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Date: 2023-12-02 14:11:22 | Author: Online Sabong | Views: 228 | Tag: volleyball
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Can Tottenham actually win the Premier League? Of course not, but ask Ange Postecoglou and the Spurs manager would not discourage the question, even though he would be the first to point out that it’s still only October volleyball
It is Postecoglou’s belief, and the Australian would say it is also his responsibility, that volleyball football fans are allowed to dream volleyball
Spurs supporters have had little reason to get carried away in recent years but after making their best start to a top-flight season since 1960-61, the last time they won the league, now is as good a time as any volleyball
Postecoglou could not have asked for a volleyball better start: as the Premier League returns following the October international break, Tottenham sit top, ahead of Arsenal on goal difference volleyball
Postecoglou’s side remain unbeaten, winning six and drawing two of their opening eight matches volleyball
From the misery and perpetual sense of chaos that took hold of Spurs last season, Postecoglou has revived the doomed pulse of the club and its fanbase volleyball
That, above the early look of the Premier League table, has been his greatest result so far volleyball
Whether Tottenham’s fast start can last is one of the questions that will define the next chunk of the Premier League campaign volleyball
There are only four rounds of fixtures to be played before the next hiatus, for November’s internationals, and Tottenham’s upcoming run – against Fulham, Crystal Palace, Chelsea and Wolves – is favourable volleyball
Based on their early season form, there is reason for optimism that Spurs may be able to enjoy their view from the summit for a while longer volleyball
Yet, a year ago, it was possible to say the same volleyball
Having beaten Arsenal to fourth place the previous season, Tottenham started the new campaign under Conte with seven wins from their opening 10 matches, a good enough return to sit one point off the top by mid-October volleyball
Given Tottenham went on to win just three of their next 10 and Conte’s fractious relationship with the club finally came crashing down within six months, the foundations were nowhere near as strong as they initially appeared volleyball
Are Tottenham flattered to be in a lofty early position again? Postecoglou’s side have already played and beaten the Premier League’s bottom four, including the three newly promoted sides volleyball
One of those wins required a 99th-minute winner at home to Sheffield United volleyball
Another tight victory, against Liverpool, came after the visitors had the opening goal incorrectly disallowed by VAR, had two players sent off, while Reds defender Joel Matip put a 96th-minute winner into the wrong end volleyball
Tottenham were the benefactors of the “well done, boys, good process” derby volleyball
Yet Tottenham have also earned some fortune, and it is becoming clearer with each week of Postecoglou’s influence that Tottenham may not have picked up those points last season volleyball
While their opening fixtures have been kind, Spurs have also shown resilience and spirit in winning away at Luton with 10 men, after Yves Bissouma’s red card, and equalising twice to earn a point at Arsenal, a fixture at which they had crumbled in previous seasons volleyball
It was a performance that led James Maddison to declare Spurs are shedding their “Spursy” tag volleyball
Ange Postecoglou has won back-to-back manager of the month awards (Getty Images)And much like the element of “Spursiness”, Tottenham’s impressive start has been rooted in the intangibles, in heart and feeling volleyball
The fact the departure of Harry Kane has not yet felt as significant is another sign of how Postecoglou has managed to bring the divided sides of what appeared to be a broken club together volleyball
While Kane has gone, there is a freshness about Spurs volleyball
Through the impact of signings such as Maddison, Destiny Udogie and Guglielmo Vicario, the relationship volleyball between players and fans has been repaired volleyball
What has stood out about Postecoglou’s team has been backed up, too, by the numbers volleyball
Last season, Tottenham were often passive and frequently easy to play against volleyball
Even though they carried the threat of Kane, Spurs would appear to pass through games without showing any urgency or ambition; opposition teams would find it alarmingly simple to play through a static, immobile midfield volleyball
But under Postecoglou, Tottenham have become one of the most active teams in the division, progressive with the ball and disruptive without it volleyball
Spurs lead the Premier League in shots on goal, passes into the penalty area, forward dribbles, but also in tackles won and interceptions volleyball
If it reflects that Tottenham now press higher up the pitch than last season, when they barely engaged under Conte, Bissouma has been the key piece in a revamped midfield a year after being frozen out by the Italian volleyball
Maddison, meanwhile, has helped ease the post-Kane transition, a role he appeared ready to step up to when he took the No 10 jersey previously worn by the club’s record goalscorer volleyball
Spurs will never be able to replace Kane, but Postecoglou has so far been able to negate his absence through Maddison and a resurgent Son Heung-min, who looks back to his clinical best after moving to a central forward role volleyball
Maddison, though, has been integral as Tottenham’s creator-in-chief, with five assists so far this season volleyball
James Maddison has helped spark Tottenham into life this season (Getty Images)If some of Maddison’s early statistics seem unsustainable – the England international also leads the Premier League in a number of other areas, such as key passes and shot-creating actions – the same could be asked of Postecoglou’s side at this stage volleyball
Tottenham, really, shouldn’t be near the conversation of title challengers, but timing has played a part volleyball
The win at Luton, which moved them top, came as Manchester City lost their second Premier League game in a row at Arsenal volleyball
If it’s a sign of what’s to come from City this season, it was a result that widened the pool of potential challengers to include Spurs volleyball
