Big Ange is the real deal! The sky is the limit for Tottenham under Postecoglou - who has transformed a team of misfits into glory-hungry soldiers overnight

The fresh mood of optimism around the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was minutes away from evaporating on Saturday, as Postecoglou's side found themselves 1-0 down at home to Sheffield United heading into stoppage-time.

Last season, Spurs would have lost the match. But there has been a major mentality shift in the squad, and they simply refused to give in. Richarlison eventually broke through Sheffield United's stubborn rear-guard after stepping off the bench, heading home an Ivan Perisic corner for his first Premier League goal of the season.

The Brazilian turned provider for Dejan Kulusevski less than two minutes later, with the Swede producing an emphatic finish to send the home crowd into raptures. Spurs have been accused of lacking 'bottle' for so long, but they showed it in spades last weekend.

And no one was more pleased than Postecoglou. Pressed on whether it's his job to temper expectations amid dreams of a potential trophy pursuit after the game, the 58-year-old told Spurs TV: "Let them enjoy it. I've said this before, my role is not to burst peoples' bubbles. Let them get excited and ahead of themselves, that's the beauty of being a supporter.

"They go through enough pain, let them enjoy and if they think we're going to be world-beaters great, it's then up to us to match those expectations. Our supporters deserve to have some happiness and they can enjoy it anyway they want to."

Tottenham's last few managers were unable to build a strong relationship with the fans - not least because they were too busy publicly digging out their own players or lamenting a lack of transfer activity. But Postecoglou is well aware of how important it is to have supporters on side, and that they can push the team that extra yard when the stakes are high - as they were against Sheffield United. He won't blame anyone else when Spurs inevitably fall short at times either.

A disappointing penalty shootout loss to Fulham in the second round of the Carabao Cup saw one trophy route close early for Spurs, and Postecoglou took full responsibility. “When Daniel [Levy] and Spurs decided to go with me then I knew that they were open to going in my direction," he said in a recent interview with talkSPORT. "Then it’s down to me. After that I’m going to take responsibility for what happens here, good, bad or otherwise. If I don’t succeed it’s not going to be because of external factors, because I’ve accepted taking them on. It’s all up to me from now on."

The Spurs boss added on his long-term vision: "I’m not going to tell [the fans] to not be disappointed. But I’m here because I want to create a club that has the opportunity to win things on a yearly basis. And there’s a difference, because us winning a Carabao Cup and finishing 10th is not what I think this club is about.

“That’s not dismissing the Carabao Cup. I want to win every game; trust me, I was disappointed on that night as well. But that’s not the endgame for me. It’s not about just winning something for the sake of winning something. It’s about building something. When we get to where we want to and play the football we want to, the winning should take care of itself. Whatever the ceiling that may exist is, let’s see if we can smash through it."

Spurs had a healthy transfer pot in the summer window, which was boosted significantly after Kane's £100 million ($124m) move to Bayern Munich. But instead of chasing big names, Postecoglou identified targets that fit his philosophy.

Four major signings were acquired in the form of James Maddison, Micky van der Ven, Brennan Johnson and Guglielmo Vicario, while Manor Solomon joined the club on a free transfer. Tottenham also snapped up Argentine teenager Alejo Veliz, who has been tipped for stardom after a bright start to his career at Rosario. Postecoglou brought in six new players for a combined total of £150m ($186m), and all of them could have key roles to play as the season progresses.

Maddison looks the best value of the lot so far, having made the switch to north London from Leicester City following their relegation in 2022-23. The 26-year-old has managed four goal contributions in his first five Premier League outings for Spurs, adding new dimension to their attack with his creativity and technical wizardry. Johnson, meanwhile, will no doubt be one of the beneficiaries of Maddison's service, though the 22-year-old is still getting up to speed after his deadline-day move from Nottingham Forest.

Van de Ven, meanwhile, has injected much-needed pace into Spurs' backline while forming a strong partnership with Cristian Romero. The Dutchman is also brilliant at carrying the ball out of defence and will have a key role to play in kick-starting attacks.

Signing a new goalkeeper was also a necessity for Spurs, with former captain Hugo Lloris now an outcast after pushing for a move away from the club. Vicario has already proven himself to be a big upgrade on the Frenchman with his distribution and shot-stopping skills, and will only keep improving at 26.

Solomon is the only new arrival who looks set to serve as more of a squad player, but the Israel international has also shown his value with two assists in the 5-2 thrashing of Burnley on September 2.

Quizzed on his utilisation of inverted full-backs after Spurs' 2-0 win over Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium, Postecoglou quipped: “There’s no secret, I’m just copying Pep [Guardiola], mate.”

There are some similarities to be drawn between the Spurs tactician and his Manchester City counterpart, but Postecoglou's system is not as strict as Guardiola's. He encourages his full-backs to exploit any space in the final third without hesitation.

Postecoglou also aims to build from the back and play through a high press with the least possible amount of players involved. Spurs' main focus is not to dominate possession, but rather to explode into life at the opportune moment.

