Tottenham, Arsenal ‘hullabaloo’ slammed amid ‘disappointing’ development v Manchester City
Paul Robinson has slammed the social media “hullabaloo” surrounding Tottenham and Arsenal’s rivalry as Ange Postecoglou’s men lost 2-0 to Manchester City on Tuesday (14 May).
Fans up and down the country were split on whether or not Spurs should go all out to beat Man City, in turn handing their North London rivals the chance to lift the Premier League title.
With Champions League football on the line, Postecoglou was always adamant that victory was his side’s only aim as they welcomed Pep Guardiola’s team to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium but were unable to avoid defeat.
Speaking exclusively to Tottenham News, Robinson said: “No professional player will be happy about losing a game. There’s been a lot of talk about it in the last 24 hours, and I said myself that I wouldn’t be too disappointed if Tottenham didn’t get the result because the match wasn’t season-defining.
“It was the four games before that. If they wanted to stop Arsenal from winning the league, they should have beaten them. They lost at Liverpool, they lost at Newcastle, they limped home against Burnley and then they lost to Chelsea. It’s not just that one game.
“They were up against Manchester City, who are on a 24-game unbeaten run. They’re the World Champions, going for a fourth league title in a row. Tottenham were not expected to win the game.
“It was just the whole hullabaloo on social media and everything that surrounded the impact of that game. No professional crosses that white line and wants to lose a game of football.
“Oliver Skipp is an absolute diehard Tottenham fan, and the rest of the team have loyalties with Tottenham, but the rivalry is very fan-driven. It was a mix of supporters who had mixed feelings about stopping Arsenal.
“The disappointing thing from a Tottenham fan’s point of view was that there was still the chance of Champions League football. Aston Villa have still got to play Crystal Palace, who are playing so well under Oliver Glasner, so that would not have been an easy game while Tottenham are set to play an already relegated Sheffield United side.
“I don’t think Spurs rolled over and had their bellies tickled – I think they actually played okay. I understand it. I completely get it. I’m not overly disappointed, but there’s no way management, coaches, players, staff or professionals wanted anything other than a win for Tottenham.”
Tottenham miss out of Champions League football after Manchester City defeat
Not only will the players be disappointed to have missed out on the European competition, and likely to end up with Europa League football, but it will also have financial impacts moving forward.
Daniel Levy will be annoyed not to have extra income from the Champions League matches, which, in turn, could affect how Spurs recruit during the summer transfer window and which players want to stay.
With just one final match of the season remaining, an away game against Sheffield United, Postecoglou will be keen to end the campaign on a high and put the disappointment behind them quickly.
In other Tottenham news, Richarlison backed to quit in a big-money deal after Dharmesh Sheth transfer news.
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