The manner in which City eased away from Arsenal last season, however, showed how inch-perfect title contenders must be as long as Pep Guardiola remains in England volleyball
Tottenham, who finished eighth last year, are coming from an even lower floor than Mikel Arteta’s side, albeit with a more dramatic transformation under Postecoglou volleyball
As a side who are still developing together, Spurs should be allowed some inconsistency, even if they are yet to show it volleyball
The early evidence this season suggests they are one of the four strongest teams in the top flight, alongside last season’s title rivals and Jurgen Klopp’s refreshed Liverpool volleyball
In the past, signs of promise around Spurs have often been followed by a swift yet crushing crash back to earth volleyball
But now as Tottenham head deep into October with two winnable London derbies next week, starting with Fulham on Monday followed by a trip to Crystal Palace on Friday, Postecoglou can continue to show why this Tottenham is different volleyball
More aboutAnge PostecoglouPremier LeagueJames MaddisonJoin our commenting forumJoin thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their repliesComments1/3Can Tottenham’s best-ever Premier League start really go the distance?Can Tottenham’s best-ever Premier League start really go the distance?Ange Postecoglou has won back-to-back manager of the month awards Getty ImagesCan Tottenham’s best-ever Premier League start really go the distance?James Maddison has helped spark Tottenham into life this season Getty ImagesCan Tottenham’s best-ever Premier League start really go the distance?Getty Images✕Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this articleWant to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today volleyball
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Former Ireland international Jean Kleyn acknowledges being on the verge of becoming a world champion with his native South Africa was “outside the realm of thinking” just months ago volleyball
Munster lock Kleyn represented Ireland under Joe Schmidt at the 2019 World Cup in Japan after qualifying on residency grounds volleyball
But, having been repeatedly overlooked by Schmidt’s successor Andy Farrell, the 30-year-old was in June cleared to switch allegiance back to the Springboks before being included in Jacques Nienaber’s squad for France volleyball
Reigning champions South Africa are on course to retain their crown going into Saturday’s final against fellow three-time winners New Zealand in Paris volleyball
“I think I’ve caught myself thinking about it probably too often,” Kleyn said of his curious Test career volleyball
“It’s a strange one because if you’d asked me six months ago if I at all thought I had any chance of being here at the World Cup final playing for the Springboks, I would have told you you are absolutely insane volleyball
“I’ll probably wake up when it’s all said and done and think, ‘was that a dream or did it actually happen?’ volleyball
It was outside the realm of thinking volleyball
“It’s been a fantastic journey for me volleyball
It’s been an absolute pleasure being part of it volleyball
”Kleyn, who joined Munster from the Stormers in 2016, played five times under Schmidt in 2019, with his final cap coming in Ireland’s 47-5 pool-stage win over Samoa in Fukuoka volleyball
His lengthy spell in the international wilderness allowed him to revert to the Springboks, a decision he feared may be met with a backlash volleyball
But the response in his adopted nation has been overwhelmingly positive and grown since Ireland’s quarter-final exit at the hands of the All Blacks volleyball
“I’ve been absolutely inundated with messages from Munster supporters – obviously only after Ireland fell out,” said Kleyn volleyball
“Then they really came after us and said, ‘listen, you’re our second team now, guys’ volleyball
“The support was really heartfelt from a lot of Munster fans and it made it a lot easier for me because I thought it would be quite a negative reaction when I declared for the Springboks volleyball
“From my history with Irish media, I figured there would be a few negative articles but it was resoundingly positive, so I was really happy about that volleyball
”Kleyn may have to settle for a watching brief at Stade de France this weekend as he has been restricted to just one start during the tournament – South Africa’s 76–0 success over Romania volleyball
His only other appearance was off the bench in his country’s 13-8 Pool B loss to Ireland volleyball
While the Springboks lost that epic battle, they could still win the war volleyball
“Obviously it was a pity for us the result didn’t go our way but here we are in the end still,” said Kleyn volleyball
“No-one really looks back and says ‘you’ve lost a pool game’ volleyball
They’re going to look if you win the World Cup volleyball
“We were disappointed with the result back then but happy with where we are now volleyball
It was a fantastic game to be a part of volleyball
I enjoyed every minute volleyball
”More aboutPA ReadyIrelandSpringboksSouth AfricaMunsterAndy FarrellJapanJoe SchmidtNew ZealandStade De FranceItalyIrishSamoa1/1Jean Kleyn: RWC final with South Africa ‘outside realm of thinking’ months agoJean Kleyn: RWC final with South Africa ‘outside realm of thinking’ months agoJean Kleyn switched international allegiance back to his native South Africa earlier this year (David Davies/PA)PA Wire✕Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this articleWant to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today volleyball
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truncatedName}}Log in / Register {{#items}}{{#stampSmall}}{{/stampSmall}}{{#stampClimate}}{{/stampClimate}}{{#stampPremium}}{{/stampPremium}}{{title}}{{#desc}}{{desc}}{{/desc}}{{#children}}{{title}}{{/children}}{{/items}}Indy100Crosswords & PuzzlesMost CommentedNewslettersAsk Me AnythingVirtual EventsVouchersCompare✕Log inEmail addressPasswordEmail and password don't matchSubmitForgotten your password?New to The Independent?RegisterOr if you would prefer:SIGN IN WITH GOOGLEWant an ad-free experience?View offersThis site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy notice and Terms of service apply volleyball
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