Postecoglou must axe Tottenham star Dejan Kulusevski at half-time v Ipswich
Tottenham star Dejan Kulusevski does not deserve to come out for the second half against Ipswich.
Ange Postecoglou took a big risk by leaving James Maddison on the bench for the Premier League clash at Portman Road on Saturday (22 February).
However, it didn’t seem to matter too much, as despite the hosts making a strong start, Spurs were able to weather the storm and race into a two-goal lead thanks to a Brennan Johnson brace, with Son Heung-min setting up both goals.
Therefore, it looked as though it was set to be a comfortable afternoon for Postecoglou and his players. However, Omari Hutchinson’s goal late in the half brought Ipswich back into the game, and Postecoglou needs to respond with some changes.
| Stats | Goals | Shots | Possession |
| Ipswich Town | 1 | 12 | 33 per cent |
| Tottenham | 2 | 7 | 67 per cent |
Kulusevski must be axed at half-time for Tottenham v Ipswich
Son and Johnson combined well in the first half to put Spurs in front. However, Kulusevski offered very little of his own in the way of attacking contributions.
The Swede managed to complete just 79 per cent of his passes, with only one of those key, while he succeeded with zero per cent of his dribble attempts [Sofascore]. In addition, he won just three of his eight ground duels and was also dribbled past twice, while giving possession away eight times.
Therefore, Postecoglou needs to make a change at the break, and after Maddison’s match-winning goal in the 1-0 Premier League win over Manchester United at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday (16 February), the Englishman is surely ready to come on and make an impact.
Tottenham need to hold on for victory v Ipswich
Postecoglou is under serious pressure in North London.
Therefore, he needs to ensure that his players hold on for victory and pick up all three points against Ipswich.
The visitors made a strong start by racing into a two-goal lead. Therefore, if they throw this away and allow Ipswich back into the game, serious questions are likely to be asked of Postecoglou.