Ange Postecoglou ‘stupid’ as Mike Tyson comparison made at Tottenham
Ange Postecoglou has been accused of being “stupid” at Tottenham with a new Mike Tyson comparison made after the FA Cup defeat against Aston Villa on Sunday.
Postecoglou suffered a crushing blow to his hopes of winning a trophy with Spurs this season after they succumbed to a 2-1 defeat against Aston Villa at Villa Park on 9 February.
This came just two days after the North London giants blew a one-goal lead against Liverpool at Anfield to crash out of the EFL Cup, losing 4-0 in humiliating fashion.
Tottenham remain active in the UEFA Europa League, but that is not enough for Postecoglou to avoid severe criticism.
Ange Postecoglou fighting Mike Tyson head-on
Joe Cole is aware that Postecoglou is not entirely at fault for Spurs’ problems, with Daniel Levy also to be blamed, but he feels the Greek-Australian manager has been “stupid” not to change his playing style even amid an injury crisis in the squad.
The former Liverpool star is of the view that Postecoglou sticking with his usual playing style in the absence of key defenders is like fighting Tyson head-on without protection.
“The mistake he made is not changing his system and being married to the way he plays football”, Cole said on The Dressing Room podcast (10 February).
“These players are good enough. If you know you’re going to be without two centre-halves for three months, you’ve got to change the way you play.
“It’s just stupid. It’s like going out and fighting Mike Tyson and going, ‘I’m going at you, I’ve got no defence, I’m just going to’, and you’re having a shootout with him.
“You know what I mean? You can’t do that, you’ve got to readjust. They are good enough to adjust. We all believe in the philosophy of play and what we believe in, but you have to change.
“So, he’s got that wrong, Ange Postecoglou, everything else, I don’t think, is his problem. The rest of the problems, Daniel Levy and Spurs’ business model.”
Tottenham to sack Ange Postecoglou?
Postecoglou promised at the start of the season that he would win a trophy with Tottenham this season as he has done in the second season with every other team he has managed.
However, with the EFL Cup and FA Cup already out of reach, it looks increasingly likely that the promise will not be kept.
The Lilywhites are placed 14th in the Premier League after 24 games, sitting just 10 points above the relegation and 16 behind fourth-placed Chelsea.
The Europa League is, therefore, Postecoglou’s only chance of winning silverware this term.
With teams like Manchester United and Athletic Bilbao in the mix, winning the Europa League is also a difficult task, but Postecoglou will be determined to go all the way.
However, it would not be a surprise if Levy pulled the plug on the former Celtic manager if results do not improve between now and the season.
It is worth noting that Spurs have won only one of their last Premier League games.