S Poddar
Tottenham blew a 1-0 lead to lose 2-1 at home against struggling Leicester. The latest defeat places them 15th in the Premier League, eight points clear of the relegation zone. This is their fourth consecutive league loss, further increasing the pressure on head coach Ange Postecoglou.
Despite their poor form, Postecoglou remains confident in his players, saying that they are giving their all. Spurs have now won just once in their last 11 league matches, with that lone victory coming against bottom-placed Southampton.
Their recent performances have raised serious concerns, particularly after back-to-back defeats against struggling teams. A heavy loss at Everton, where they trailed 3-0 at halftime, was followed by the disappointing result against Leicester, a team that had previously suffered seven consecutive league defeats.
Spurs are still fighting for silverware, having reached the Carabao Cup semi-finals, the fourth round of the FA Cup, and tracking into the last 16 in the Europa League. It’s their Premier League form that has left a cloud hanging over their season after a run of seven league losses in their last eight games. That leaves Postecoglou’s position very precarious.
When asked if he should still be in charge once key players return from injury, Postecoglou acknowledged that many would say no. “Who knows? A fair chunk will say no. When you’re a manager of a football club, you can feel vulnerable and isolated. I don’t feel that. The players are giving everything. I focus on that and try and support the players.”
Injury woes have compounded the Spurs’ troubles. Postecoglou confessed that, in an ideal world, Richarlison and Pape Sarr would not have featured for Leicester, but the fitness of the players left them no choice.
“It doesn’t come into my conscious trying to convince people,” he said. “I’ve been around long enough to know that people will judge where we are right now, which hasn’t been good enough. If people want to put context to that, then that’s fine. The players are giving everything they can. Two players shouldn’t have been out there, but they are desperate to turn our fortunes around. In the next 10 days, we should get some significant players back, which will help. We still have fantastic opportunities to make an impact – I’m sure that will happen.”
Despite their league position, Postecoglou is optimistic about Spurs’ chances in the cup competitions. “The players are invested in what we are doing. That is significant to me. I believe it. This is as low as we have been all year, but in the next three months, we are capable of something truly special. The players feel that. I am really not sure today I could see this visually given our situations. Just think of the people that are gone, but they are coming back. All those factors aren’t enabling us to ever find any form of rhythm. When some of those do reverse, then we will.
Former Spurs midfielder Jamie O’Hara tore into Postecoglou’s management on Sky Sports News. He stated that the Australian coach is in over his head and will probably be fired soon.
“Ange Postecoglou is out of his depth. Man management, in-game management, not good enough today. Running out of ideas. He tried to change tactics against Everton, and we were 3-0 down at halftime. We go 2-1 down against Leicester, and I don’t see a change in the way we play,” O’Hara said.
He also lambasted Tottenham’s leadership on the pitch and the recruitment strategy of the club. “The problem is that you’ve got players who are available but not doing the business. You’ve got Daniel Levy who doesn’t want to put his hand in his pocket and bring in players when the team is decimated with injuries. He still isn’t getting a player over the line because he doesn’t want to pay the money.”
O’Hara was further adamant about Postecoglou’s strategy. “He’s so stubborn and won’t change the way he plays. He has no plan B, no plan C. He won’t change his approach. Spurs have run out of ideas because they only know one way to play. He hasn’t got an idea how to get it done. They’re in a relegation fight. Spurs are in a relegation fight.
This does not help: the pressure mounting, fans, and pundits continue to debate over whether Postecoglou has been given adequate time or should be replaced at all. It is said his attacking philosophy is yet to take its full fruition to change the fortunes; others believe there is an instant change needed to change this season.
Son Heung-Min Tottenham and South Korean’s captain said: “It hurts. That game was painful to us.”
“Breaking down or scoring goals is always hard when it’s a day that is not happening, and you always get more frustrated than you should be. We were very frustrated and made the wrong decisions. It’s painful,” Son admitted.
Criticism notwithstanding, Postecoglou is not giving up hope of turning things around. But with Spurs sinking deeper into the table, the coming weeks could decide his fate.
