Ange Postecoglou has not cut such a dejected figure in his 15-month reign as Tottenham boss as he did after their sorry Premier League capitulation at Brighton, a defeat he called “as bad as it gets”.
Spurs had been coasting to what appeared the most straightforward of victories on England’s south coast on Sunday, having outplayed Brighton at the Amex Stadium with some scintillating stuff to be 2-0 up at halftime though goals from Brennan Johnson and James Maddison.
But demonstrating the inconsistency that’s become a Spurs hallmark – and not just under Postecoglou – the Australian’s team were almost unrecognisable after the break, folding so meekly that they conceded three goals in 18 minutes to Yankuba Minteh, Georginio Rutter and Danny Welbeck.
It was the 10th time that Spurs have lost a game in the Premier League era when they were two goals ahead. No other club can match that dispiriting stat.
Postecoglou has been occasionally tetchy and often defiant when Spurs’ performances have been questioned this season, but this time his response on Sky Sports, with head bowed, was unusually subdued.
“That’s disappointing. I’m frustrated, absolutely gutted, that’s probably the worst defeat we’ve had since I’ve been here,” he said.
“Unacceptable second half, we weren’t anywhere near where we should be, and we just got carried away with how we were going.
“We kind of accepted our fate, which it’s a bit hard to understand, because we haven’t done that since I’ve been here. We’ve usually fought for everything, but when you don’t, you pay a price, and we paid the price.
“Maybe things were travelling on too smoothly, and football and life will trip you up if you get too far ahead of yourself – and that’s what it looked like to me second half.
“There’s no message (to the players). It’s a terrible loss for us, as bad as it gets, and there’s only one way to fix it – and that’s my responsibility.”
A new era of the UEFA Champions League is here, only on Stan Sport.
What must have been particularly galling for the 59-year-old was that, after a sticky start to his second season in charge at Spurs, they had appeared to be moving into a higher gear, reeling off five straight wins including an impressive 3-0 win at Manchester United last week.
With Spurs having slumped to ninth in the table when they could have been sixth with a victory, many of Postecoglou’s squad will now disappear on international duty with food for thought.
“So they will process individually, and then ‘ll deal with it when everybody gets back,” said the manager.
“We didn’t do what you need to do at this level – it’s kind of non-negotiable,” Postecoglou said. “We just weren’t competitive. We didn’t win our duels, we lacked intensity, we didn’t deliver the things you need to at this level – the basics of the game, and we paid the price for it.
“It’s unacceptable. You can kind of understand that you’re not going to win every game. But there’s the manner you lose games. And that’s the first time since I’ve been here that we’ve lost the game in that manner. Like I said, unacceptable. It’s probably the most disappointing loss I’ve had since I’ve been here, in terms of the way we went about it and it’s something I need to assess.
“It’s a real stark reminder of what elite sport is about. The core of it is competitive. If you’re not competitive, it doesn’t matter how good you are or how good you think you are … you’re going to trip up.”
Spurs’ England international Maddison also admitted on Sky that they had “lost complete control of the game.”
“In adversity in the Premier League, the best teams stay strong in that moment and weather the storm,” he said. “We definitely didn’t do that.”
Ten Hag clings on with Villa draw
For Erik ten Hag, it’s very simple.
“We are all on board, together, on one page,” the Manchester United manager said of his relationship with the club’s leadership after a 0-0 draw at Aston Villa in the Premier League.
Only the next few days will determine whether those above ten Hag feel the same.
United head into the two-week international break on a five-match winless run in all competitions and languishing in 14th place in the league, having won just two of their opening seven games this campaign.
Ten Hag had arrived at Villa Park on Sunday under huge pressure and with the club’s minority owner, Jim Ratcliffe, having failed to say he had faith in the Dutch coach when asked specifically on Friday.
However creditable gaining a point at a revitalised Villa is, it may still not be enough for ten Hag — especially with United’s new leadership having time to weigh up his future before the team’s next game.
“We know what we are working toward — it is a long-term project and we have to keep improving the process,” ten Hag said.
Playing in front of Ratcliffe and the rest of United’s hierarchy, the visitors came closest to scoring when Bruno Fernandes struck a free kick against the crossbar in the 68th.
As a whole, Villa dominated a match played four days after beating Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
Still, United dug in, defended well and earned a point that followed a 3-3 draw at Porto in the Europa League. It marks a decent response to slumping to a chastening 3-0 home loss to Tottenham last weekend.
“We proved in two tough away games that this is a team,” Ten Hag said. “You saw the preparedness, the spirit but also the belief and the faith they have.”
Chelsea held in chaotic Forest stalemate
Fourth-place Chelsea drew 1-1 with Nottingham Forest thanks to Noni Madueke’s equaliser in the 57th minute at Stamford Bridge.
Forest took the lead eight minutes earlier through Chris Wood and had to play with 10 men from the 78th after James Ward-Prowse’s sending-off following a second yellow card for diving on the ball with his hands to stop Nicolas Jackson launching a breakaway.
That second yellow sparked a chaotic finish to the game, which included three incredible saves and skirmish between both sides that spilled over the sideline.
The mele was sparked by Forest’s Neco Williams, who tripped defender Marc Cucurella near the sideline and sent him crashing into Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca.
Footage online appeared to show Nicholas Jackson pushing Forest defender Morato in the face during the fracas.
Chelsea will also get a £25,000 fine from the Premier League after picking up six yellow cards in the game, while both clubs will likely face a charge of failing to control their players after the ugly scenes near the end of the match.
The Blues’ five-game winning run has ended but they remain unbeaten in the league since the opening match of the season, while Forest are undefeated on the road in six matches, their longest such run since 1995.
The game could have been won by either side at the death only for Chelsea keeper Robert Sanchez and his Forest counterpart Matz Sels to come up with stunning blocks.
Newshttps://www.theroar.com.au/2024/10/07/as-bad-as-it-gets-ange-gets-stark-lesson-in-unacceptable-spursy-collapse-ten-hag-clings-on-chelseas-chaotic-draw/‘As bad as it gets’: Ange gets ‘stark’ lesson in ‘unacceptable’ Spursy collapse, Ten Hag clings on, Chelsea’s chaotic draw
Post a Comment