Tottenham players blasted as ‘liars’ in damning Troy Deeney verdict
Tottenham Hotspur’s players need someone to take a metaphorical “sledgehammer” to the dressing room in North London, Troy Deeney has said.
Spurs returned to North London with their tails between their legs following a 4-0 hammering by Liverpool in their EFL Cup semi-final on Thursday, seeing a 1-0 aggregate lead absolutely obliterated.
Reaction to Tottenham’s display has been scathing, as Ange Postecoglou’s side surrendered their advantage all too easily in the first half before falling to pieces and conceding three more in the second.
Another high-stakes, must-win match for Spurs comes and goes with them missing the chance to make a statement or – most importantly in this case – reach a final, and Deeney didn’t hold back.
‘Sledgehammer’ needed for Tottenham dressing room
Writing for The Sun (8 February), Deeney said that Tottenham “bottled” their semi-final second leg at Anfield, labelling Ange Postecoglou’s players as “liars” if they were to try and defend their performances.
Deeney said: “Just look at this Tottenham team. They bottled it. They collapsed through fear.
“I would get in that dressing room, shut the door, and take a sledgehammer to it – metaphorically, of course – to show them what we need to do.
“If that group look at themselves in the mirror and say: ‘We gave it everything’, then they’re liars. They’re lying to themselves and they’re lying to the fans.”
Troy Deeney Tottenham verdict spot on after Liverpool collapse
Though a ‘metaphorical sledgehammer’ is quite hard to picture – and harder still given the modern nature of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium’s dressing rooms – Deeney isn’t far wrong in his claims.
Any club taking a 1-0 lead into the second leg of a cup semi-final, putting the Wembley arch firmly in their sights, is at an advantage, regardless of the opponent or stadium atmosphere they’re about to face.
A defensive performance to help see out that slender advantage unfortunately isn’t in Postecoglou’s coaching vocabulary, yet Spurs should have still had enough to keep their heads above water at Anfield.
Shipping four goals and completely caving in to Arne Slot’s Premier League and Champions League-leading side, who hardly need the help when in front of their own fans, was indicative of Spurs’ character.
It remains to be seen how Postecoglou would have set his side up is he had his time again at Anfield, but given the sheer scale to which his side wilted on Thursday, few will anticipate Spurs winning a big game anytime soon unless wholesale changes are made.