‘Ange Postecoglou makes Mathys Tel blunder’ – Tottenham confirmed XI v West Ham
Ange Postecoglou has made eight changes to his Tottenham line-up as they face West Ham United on Sunday.
Spurs will be high on confidence after earning a 3-1 victory over Bodo/Glimt in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League semi-final tie on Thursday, 1 May.
The North London giants will be hopeful of using that result to return to winning ways in the Premier League after losing 5-1 against Liverpool last weekend.
However, a defeat against West Ham at the London Stadium on 4 May would see Tottenham fall to 17th place in the table, just above the relegation zone.
This is why Postecoglou could regret his decision to start Tel against Graham Potter’s side.
Tel given undeserving start in Tottenham v West Ham
Guglielmo Vicario will be disappointed after conceding from the only shot he faced against Bodo/Glimt [FotMob], but continues in goal without any surprises.
The Italian is joined by a new-look defence, as Postecoglou rotates his squad ahead of the second leg of the Europa League semi-final on Thursday, 8 May.
That means Archie Gray, Kevin Danso, Ben Davies and Djed Spence are handed a start against West Ham.
Yves Bissouma is the only player to keep his place in midfield after completing 29 of his 33 passes (88 per cent) against Bodo/Glimt, with Dejan Kulusevski and Pape Matar Sarr joining him.
Postecoglou has also made two changes to his three-man attack, as Brennan Johnson and Dominic Solanke drop out for Wilson Odobert and Tel.
Tel played the entirety of the second half against Bodo/Glimt, but left much to be desired, although he created two chances and completed all six of his passes.
The Frenchman failed to register a single shot on target despite having two attempts (zero per cent), while only two of his across found their targets. He also won only one of his four duels.
| Minutes | Passes | Chances Created | Shots | Accurate Crosses | Duels Won |
| 45′ | 6/6 (100%) | 2 | 0/2 (0%) | 2/4 (50%) | 1/4 (25%) |
This came after Tel produced an underwhelming performance as a starter against Liverpool last weekend, making an error that led to a goal.
Therefore, Postecoglou appears to have handed the Bayern Munich loanee an undeserving start against West Ham.
Meanwhile, Richarlison has managed to keep his place in the starting line-up.
Your Spurs to take on the Hammers 💪
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) May 4, 2025
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Postecoglou shoots himself in the foot
It is no surprise that Postecoglou has made a raft of changes to his starting line-up, as his eyes are firmly fixed on the Europa League.
However, a defeat against West Ham is not going to do any favours to his hopes of keeping his job at Tottenham, nor improving the team’s already dwindling confidence.
That is why it is fair to say that the Greek-Australian might have shot himself in the foot by naming a very weakened team to face the Irons, with Tel among those players.