Tottenham are yet to lose in the Premier League under Ange Postecoglou
Tottenham have made a record-breaking start to the 2023-24 Premier League season as they head into the international break at the top of the table.
Saturday’s 1-0 win at Luton, which came despite playing the entire second half with 10 men, ensured they remain unbeaten after eight games and have posted their highest points tally at this stage of a season in the Premier League era.
Joining them at the top, their north London rivals Arsenal secured a first league win over Manchester City since 2015 on Sunday to also move to 20 points.
For the Gunners, it is similar territory to last season and Mikel Arteta’s side will not be getting carried away, knowing that they were one point clear of City at the summit at this stage last term. They ultimately lost form at the end of the season and finished five points behind Pep Guardiola’s champions.
This time, they may also have Tottenham to contend with.
The north London rivals, who played out an enthralling 2-2 draw in September, have almost an identical record – both have won six and drawn two, while they have the same goal difference (+10), but Spurs are top because of the goals scored column – hitting 18 to Arsenal’s 16.
And for Spurs it is new territory just eight league games into manager Ange Postecoglou’s tenure.
Prior to this campaign, Tottenham had never managed to accumulate 20 points from their first eight Premier League fixtures, but they have hit that tally under the Australian after winning six and drawing two.
The statistics suggest the start makes them highly fancied to finish in the top four, though it is worth noting that their fixtures have included matches against all three of last season’s promoted sides.
Since 2012-13, five teams have gone on to win the Premier League on the back of recording 20 or more points after eight games
Since the inaugural Premier League campaign in 1992-93, 28 teams have accumulated 20 points or more after eight games and, of those, 11 have gone on to lift the title.
The start is also early vindication of the appointment of Postecoglou, a choice questioned by some pundits.
The style of play is also in stark contrast to that under predecessors Antonio Conte and Jose Mourinho.
Conte was in charge for the majority of last season with Cristian Stellini and Ryan Mason also taking the reins for interim stints as Spurs finished eighth and missed out on a place in Europe for the first time since 2009-10.
Getting back into the Champions League would likely have been regarded as success before a ball was kicked and the precedents are positive here too.
Of teams who have previously reached 20 points at this juncture, 93% have achieved a top-four finish, the only exceptions Newcastle in 1994-95 and Aston Villa in 1998-99.
Postecoglou pushing Spurs in right direction
Ange Postecoglou started his managerial career with South Melbourne in 1996
Tottenham endured a turbulent summer as they looked to recruit a new permanent manager and also lost talisman Harry Kane, who moved to Bayern Munich.
They were initially linked to high-profile managers including Luis Enrique and Julian Nagelsmann before Postecoglou emerged as a key candidate, the club impressed by his achievements with Celtic.
He led Celtic to the Scottish Premiership title in each of his two seasons and claimed the domestic treble last term.
The 58-year-old’s time with the Bhoys started in difficult circumstances and he has admitted he was seen as a “joke”, as he looked to rebuild the club’s reputation after they finished 25 points adrift of Rangers in 2020-21.
But he departed the Glasgow outfit as a fan favourite and has already done much to attain that status with large sections of the Spurs support.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/67048872
