Tottenham have been defensively fragile this season
Tottenham Hotspur are not in their best moment under Ange Postecoglou and find themselves in the bottom half of the Premier League.
The 4-3 defeat to Chelsea meant Spurs have failed to win a Premier League game since thrashing Manchester City 4-0 at the Etihad Stadium. Things are not looking great, especially in terms of the squad that has been decimated due to several injuries.
Ange Postecoglou is currently without Guglielmo Vicario, Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Richarlison, Mikey Moore and Wilson Odobert. The Greek-Aussie’s squad looks extremely thin now because of injuries, and the chiefs at the Hotspur Way are planning to reinforce the defensive options in the upcoming January transfer window.
While there is an argument to make that results have been so up-and-down due to key players missing, one cannot deny the fact the fact Spurs have made a habit of conceding a goal in almost every game. Postecoglou’s side have failed to hold onto leads and the less we speak about their defending from set pieces the better! Overall, they have been a mess defensively, which the opponents have easily managed to exploit since the start of the season.
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Writing in his exclusive column for CaughtOffside, former Premier League striker Stan Collymore has urged Big Ange to tighten up Tottenham’s defence if he is to win trophies in England. He has no problems with Spurs always looking to play on the front-foot, attacking football but feels winning titles in the Premier League would require the foundation of a robust defence.
“I’ve got a soft spot for Ange Postecoglou and for anybody that wants to play football on the front foot, attacking, creating chances, scoring goals… because that’s the type of player that I was.”
“He’s managed in Japan, he’s managed in Scotland, however, the Premier League is unforgiving. You can’t win a title in the English top-flight without having a real cast-iron defence.
“Leicester proved you can do it without scoring bucket loads of goals, but it’s telling that only the bottom three in the Premier League have a worse goal difference than Spurs at the moment.
“A couple of weeks ago, Tottenham were the highest scorers in the division, so there’s something structurally, fundamentally wrong at the club. This isn’t just a blip.
“This is a team that can score goals and create chances, but whatever they do, they can’t keep it out at the other end.”
Collymore, who made a name for himself at Nottingham Forest, has advised the Spurs gaffer that if he is to stay in his job and become successful in the Premier League, then he has to adapt accordingly.
“Ange Postecoglou is going to keep his job, and he’s going to go on and be a successful manager. Then he has to learn that English football isn’t about defending on the halfway line, letting teams play the ball in behind and conceding,” he added.
“The ‘they’ll score three but we’ll score four’ way of playing is all well and good in the lovely days of August, September and October when everybody’s flying, everybody’s fit, everybody’s healthy, but when you start to take international breaks, FA Cup ties, League Cup ties, European commitments, injuries, suspensions and poor form into account, Spurs are not going to get away with it.”
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Collymore couldn’t be any more right here! Under Postecoglou, Spurs have been one of the most entertaining sides to watch in the Premier League since last year. The 59-year-old has given the team an identity to play a high-octane, pressing and attacking football. He wants his defenders to play a high defensive line, which helps in squeezing the play and allows the players to quickly win the ball back from the opposition.
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While extra focus has been given to the attacking side of play, Big Ange and his coaching staff have yet to address the fundamentals of defending from open play and set-pieces. It is frustrating to watch the team concede goals from set-plays in almost every game—the most recent example being away at Bournemouth.
Indeed, if Big Ange wants to keep his job and become a successful manager at Spurs by winning trophies, he has to make the team a tough nut to crack.
