
A good manager, a not so good manager. By extension, in the current visualization, a very good team and, well, you get the idea. The problem for the Spurs is that Postecoglou doesn't do it. He is stuck on his own idea and because of that, there is no plan for improvement, no recognition of the tools at his disposal. He's still trying to chisel his own grand vision out of plastic cutlery.
He lost goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario to an ankle injury 12 games ago, but continued to play to the Italian's strengths in his absence. In doing so, they have taken advantage of Fraser Forster's weaknesses.
Forster was absent against Newcastle through illness and his replacement Brandon Austin, on his debut, was asked to play in the same way. He did it well. But in isolation, isn't this an illustration of Postecoglou's stubbornness? Maybe I'm too kind; perhaps a better description of his management would be short-sighted.
Micah Richards said on Match of the Day that the Spurs are trying to play “the right way.” Actually? What's good about not winning? What's so good about not having control of a football game? Even at their best and with everyone fit, they are rarely in control. Celtic can do that and win, Spurs can't. Postecoglou has chosen not to adapt, and that doesn't seem smart at all.
Howe was asked how he went from being a manager with a reputation for failing to organize a defense at Bournemouth to having a team at Newcastle that had not conceded a goal in four games.
“I think as a coach you always evolve,” he said. “I don't have the same vision of the game that I had five or six years ago. If I did, there would be a problem. You're always changing your approach, changing the things that you think are most relevant to your team. That depends on who you manage and you train.”
Postecoglou would do well to take note. You would also do well to look at Howe's post-match demeanor in light of the defeats, of which the Newcastle boss has suffered five this season. He is never too tall or too short. Anger, while it certainly exists, is always moderated and strong criticism of referees is generally prohibited.
On Saturday afternoon at Tottenham Hotspur's stadium, an angry Postecoglou – “the angriest I've ever been” – bared his teeth and appeared to jump the shark, declaring: “Another day, on a fair playing field and equitable, “If I've won that game, it's as simple as that.”
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Given their injuries, Spurs must adapt: Postecoglou no longer manages Celtic
Howe admitted that “you always evolve as a coach” and that it would be “a problem” if not
His complaint came with Newcastle's equalizer in the fourth minute when the ball hit Joelinton's hand before Bruno Guimaraes passed to Anthony Gordon and he scored, leveling Dominic Solanke's opener in the second minute. The VAR protocol was correct in allowing the goal to stand: the handball was accidental and did not immediately lead to the goal.
But more so, it was the fourth minute, man. His team had another 86 plus 17 combined stops to score again, and couldn't. There were only three shots on target in that time, against an opponent who was visibly tired after the break and compromised their philosophy of sit back and frustrate.
Meanwhile, two players seemingly suited to Postecoglou's attacking and forward principles, James Maddison and Heung-Min Son, remained on the bench until after the hour mark.
Important players not being picked for a big match seemed strange, especially as Maddison is suspended for Wednesday's Carabao Cup semi-final first leg at home against Liverpool. When they faced Newcastle, Spurs were better. And yes, Postecoglou was right, his team tried well and probably deserved a point from the match.
But like the Spurs' overall picture, that second half was a bit of a mess. It is the manager's job to manage and at the moment Postecoglou is falling short.