Tottenham's commitment to "Angeball" last season was so complete that their fans responded to their 1-4 home defeat to Chelsea in November 2023 by singing to coach Ange Postecoglou.
13 months later, after a 4-3 loss to the Blues, Spurs fans are more skeptical than ever about Postecoglou's suitability.
After Antonio Conte's dismal spell in charge for 16 months, Postecoglou's open approach has given many Tottenham fans more confidence. This bold, uncompromising style is more in keeping with the tradition of the "Rooster".
Even the often secretive president Daniel Levy emotionally declared: "We have taken Tottenham back" at an event in September 2023. At that time, Postecoglou had only been in charge for 3 months.
However, that was a distant memory. Spurs always started well, creating excitement but then lost a player due to injury and eventually led to defeat. The comeback loss to Chelsea shortened Postecoglou's era at Tottenham.
Those who still believe in Postecoglou will point to the first 15 minutes when Spurs played enchantingly. They took full advantage of Marc Cucurella's 2 slips to take an early 2-goal lead.
However, when Jadon Sancho broke through from the left and fired a dangerous shot to beat goalkeeper Fraser Forster, Tottenham's fragility suddenly became more obvious.
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca made a huge tactical change at half-time. Romeo Lavia suffered a hamstring injury and was withdrawn, allowing Moises Caicedo to move from right-back to a defensive midfield role.
Maresca is taking advantage of the deep squad to make changes. Postecoglou has been plagued by injuries. However, some Spurs fans will be dissatisfied with the question of whether the Australian strategist is capable of making changes, as he is always determined to attack.
In the second half, Tottenham easily let Chelsea score 3 goals in a row, including 2 penalties. Son Heung-min's late goal seemed to be just a consolation for Spurs.
"It's not for lack of effort. The players keep having to play because we can't rotate. They are giving their all. That also reduces performance because they need a break, but we can't give them a break.
We still have a lot of work to do from now until January. I still feel there is a real belief in what we are doing in this squad. And if we can maintain that, we will turn the season around," said Postecoglou.
