Marco Silva ‘to get rid of Fulham players’ after win v Tottenham
Ange Postecoglou’s joy from the Europa League was short-lived at Tottenham after falling to defeat against Fulham on Sunday.
The Lilywhites may have come from behind to beat AZ Alkmaar on Thursday (13 March) and progressed to the quarter-finals of the Europa League, but they struggled to back that up in the Premier League.
Fulham came away with all three points after a 2-0 victory against Spurs, with fans turning at Craven Cottage on Sunday (16 March).
Marco Silva may not be happy at Fulham
Although the game was fairly even in terms of possession and shots, Fulham certainly looked more up for it than Tottenham, which has been a huge issue under Postecoglou.
Postecoglou made several changes to his squad but these did not pay off with players like Mathys Tel looking a way off full fitness levels.
Their opponents on the other hand looked fresh and more confident with the ball throughout the game, allowing them to get into good positions and take advantage.
| Team | Possession | Shots | Shots on target |
| Fulham | 57% | 13 | 4 |
| Tottenham | 43% | 12 | 4 |
In a week where Spurs have shown they can reach higher levels, to not back that up in Premier League action is disappointing.
However, Troy Deeney has put the differences down to management, highlighting what Marco Silva would do after beating Tottenham.
Speaking on Match of the Day 2 (16 March, 48:35), Deeney said: ” [Marco Silva] demands high levels every single day and every single game and then once you’re tired he’s not afraid to look at his bench and go right 60, 70 minutes brings four or five people on.
“The perfect example is the strikers, he’ll switch them week in, week out. Keep them hungry and that’s the difference between the Fulham team at the moment and this Spurs team.
“There’s a lot of entitlement in this Spurs team, this Fulham team know they have to be held accountable and if they don’t hold to those standards, the manager will get rid of them.”
Postecoglou needs to hold his players accountable
When you consider the reasons behind Tottenham’s struggles this season, there are several factors that come into play and it’s hard to choose one outstanding reason.
There is no doubt that injuries have played a big part, leaving the boss short of options at times. Similarly, though, Postecoglou’s reluctance to play a certain type of football has left his side struggling in games too.
Deeney is right though, as he points out that there is an issue with the mindset and that is something that has potentially been a bit overlooked in North London this season.
Plenty of players in the Spurs squad are used to winning games and competing at a higher level, and falling well below expectations is simply not good enough every single week.
However, you would expect some of these players to stand up in a time of need and make sure they are putting in their best efforts to turn things around, which doesn’t seem to be the case.
With that in mind, Postecoglou has to be more ruthless with his men and be prepared to axe those who are not giving the most they can to Tottenham’s cause.
Spurs are in mid-table, they need to start acting like it and get rid of this massive chip on their shoulders.
Silva doesn’t stand for it, and neither should Postecoglou.