Micah Richards believes Ange Postecoglou deserves a lot of credit for one big tactical call he has made this season at Tottenham Hotspur.
Over the course of his Spurs tenure, Postecoglou has received criticism for a lack of Plan B and for being a one-trick pony.
However, while it is true that the Tottenham head coach does not abandon his attacking principles, he has certainly shown a willingness to make tactical tweaks.
One of those is the decision to play Dejan Kulusevski alongside James Maddison as a number eight, which has made the Lilywhites far more threatening going forward.
Richards believes that Postecoglou deserves credit for moving Kulusevski to the middle rather than going with a more defensively-minded player.
The former Manchester City man pointed out that a lot of managers would have gone with another holding midfielder in a tough away game like the one at Old Trafford.
The pundit said on the Rest is Football: “I just think it is a masterstroke because a lot of managers there would have gone with a defensive man, maybe gone with a Sarr in that position with Bentancur and sort of have Maddison in front.
“But the fact he has gone with Kulusevski, who we know, he can dribble very well, he can see a pass, he can shoot, he can score, all the good things. And I think those are the little bits that I think Ange needs a lot of credit for.”
On paper, a midfield three of Bentancur, Kulusevski and Maddison might seem overly attacking and open but Spurs have actually improved defensively this season, having conceded just five goals in six matches.
That is perhaps down to the fact that Tottenham have much more control over matches than they did last season, owing to having Maddison and Kulusevski in deeper roles.
Postecoglou clearly believes that attack is the best form of defence and the current Spurs set-up appears capable of pinning opposition sides back for long periods.
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