Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou remains steadfast in his tactical philosophy despite Spurs squandering a robust 2-0 lead and ultimately falling to a 4-3 defeat against a resilient Chelsea side.
In an astonishing early spell reminiscent of their bold approach, Spurs capitalized on defensive errors from Chelsea's Marc Cucurella, allowing Dominic Solanke and Dejan Kulusevski to swiftly put them ahead. The Blues, however, showcased their grit, clawing back with goals from Jadon Sancho and a Cole Palmer spot-kick awarded following a Yves Bissouma infringement.
It was Enzo Fernandes who flipped the match on its head before Palmer again converted from the penalty spot courtesy of Pape Sarr's misjudgment. Son Heung-min's late effort turned out to be scant consolation as Tottenham sank to 11th place while Chelsea climbed to second, heightening the scrutiny on Postecoglou.
Yet facing down criticism, he endorsed his team’s attacking and assertive play while speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live: "It was good enough to get us ahead in the game so I am not sure why we should change our approach. It was a game of big moments.
"If we score at 2-2 and go 3-2 ahead then the pressure is on them and they have to open up like we did when we conceded. But like I said, disappointing that we let them get the advantage in a way that was self-inflicted."
Postecoglou reflected on his side's performance, highlighting the costly nature of their errors: "Their penalties were poor from our behalf. We didn't need to make those challenges and it was hard for us to claw it back. I think sometimes when you are in this position we are, you are desperate to do the right thing. You probably need a calmer approach. The guys are desperate to do the right thing and unfortunately it cost us."
Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher
Jamie Carragher doesn't understand Postecoglou's approach (Image: Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
However, his assertions faced criticism from Jamie Carragher, who, speaking on Sky Sports, questioned the defensive strategy: "The manager keeps telling us he won't change. I can't imagine any manager when I played for Liverpool, after conceding four goals, saying that we played well.
"I wake up every morning, and if the sun's shining I put a pair of trainers, shorts and a t-shirt on, we all want to do that, but if it's raining, you put your coat on! You can't have this idea that 'we're just going to do this' and play our way of playing football. It won't work! And if it doesn't change then he (Postecoglou) won't be here next season."
Paul Merson piled on with a similar sentiment: "I don't mean to sound disrespectful but I'm watching the game, Spurs are 2-0 up against Chelsea and it's like they are playing against Kilmarnock or St Mirren and he's the Celtic manager and got the best players.
"They haven't got the best players at Tottenham, so they have to change it. You can't go, you have a shot, we have a shot and we can destroy you like they have over the years. You've got to be cute and say, 'we're 2-0 up here, let's counter-attack.'".