In keeping with Ange Postecoglou’s philosophy, no team have drawn fewer games than Tottenham this season. They have also scored more than Chelsea and Nottingham Forest, who are both in the Champions League spots.
Yet Spurs have also lost 16 league games, which is unacceptable, and that commitment to being non-stop, gung-ho is going to be the manager’s downfall unless they pull off the unlikely trick of winning the Europa League.
While Angeball is good on the eye with its high intensity, it is unsustainable to play that way all the time. There are patches of brilliance, like the 4-0 win at Manchester City, but usually the better teams pick Spurs off.
It’s not a weakness to take the opposition into account. When Liverpool played Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal, we put Emile Heskey on to Ashley Cole on a couple of occasions. When we faced the great Manchester United team, the gameplan was different depending on whether the game was at Old Trafford or Anfield.
The best managers allow their players freedom to make decisions on the pitch because they can sometimes feel the match situation better than is possible from the sidelines. But Djed Spence said recently on a podcast that the Spurs players had to do things Ange’s way.
Postecoglou’s unwavering philosophy might just be understandable if all his players were fit. But we saw him continue the same approach even when his defence was decimated by injury. For me, it defied logic.
Tottenham’s 1-0 defeat by Chelsea on Thursday was their 16th league loss of the season
That is an unacceptable record for Ange Postecoglou and his style of play is unsustainable
Djed Spence recently revealed on a podcast that the Spurs players must do things Ange’s way
I was in the stadium when Spurs lost 6-3 to Liverpool. I couldn’t believe Liverpool’s full-backs were allowed to run beyond Dejan Kulusevski and Son Heung-min. It was no surprise Trent Alexander-Arnold set up the first goal and it was carnage after that.
Unless Postecoglou changes, I don’t see how Spurs can improve. I’d like to see a different outlook against Eintracht Frankfurt on Thursday but I don’t see it coming.
In Europe, you have to take into account the opposition and the nature of a two-legged tie. You can’t let your ego get the better of you and stick to Plan A for 180 minutes regardless.
The mood from fans towards Postecoglou has shifted in the last week or two, particularly after cupping his ear to the away end at Stamford Bridge. When Spurs were in three cup competitions, there was an acceptance to overlook the league but no longer.
Ange, so likeable last season, has started getting agitated and snapping back at questions. That doesn’t help with fans who want to hear solutions being offered.
The manager can’t take all the blame. Recruitment has been questionable. How many Spurs forwards would be wanted by Liverpool, or even Newcastle, right now? Maybe Kulusevski, but that’s about it.
Some are calling for Ange to be sacked now so a new manager bounce helps them win the Europa but it’s not my gut feeling unless there is a Jurgen Klopp available with the CV to make a difference. To draft in someone less experienced doesn’t make sense. New managers need time to impose their ideas.
There is still a chance Spurs could win the Europa, of course, primarily because the quality of the other quarter-finalists is not world-beating.
During Tottenham’s 6-3 defeat by Liverpool in December, it was carnage how open Spurs were
Postecoglou, so likeable last season, has started to get agitated and snap back at questions
Footage even emerged of Postecoglou cupping his ear towards Spurs fans on Thursday
But if they continue to play like this, they are asking to be hurt. They have to improve their game management. If there are periods where they are being pressed, there is nothing wrong with playing a percentage ball to Dominic Solanke.
I don’t think Spurs players have downed tools. I see a group trying to do it Ange’s way but who are too fatigued and lacking energy at times to make it work.
It’s made Spurs very one-dimensional and too easy for other teams. They have been worked out, hence the 16 losses.
In the last two domestic cup finals, Manchester United and Newcastle have departed from their normal game to beat Manchester City and Liverpool. Ange doesn’t have to rip up everything he’s introduced at Tottenham but unless he starts showing flexibility, it’s curtains.
