Tottenham’s inconsistent season continued with a 4-3 defeat to Chelsea on Sunday
Just when Tottenham Hotspur fans thought it couldn’t get worse, the team managed to dig an even deeper hole. A 4-3 loss to bitter London rivals Chelsea, after leading 2-0 within 11 minutes, sums up the frustration and agony of the Spurs faithful and Ange Postecoglou.
The North London side were in complete control after starting the game swiftly. They had two goals to show for their fantastic, front-footed start via Dominic Solanke and Dejan Kulusevski. And then Ange Postecoglou’s side blew it away, gift-wrapping their adversaries with two penalties and some awful defending.
Aside from a couple of players, Ange Postecoglou will not have been pleased with his side’s defending and game management. As much as the players are to be blamed for the capitulation, many would feel the Greek-Australian tactician was naïve to not alter Spurs’ style of play after racing to a two-goal lead.
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Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou
Ange Postecoglou would have been livid with Spurs’ capitulation against Chelsea.
BBC Sport pundit Paul Merson was not pleased with Tottenham’s one-dimensional style of play, blasting the head coach for not being pragmatic and playing on the counterattack after being 2-0 up.
“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,” Paul Merson told BBC Sport.
“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 counterattack.”
The Lilywhites’ early-season form has been anything but consistent, with Big Ange’s side now facing their seventh Premier League defeat in just 15 matches. This latest setback came at the hands of Chelsea, who have established themselves as surprise Premier League title contenders this term.
Spurs were defensively alarming once again, allowing Enzo Maresca’s in-form side to seize the initiative. A recurring theme for Tottenham this campaign, with defensive fragilities coming to the fore in crucial moments.
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Despite knowing his team are not good defensively, Big Ange should have altered his tactics a bit and asked his team to be a bit pragmatic after leading Chelsea by 2-0. The 59-year-old believes in intense pressing and counter-pressing with the intent to pass the ball forward, interchange and pin the opponent back.
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However, he should have made some adjustments when it was most required on Sunday. Trading punches with a Chelsea side in rollicking form was simply naive from Big Ange and his side. Nonetheless, at this point in the season, consistency is key, and Tottenham’s inability to go on a positive run of results is a worrying sign.
For a team with aspirations of playing Champions League football, the margin for error is becoming slimmer with every passing game. Our gaffer must find a way to turn the club’s fortunes around quickly or risk losing his job.