When Ange Postecoglou and goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario were asked about the 1-0 defeat to Crystal Palace, both highlighted a common theme, Tottenham did not play aggressively enough to win.
A year ago, the “Roosters” topped the Premier League table after winning 8 of their first 10 games under new manager Ange Postecoglou. All his decisions brought positive results. However, the current situation has changed a lot. The North London team can beat strong opponents like Man United but then lose to Brighton or Crystal Palace.
Even in the 4-1 win over West Ham, Spurs struggled in the first half, with Postecoglou describing the game as a boxing match. To counter this, the Australian replaced James Maddison with Pape Matar Sarr, a more physical player.
It is worth noting that these inconsistent performances are not a new problem. This situation did not only appear when Postecoglou first arrived, but has now become the main problem hindering Tottenham's development this season.
Tottenham have lost four of their nine games this season. That's not good enough for a team with ambitions of finishing in the top four or even winning a trophy. Spurs' victories usually come when they take an early lead. In contrast, in tense and challenging matches, Postecoglou's team are completely deadlocked.
In fact, the Tottenham manager wants to play beautiful football in every match. After the match against Brighton, Postecoglou stressed that he did not want to be “praised” just because he equalized in the last minute when the team did not play well.
In football, the better team sometimes loses due to bad luck. Champions sometimes need to do this or abandon their usual style of play to win. Even Man City and Arsenal have had a few narrow wins against weaker opponents this season.
Tottenham under Postecoglou have changed a lot, always taking the initiative to control the ball and attacking with dedication. However, this is still a young team, which leads to players often losing their composure and making many unnecessary mistakes.
A typical example is Dejan Kulusevski in the match against Crystal Palace when the Swedish midfielder was cautioned for arguing with the referee. Although he has been one of Tottenham’s best players this season, Postecoglou decided to take off the field to avoid the risk of receiving another card. This shows that the “Rooster” is still not fully mature in his playing style and there is much room for improvement.
After an impressive debut season, expectations are rising for Tottenham under Postecoglou. There have been positive signs in recent months but mixed results have been a reminder that progress doesn't always come smoothly.
To truly reach the next level, Tottenham need to learn how to win even when they cannot play the beautiful football that Postecoglou desires.
