Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou was seemingly unhappy with senior players after Rangers game
Tottenham Hotspur are in a decline right now and they find themselves in the worst position they’ve been in at this point for a long time.
Ange Postecoglou’s future as Spurs boss has come under heavy scrutiny following a run of results that has the Lilywhites record just one win in their last eight games. And that win came at the most challenging place in recent weeks—a 4-0 win over Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium in the Premier League last month.
Ever since, Tottenham have failed to win in five matches in all competitions, and both of their last two Premier League games against Bournemouth and Chelsea ended in defeats. On Thursday, the North London side drew 1-1 with Rangers at the Ibrox in the Europa League, after which Ange Postecoglou publicly criticised Timo Werner.
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Big Ange felt Timo Werner’s performance vs Rangers was “unacceptable”
Werner’s ineffective and turgid first 45 minutes was enough for the Spurs boss to hook him at half time. He was replaced by Dejan Kulusevski, who rescued Tottenham a point with a fine left-footed strike past goalkeeper Jack Butland. After the game, Big Ange called out the Germany international’s performance as “unacceptable”.
In reality, Werner wasn’t the only senior player to receive the wrath of the Greek-Aussie tactician. According to a report from The Telegraph, Postecoglou and his staff laid into other senior Tottenham players, warning those who don’t buy into his philosophy and methods can leave the club.
Werner was rightly substituted at half-time for Kulusevski—a decision that paid dividends for Big Ange. However, other than the German, senior pros such as Son Heung-min and James Maddison were not good enough on the night and barely troubled the Rangers backline.
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Ange Postecoglou supposedly ripped into senior Tottenham players after Rangers game
Thus, it is not surprising that the 59-year-old’s patience with some of the performance levels shown by some of the senior players within his injury-depleted squad has seemingly worn thin, with Big Ange doubling down in his pre-match press conference on Friday ahead of the trip to Southampton about other players who should have performed better against Rangers in Scotland.
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With the squad insanely stretched at the moment, there is understandable frustration within Big Ange. Indeed, he wants more from those available—especially the senior pros—to produce their best in every game as the club negotiates a challenging period.