Journalist reacts to ‘surreal’ Ange Postecoglou decision in Tottenham defeat v Chelsea
Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou used “surreal” tactics during their first league defeat of the season against Chelsea, according to journalist Alex Keble.
The North London club lost 4-1 to the Blues in their Premier League clash at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Monday (6 November).
The home side ended the match with nine men, having had defensive duo Cristian Romero and Destiny Udogie sent off.
Noting the “collapse” against the Blues, Keble wrote for the official Premier League website (10 November): “Spurs’ commitment to expansive possession football is non-negotiable; their defensive line in the second half on Monday was proof of that.
“Admirable though Ange Postecoglou’s surreal nine-man high-line might have been – that appears to be the consensus in Tottenham Hotspur circles, anyway – the 4-1 defeat to Chelsea was a rupture in the story of their season.”
Ex-Spurs right-back Alan Hutton told Tottenham News:
“If you look at the managers that were before Ange Postecoglou came in, it was very defensive-minded,” said Hutton. “It was organised, let’s start from a defensive situation, can we break and counter?
“This is different, I’ve watched a lot of Ange Postecoglou and his teams, that’s how he played every single week [at Celtic].
“I understand that was the SPFL and this is the Premier League, it’s a different kettle of fish if you want, but fair play, he comes out and says this is my philosophy, this is how I play the game.
“I see my team playing this way, and it doesn’t matter, obviously, he wants 11 on the pitch but he did lose two, going down to nine, but they still had a go and wanted to play football.
“The fans clapped them off at the end because they understand the effort and everything that went into that game. If those two sending offs hadn’t have happened, after the 15 minutes they started, they were outstanding, but fair play to sticking to his philosophy and going for it.”
In other Tottenham news, one player has admitted to “bad tackles” after the club’s recent defeat to London rivals Chelsea.