It certainly makes for an exciting spectacle, and the players are all enjoying the ride. After Tottenham's impressive 2-0 home win against Manchester United last month, Son Heung-min told Sky Sports: "It's very early, but we want to have the ball, create chances, play attacking football, if we lose the ball we're going to be counter-pressing, it's really, really fun even to play in, but I think watching this game is more enjoyable for the Spurs fans.

"One hundred percent it's enjoyable for the players, for the attacking players, I don't know about the defenders, but for me, it's playing high, pressing high, it's an easier job than running 70 metres behind!"

Kulusevski went a step further while away on international duty with Sweden, taking a subtle swipe at Conte when explaining the impact Postecoglou has had on the Spurs squad. “We had a tough time at the end of last season,” he told reporters. "[Postecoglou] has come in with really positive energy and it has gone very quickly. Of course, we are all a little surprised. But he’s really good. We are a young team and everyone wants to play this way. I’m not saying that what we did before was completely wrong, but it was something completely different.

“I think it’s easier to come to training every day and know that you should play with the ball, that you should attack and run forward and not backwards. So, it is clear that all of us players have done everything possible to listen as much as possible.”

Replacing Kane was always going to be impossible for Spurs, given his status as their all-time record goalscorer and the levels of consistency that he showed across his nine-year stint in the senior squad. But Postecoglou has been able to transform Tottenham into a more well-rounded, potent attacking outfit since his departure.

The goals are coming from all areas of the pitch, and he has been able to experiment with a variety of different attacking combinations. Son, Maddison and Kulusevski have all thrived, but Richarlison had been lagging behind - until his star turn against Sheffield United.

The Brazilian had gone eight matches without a goal in the Premier League, and only found the net three times in total across his debut 2022-23 season at Tottenham. His struggles in front of goal continued for his country during the latest international break, after which he announced his intention to seek "psychological help" for issues away from the pitch.

Richarlison can be a volatile character, and famously threw Conte under the bus towards the end of the manager's ill-fated reign at Spurs. But Postecoglou appears to know exactly how to handle him. When asked about the 26-year-old's comments with Brazil, the former Celtic boss attempted to take the pressure off him with a powerful speech on mental health.

"From our perspective he’s put it out there because he was quite emotional after the game and we’ll give him the support he needs, but we do that with all players and I think most professional clubs do," he said. "What I will say is that no one has a perfect life. Sometimes we look at footballers and they do things well and we think they have all the money they need and that’s a perfect life, but that doesn’t make you immune from life itself.

“I’m sure that every player in our dressing room is dealing with something. I think sometimes players fall into the trap of thinking their lives should be perfect because of the position they’re in, but that’s not how life works. Who in their life doesn’t have something that is stressful? I have lived 58 years now and there has never been a time in my life where everything is perfect.

"I lost my father three years ago and he should have been here for the journey, so I have got to deal with it. That is me talking personally, but everybody in this room, there will be something. It could be a family member, a health issue, a financial issue because there is always something and footballers are not immune from that."

Postecoglou's words had the desired effect, with Richarlison producing arguably his best performance to date for Tottenham despite only coming on against Sheffield United in the 80th minute. He lifted the team single-handedly, scored a brilliant equaliser, and showed great composure to set up Kulusevski's winner.

Richarlison earned special praise from his manager, who once again measured his response perfectly when asked to assess his performance. "Richy was great. He works hard every day in training and really got his rewards today," said Postecoglou. "And hopefully, that gives him a bit more of a settled feel to deal with the other areas of his life. For everyone, it's about not letting it overwhelm you. And hopefully, a day like today helps him."

It's obviously still way too early to predict what Tottenham could achieve this season, but there is no doubt that they are now heading in the right direction under Postecoglou. Spurs have been crying out for a charismatic, progressive coach ever since Mauricio Pochettino's departure in 2019, and they finally have one.

And if Postecoglou can maintain the new-found harmony in the dressing room, there is no reason Spurs can't start dreaming of success. They now have quality players in every position and should at least be targeting a return to the top-four.

Not playing in Europe could end up working in Spurs' favour, as they will have more recovery time between matches than their fellow contenders - including Arsenal. The north London rivals will meet for the first time this season at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday, with only goal difference separating them in the Premier League table.

The Gunners haven't hit top gear just yet, but are still considered to have the best chance of dethroning City, having come so close last term. That will change if Spurs can snatch all three points at the Emirates. Tottenham lost 3-1 away to Arsenal in 2022-23 and were also beaten 2-0 by their eternal foes at home, but there is now an inner-belief running through the squad, and everyone is playing for each other.

"I think obviously you can’t compare to the real family, but we are getting really, really tight in the changing rooms," club captain Son said after the Sheffield United game. "Everyone is working for each other, everyone is running for each other, everyone is fighting for each other. If someone comes off you give a hand off and everyone is happy to do that. That makes us really strong as a team and a group. We’re getting really close. We hope we can be even tighter than this."

The Gunners might just be in for a rude awakening when they see 'Ange-Ball' up close in all it's glory. Postecoglou is the real deal, and Spurs could end up surprising everyone come the end of the season.