Postecoglou told to hang his head in shame in ‘appalling’ Tottenham rant
Tottenham Hotspur and Ange Postecoglou have been slammed for their performance against AZ in Thursday’s Europa League defeat.
Postecoglou’s Tottenham side were beaten 1-0 by AZ as Lucas Bergvall’s 18th-minute own goal gave Dutch side a slender lead on aggregate in their Europa League round-of-16 tie.
Spurs were miles off the pace against a side who finished 15 places below them in the competition’s league phase, and one who only reached the last 16 by come through a knockout play-off tie.
With the Europa League being Tottenham’s last hope of winning a trophy this term – they’re 13th in the Premier League and out of both the FA and EFL Cups – their display against AZ has been blasted.
Tottenham ‘bang out of order’ in scathing AZ Alkmaar assessment
Having seen his side dominate the ball in Alkmaar but muster just one shot on target throughout an insipid attacking display, Postecoglou has been taking pelters from all angles in the aftermath.
| AZ Alkmaar | Statistic | Tottenham |
| 1 | Goals | 0 |
| 1.61 | xG | 0.44 |
| 5 | Shots on target | 1 |
| 38 per cent | Possession | 62 per cent |
| 7 | Corners | 2 |
Despite being a Chelsea fan with no love lost for Tottenham, Rory Jennings also chimed in on talkSPORT (7 March, 7:12pm), expressing his sympathy for the Spurs fans who made the trip across the channel.
Jennings said: “It was appalling, it really was. It was so poor from them – they were dire, they were totally dire, they got it so wrong.
“Ange Postecoglou should hang his head in shame, and ultimately I feel for – it’s not often I say this – but I actually feel for the Tottenham fans.
“Tottenham have a big, dedicated, loyal following. They took that, loyal following to the Netherlands, and they were repaid with that sort of performance – it’s bang out of order.”
Ange Postecoglou surely on the brink after AZ v Tottenham disaster
While Spurs and Postecoglou do have the valid explanation that persistent injury problems have hampered their progress in the Premier League this term, he’s still been able to produce strong results.
Manchester City are by no means what they were this season, but coming away from the Etihad Stadium with a 4-0 victory in November made the rest of the Premier League sit up and take notice of Tottenham.
Spurs’ ability to compete when the going gets tough since then has been non-existent, surrendering a 1-0 lead over Liverpool in the EFL Cup semi-finals to lose 4-0 at Anfield, hardly laying a glove on the Reds.
Just three days after that exit, Tottenham were 1-0 down inside a minute against Aston Villa in the FA Cup fourth round, losing 2-1 to leave the Europa League as their only attainable silverware this season.
As a result, it’s arguable that Postecoglou’s future in the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium dugout rests on the second leg, and if their first-leg display is anything to go by, he could soon be clearing his desk.