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The Australian coach will lead “Al-Nasr” next season.
Al-Nasr fans look set to embrace a relatively new footballing philosophy next season following the appointment of Australian Ange Postecoglou as the team’s technical director.
Yesterday, Friday, Al-Nasr Club announced the appointment of Postecoglou as the team’s technical director, replacing Portuguese coach Jorge Jesus, whose contract has been extended by two seasons until 2028.
Angipolis… a philosophy that Jesus loves
Al-Nasr’s new coach has his own philosophy, which he has even dubbed “Enjiball” or “Angie’s Ball”, which is very similar to the one relied on by previous coach Jorge Jesus, with some differences.
The name began when Postecoglou was Celtic’s technical director from 2021 to 2023, as the characteristics of his philosophy became clear during that period, and it helped the team win 5 titles in two seasons before it continued with him at Tottenham.
The Australian coach loves the idea of dominating every match, be it win, draw or loss, full or half, and uses every possible method to achieve that dominance.
The most obvious features of this philosophy are evident in the process of building play, as Postecoglou follows a different approach than most managers, namely to build attacks from deep in the field and not from the flanks.
It seems very difficult, but Angie finds the appropriate solution to implement this philosophy, which is to create density in the midfield, relying on 6 players in the construction process, all in the heart of the pitch.
Golden opportunity for Al-Aqidi
The first of these six elements is the goalkeeper, because Postecoglou mainly relies on him during the construction process, and without him the process cannot be completed properly.
It’s a golden opportunity for Saudi goalkeeper Nawaf Al-Aqidi, after he lost his starting spot to Brazilian Pinto midway through last season due to mistakes against Al-Qadisiya and Al-Hilal.
Al-Aqidi differs from the Brazilian goalkeeper in his ability to play well with his feet, which could tempt the Australian coach to use him to build attacks while correcting his mistakes in goal.
The Khibari crisis and the Brozovic alternative
In the build-up, Postecoglou also relies on a pair of centre-backs, which they need to be able to play under pressure and pass the ball accurately, with the duo of Mohamed Simakan and Inigo Martinez, as well as Abdul-Ilah Al-Omari.
In the same line is the defensive midfielder, as he must also be able to receive the ball, defend it under pressure and get out of it properly, which is not the case with Abdullah Al-Khaibari.
If Croatian midfielder Marcelo Brozovic remains, he is expected to play this role, but all reports confirm that he will leave the team in the summer transfer window when his contract expires.
Al-Nasr Club will then need to sign an alternative player with the same characteristics to make the Australian coach’s ideas a success, especially since there is no other player in the current squad who can perform the same tasks, not even the Brazilian Angelo.
The most prominent features of Guardiola’s philosophy
The most prominent element of Postecoglou’s attacking philosophy is the two full-backs, as they take on roles different from those known to any full-back in the world through the ‘inverted full-back’ philosophy.
Spain’s Pep Guardiola, the former coach of Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester City, was one of the most prominent pioneers of this method, which, as his name makes clear, gives full-back roles inverted from the norm.
According to this philosophy, the full-backs move deep rather than laterally to increase the number of players in the middle of the pitch and find a free player who can carry the ball and take it from the first third of the pitch.
This philosophy helps a lot in attack as the two full-backs move forward alongside the defensive midfielder, giving the other midfielder the freedom to move forward to help the front four, which Angelo can do brilliantly.
But the full-backs must also have high-quality footwork, as they will be required to participate in the formation of the attack from deep in the field, which is much more difficult than doing it on the wings.
Hans Flick style
These may seem a little extreme, but more extreme are the defensive ones that start immediately after losing the ball, and Postecoglou demands that his players apply mad pressure to win the ball back as quickly as possible.
Perhaps the purpose of bringing full-backs into the center of the pitch is to help achieve reverse pressure and recover the ball as quickly as possible, as they are closer to the opponent’s pitch, which helps them get involved in the pressing process.
It also helps that almost the entire team is in the opposition’s box, as Postecoglou relies on an insanely advanced defense, and he can even line up in midfield, as German coach Hansi Flick does with Barcelona.
Ronaldo’s problem
In general, the Australian coach relies on the idea of continuous rotation between all players on the pitch, especially the front four, to disrupt the opposition’s defense and negate any influence of individual control.
This issue could be a crisis for Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo, especially in light of his decline in fitness in recent years and his dependence on playing as a constant forward without moving from the flanks.
Ronaldo’s woes are more evident on the defensive side, with the Australian coach not releasing any of his players from the back-pressing process to recover the ball quickly, something the Portuguese star will not be able to do.
Disasters of Angipoli
As much as this philosophy allows Postecoglou’s team to dominate and control the game and control the opposition, it can spell disaster if anything goes wrong, especially in the process of building an attack.
During the build-up, the full-backs move deeper into the pitch, both sides become completely empty, which means losing the ball at that stage is tantamount to suicide and directly threatens the team’s goal.
Also, a high defense that can reach the middle of the road can hurt a team’s defense if the opposition manages to send accurate long balls to players with speed without being trapped offside.
It’s these issues that are the glaring weaknesses of Postecoglou’s philosophy, and they’re the ones that have made his teams look sharp in attack and fragile defensively.
Between flexibility and rigidity
The biggest problem that can exacerbate the problems of this philosophy is the state of stagnation that can be created by the Australian coach’s insistence on playing the same way in every match, no matter how different the circumstances.
This was exactly what Postecoglou did in November 2023 in the 4-1 defeat by his former club Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea, when he had to finish the match with 9 men.
Despite playing poorly, the Australian coach refused to change the method of play and insisted on high pressing and the defense to the halfway line, which surprised everyone at the time.
Strangely, Postecoglou defended the issue after the game, saying: “This is how we play and we will always continue to do so,” which some saw as stagnation that did the team more harm than good.
However, Postecoglou was left out of Tottenham’s path to the 2025 Europa League title as he played in a more conservative fashion, particularly in the final against Manchester United, which some saw as a major change in his personality.
How are Al-Nasr playing under Postecoglou?
Postecoglou always relies on a 4-3-3 or 4-4-1-1 system, and the latter seems to be the closest to being used at Al-Nasr Club, given the elements he possesses.
It seems most likely, based on the elements currently available to Al-Nasr, that Postecoglou will rely on Nawaf Al-Aqidi as the main goalkeeper next season to help build the attack.
The defensive pairing will consist of Mohamed Simakan and Inigo Martinez, with Nawaf Buchel at right-back and Ayman Yahya or Saad Al-Nasser at left-back, given their ability to control the ball better in the build-up.
In midfield, Al-Nasrin Brozovic will need a replacement with similar characteristics to take part in the build-up process, with Angelo in a more liberal role alongside him.
As for the front four, it will be the same one that shone last season, with Senegal’s Sadio Mane on the left, France’s Kingsley Coman on the right, and Portugal’s Joao Felix in depth led by compatriot Cristiano Ronaldo.
The biggest question remains about the extent of Ronaldo’s ability to adapt to Postecoglou’s extreme ideas, whether in terms of constant rotation with the front three or intense pressure to recover balls.
The expected winning formation led by Postecoglou
Goalkeeper: Nawaf Al-Aqidi
Defensive line: Nawaf Bushel – Mohamed Simakan – Inigo Martinez – Saad Al-Nasser
Midfielder: Kingsley Coman – Substitution for Brozovic – Angelo – Sadio Mane
Forward line: Joao Felix – Cristiano Ronaldo
