Tottenham blasted over what could cost them Champions League football, ‘it’s not rocket science’
Tottenham could cost themselves a place in the Champions League next season if they continue to concede goals from set pieces as they did in their 2-1 defeat to Wolves, according to Alan Hutton.
Spurs were well beaten by Gary O’Neil’s side on Saturday (17 February) but once again conceded from a corner when Joao Gomes rose highest to head home Pablo Sarabia’s cross in the closing exchanges of the first half.
Teams have begun to target Postecoglou’s side from corners in recent weeks to great success after Everton managed to bully Guglielmo Vicario in their 2-2 draw with Tottenham at Goodison Park earlier in February.
While Wolves’ opener was not the Italian stopper’s fault, Hutton has urged Spurs to find a solution to stop teams dominating them from corners, suggesting every opposition side will look to target the “lightweight” goalkeeper.
“You need to nip it in the bud early,” Hutton told Tottenham News.
“It was obvious against Everton that Vicario was getting targeted. They were getting in and around him and giving him a little nudge to make it difficult for him.
“When other teams see these things, they’re going to do the exact same thing, it’s not rocket science, that’s how it works. Moving forward it will be the same as they might think he’s a little bit lightweight when he’s coming out for crosses.
“It’s something that I would want to work on at this moment in time, just so the next time it happens they have a clear plan in their mind of what they’re going to do, so it’s something they need to look at.”
Will Tottenham miss out on the Champions League under Ange Postecoglou?
Spurs are well and truly in the race for the Champions League places this season and they can’t keep dropping points against teams that they really should be beating if they want to finish in the top-four this term.
While they continue to concede so easily from set-pieces, Postecoglou’s side are giving themselves a mountain to climb week in and week out, because their opponents know that they can exploit Vicario’s weaknesses when commanding his penalty area.
Unless that begins to change in the coming weeks, Spurs are going to struggle to climb above the likes of Aston Villa and book their place in the Champions League next term. Postecoglou has to find a solution sooner rather than later.
In other Tottenham news, Hutton believes Spurs have an advantage over their rivals in the race for the top-four
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