By Daniel Zeqiri
Oh, Ange mate. What was that first 72 minutes all about?
The Postecoglou-Spurs honeymoon ended months ago, but if there are more defensive away days like Sunday’s (Monday AEDT) 4-2 loss at Liverpool, there could be serious compatibility issues for the coach to discuss with club chairman Daniel Levy.
We have seen plenty of evidence Postecoglou knows how to direct his players towards goal. He must spend the English summer reminding them how to protect it.
Do not allow a late rally when 4-0 down to Liverpool to give a false impression. This was a pitiful defensive capitulation for a side which, for most of a strange afternoon, seemed to have forgotten that the flip-flops are only supposed to come out when there is nothing left to play for.
Spurs have now conceded 58 times in the English Premier League this season. That’s a whopping 30 more than Arsenal. Crystal Palace, Fulham, Everton and even the under-siege Manchester United defence have let in fewer.
At its worst and most primitive, the definition of “Ange-ball” can seem nothing more than an extension of pinball. When the latest defeat descended to the level of unstructured carnage, the visitors gave themselves an unexpected and undeserved glimmer of hope at Anfield, Richarlison leading a cavalry charge from the bench with a goal and an assist for Heung-min Son.
Ange Postecoglou at the end of the match against Liverpool.Credit: AP
The urgency which brought Spurs two late goals made what preceded it more bizarre, although Postecoglou suggested his side getting stronger towards a frantic climax was part of the masterplan.
If the ploy was to re-enact Muhammad Ali’s “rope-a-dope” strategy against George Foreman in the “Rumble in the Jungle” it may have been wiser not to concede so many to the point where his defenders were scrapping with each other.
The sight of Emerson Royal and Cristian Romero arguing as Liverpool somehow contrived to only score four summed up the shambles.
Royal, especially, would have been better advised to have shown more fight against Mohamed Salah, who ran him ragged before the full-back’s withdrawal in what was the least surprising substitution of the day.
A distraught Yves Bissouma after Spurs concede a fourth goal at Anfield.Credit: Getty
What followed with the trio of subs – Richarlison, James Maddison and Oliver Tripp arrived just after Harvey Elliott slammed in Liverpool’s fourth on 59 minutes – enabled Postecoglou to offer a radically different perception of the overall performance. In truth, Jurgen Klopp taking off his anchorman Wataru Endo was as influential in Liverpool’s brief discomfort.
Postecoglou’s suggestion his side “looked more like ourselves” even when four down was at best delusional, and at worst worrying if it is true.
Even at their most dangerous towards full-time, this looked like the application of an extreme football romantics’ experiment. Spurs have embarked on a full 180-degree rotation from the years of Jose Mourinho, Nuno Espirito Santo and Antonio Conte ordering full-backs to venture beyond the halfway line with utmost care. They may just be taking the scenic route to the same destination: outside the top four. Lose to Burnley on Saturday and Postecoglou will have the same win ratio, just under 50 per cent, that Nuno held when he was sacked in November 2021.
The new-look Spurs side does not yet look like it has the capacity to thrive in an orthodox way. Its deep, structural flaws invite world-class players such as Salah to inflict maximum punishment, before tactical, reckless abandon in pursuit of a reprieve charms the neutrals.
Harvey Elliott celebrates Liverpool’s fourth goal.Credit: AP
There is no denying the entertainment value when Spurs approach games in the toughest venues like this, even if rudimentary professional standards appear to be an option rather than compulsion. It is naive to attribute it solely to personnel, however, when Liverpool counter-attacks were occasionally seven versus two.
In possession, Spurs’ intent was admirable. Without it, they always looked vulnerable, with a negligent lack of attention on how Liverpool hurt teams.
The fact Spurs kicked off with so much at stake made their performance more unedifying.
It was difficult to know who to most feel sorry for. The away fans who endured the first three quarters of such a one-sided game, or the Arsenal supporters still clinging to the hope their north London rivals will stop Manchester City’s title charge in their penultimate fixture. Not playing like this.
With Aston Villa losing to Brighton, the door was ajar to a late Spurs’ bid for Champions League football. Liverpool were not exactly there for the taking at Anfield. They never are on their own turf, and with the Kop in a party mood as Klopp’s farewell heads towards last orders, Spurs evidently arrived a couple of weeks too late.
Salah was back to his best, Elliott reminded next manager Arne Slot of the young quality he is inheriting and the three-week aberration that cost Liverpool the chance to win more trophies was cast aside.
Klopp has been looking and sounding demob happy since the Premier League title was out of reach. Mathematically, it isn’t. City and Arsenal need one more win to guarantee they cannot be caught, and they will obviously get it, but Klopp was correct pre-match to ask the question how many supporters would have been happy with taking a title “bid” to match-day 37 at the start of this season. Unfortunately for him, as the tumbleweed was still rolling after the defeats to Crystal Palace and Everton, he knew the Kop was still thinking about the bad news.
A frantic 10 minutes aside, this was a reminder that there is more to encourage than concern the next manager, albeit they have faced fewer teams more generous at offering chances than Spurs.
Tottenham’s defensive frailties raise fundamental questions about where Ange’s vision is actually leading them. They can surely forget the top four. It might be the Europa Conference League if they’re not careful.
London, Telegraph
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