After a string of impressive results, Spurs have finally had a weekend to forget.
Leading comfortably against Brighton at half time, Spurs returned from the Amex empty-handed after squandering a 2-0 lead.
And their manager was not blameless in this affair.
Alasdair Gold questions Ange Postecoglou’s decision-making during Brighton defeat
After Tottenham’s defeat to Brighton, the club’s correspondent for Football London, Alasdair Gold, criticised Ange Postecoglou’s inactivity in the second half despite seeing his plan having stopped working.
“Postecoglou was visibly angry, but he didn’t make the changes when the team needed them the most. His decision not to act earlier was crucial.
“That second half was a horror show… but for me, that was the moment when Postecoglou should have responded from the sideline. I felt like he didn’t affect the game as much as he could have. He stuck with the same team even when it was clear that they were looking tired and losing control of the match. Substitutions came way too late.
“Postecoglou doesn’t seem to believe in making early changes unless it’s absolutely necessary, but this was one of those moments where action was needed. There were points in the second half where Tottenham lost the grip of the game. Postecoglou waited too long to bring on fresh legs. They needed energy in midfield, and he could have introduced Bissouma or Sarr earlier. Postecoglou could have brought on Spence or some other defensive reinforcement earlier to help with the pressure, but he didn’t.
“He was asked after the game about making changes, and his response was, ‘I could’ve made earlier substitutions, but it’s irrelevant. If you’re not competitive, it doesn’t matter what you do.’ I didn’t like that answer—it felt like he was missing the point.”
Gold, via his own YouTube channel.
The Brighton defeat leaves Spurs ninth in the Premier League table after seven games, eight points from top. They’ll face West Ham at home at the other side of the ongoing international break.
Where’s the surprise?
Postecoglou’s deterrents have been pointing out since his arrival in North London that his dogmatic footballing philosophy will only take the club so far.
The Premier League—the top of European football, in general—is not a level at which you can get away with having just one foundational plan. If every single player of your side pulls his weight for a full 90 and maintains concentration levels for every single second of the game, then if the opposition continue playing into your hands it is likely you will get a favourable result.
But you can already see the whimsical aspect of this plan. If your success depends this much on your opposition’s inability to counter your plan, you’ll never be away from the exit door.
The Brighton defeat was an excellent example of an opposition coach coming up with a plan in the middle of the game to thwart Spurs’ attack and leverage their weak points, and in the face of it all Postecoglou, in his own words, just expected his players to continue doing the same thing over and over again.
This is not sustainable, not at this level.
