Positive signs for Postecoglou despite defeat on Spurs debut

There were many encouraging signs for Ange Postecoglou in his first match as Tottenham Hotspur head coach, even if he could not get off to a winning start as his side fell to a 3-2 defeat against West Ham United in his home country Australia.

Spurs trailed 2-0 at the break in Perth after goals from Danny Ings and 18-year-old Divin Mubama, who scored his second goal of pre-season.

Add £4.5m Mubama to your FPL team

But the scoreline did not reflect the opening 45 minutes, with Spurs producing some excellent attacking football and forcing several good saves from Lukasz Fabianski.

See: Spurs' line-up and match report

Postecoglou gave debuts to new signings James Maddison, Manor Solomon and Guglielmo Vicario in his favoured 4-3-3 formation, while also starting Harry Kane, before changing the entire starting XI in the second half. 

Two players who impressed after coming on for the second period were Giovani Lo Celso and Destiny Udogie.

The former was particularly lively as he played a superb through ball to Richarlison, who struck the post, before Lo Celso then found the net. 

Udogie, who was signed last summer but sent back on loan to Udinese, headed in from Ivan Perisic's corner to complete Spurs' comeback. 

But Postecoglou's side were only level for seven minutes as Gianluca Scamacca hit a winner for West Ham on 78 minutes.

See: West Ham's line-up and match report

What we learned

Though he would have loved to start with a victory, Postecoglou will have been pleased to see his ideas being transmitted onto the pitch by his players.

See: Will Postecoglou's bold approach rejuvenate Spurs?

In recent seasons, Spurs have moved away from the front-foot style they played under Mauricio Pochettino. They have not looked to dominate possession, and they have struggled to create many chances. 

But in Postecoglou's first match, both statistics were heavily dominated in Spurs' favour. They had 71 per cent of the ball and produced 30 shots compared to West Ham's five.

According to Opta, Spurs' Expected Goals (xG) total was 2.78 compared to the Hammers' 0.92.

Inverted full-backs

One thing that will become increasingly familiar this season is Postecoglou's desire to have his full-backs playing in inverted positions.

On one occasion, as Spurs played through West Ham's lines, left-back Sergio Reguilon opted to make a run inside rather than giving winger Solomon a passing option on the outside. Solomon cut inside and forced a save from Fabianksi.

Playing with advanced No 8s

A stark difference to the football that was played under Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte was how high up Spurs' central midfielders were.

In the first half, Maddison, Yves Bissouma and Oliver Skipp all tested Fabianski.

After the break, Lo Celso - who has only scored eight goals in his Spurs career - found the net in his first match under the new head coach.

Another second-half substitute, Pape Sarr also got into the box to give Spurs an extra goalscoring option.

Ultimately it was a defeat for Postecoglou, but there were many positives to take as he seeks a stylistic transformation that can provide a springboard for success this season.

Also in this series

Part 2: Liverpool forwards combine to earn pre-season win
Part 3: Young Chelsea stars impress as Pochettino starts with big win
Part 4: Havertz off the mark as Arsenal display their firepower