Jamie Carragher believes Ange Postecoglou must adapt his style if he is to remain Tottenham boss after back-to-back defeats following a 4-3 home defeat by Chelsea.
The Australian claimed his side “played well” in the defeat, which saw his side blow a two-goal lead as Spurs conceded two hasty penalties to allow their London rivals to come back.
A second defeat in four days after Thursday’s 1-0 defeat at Bournemouth saw Tottenham drop to 11th in the Premier League, seven points off the top four and with just one win in their last seven games in all competitions .
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Highlights from the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea
Speaking after the Chelsea defeat, Postecoglou said Sky Sports: “It’s painful.
“We started really well and then we lost Cristian Romero – nothing went smoothly for us and we have to make adjustments before they get a goal. I thought we had big moments to get a third. The second half was a ding-dong and we had a big chance with (Heung-Min) Son to change the game our way, then the two penalties weren’t great for us – we need more discipline in the box.
“We didn’t play well against Bournemouth, but we played well today. They are a good team. Top team. We got upset in key moments and key moments decided the game.
“When we play our football, we’re hard to stop and we have to maintain our discipline. We didn’t need to for them as the game was in the balance. When you play these top teams, those momentum shifts can happen quickly.”
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Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou shares his thoughts on their 4-3 defeat at Chelsea despite Spurs going 2-0 up inside 11 minutes.
But Postecoglou’s comments have alarmed Carragher, who believes the 59-year-old is at risk of losing his job if he does not change his attacking style of play.
Indeed, in his 53 Premier League games, Tottenham have scored and conceded in 36 of them (68%) – only Osi Ardiles’ games have had a higher proportion of both teams scoring (69 per cent).
Carragher said Sky Sports: “Ange said how well they played. I can’t imagine any Liverpool manager I played for – and we conceded four in one game – would say in the interview that we played well. If you play like that you get the result like in Manchester City, but you’d also get results like this where you’re 2-0 up. I’ve never thought about managers saying ‘we’re playing a certain way and we won’t ever change” – I think it started with. Pep Guardiola at Barcelona.
“This idea that wherever they play, they’re going to play their way. But this was the best team I’ve ever seen. Pep Guardiola then had to change his Manchester City team that won leagues every season, putting in the centre-backs goal.-Back This idea that you can’t change is foreign to me. you play against a team at the bottom.
“There’s this idea of ​​playing a clean game and Tottenham fans singing ‘We’ve got our Tottenham back’ but you won’t win anything, you won’t challenge.
“I wake up every morning hoping the sun is shining so I can wear shorts and a t-shirt, but if it’s raining, put your coat on. You can’t have this idea of ​​playing one way, you’re going to.” If it doesn’t change, he won’t be here next season.”
Redknapp: Spurs must prioritize Carabao Cup
Spurs are still in the hunt for a trophy under Postecoglou, with his side doing well in the Europa League and looking forward to a Carabao Cup quarter-final this month at home to Manchester United. Sky Sports.
They will also expect to be in the fourth round of the FA Cup after drawing non-league Tamworth next month.
Postecoglou said in his post-match press conference: “There’s still a lot to play for for us between now and January just to make sure we keep performing.
“I still feel within this group that there’s a real kind of belief in what we’re doing, and if we keep that going then we’ll turn our season around and hopefully at some point hit some smoother waters. the things that are happening right now some of them are self-inflicted, but hopefully we can be more consistent.”
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Postecoglou claimed earlier this season that he is “always winning things” in his second year in charge and Jamie Redknapp believes ending the club’s 16-year trophy drought will be his priority amid an unbeaten league campaign.
said Redknapp Sky Sports: “They have to win a trophy – that’s the stick they are beaten with. If they win a trophy this year, it will give them confidence and belief that they can get the top four.
“They have to change the history of this club. For too long they have had the attitude of not being successful and letting people down. Whereas if they win a trophy it will give Ange some breathing room.
“They have Manchester United in the Carabao Cup, they can win it. If you look at the winners of this trophy recently, whether it was Man City, Man Utd or Liverpool. This win is more important than finishing in the top four.
“The owners may disagree, but it would be great for the fans and the players.”
The former Spurs midfielder added: “For a Tottenham fan, they had (Antonio) Conte, who was pragmatic; they had (Jose) Mourinho – it didn’t work, they had Nuno (Espirito Santo) – it didn’t work here.
“Now you’ve reached the complete opposite (end of the) scale and for Tottenham fans for 10, 15 games last season, they thought, ‘This is it, we’ve found it. This guy is going to make us play beautifully. football, expansive, we will win.”
“You’ve gone from one extreme to the other and it’s like we’ve been saying the same thing for the last 10 years we’ve come to watch Tottenham.
“I just don’t really know what direction they’re going to go because if you fire him, then where else are you going to go?”
Postecoglou’s Spurs are flattered to deceive again
Sky Sports’ Adam Bate:
Postecoglou pointed to fine margins as his Tottenham side came out on the wrong side of a seven-goal thriller against Chelsea, and a generous reading of the facts could suggest he had a point. The same could be said for Spurs’ season.
Another six points would leave them fifth, one point behind Manchester City. A few wins from games against Crystal Palace, Ipswich and Bournemouth would be enough. Or how about keeping that two goal lead at Brighton?
But the reality is that Postecoglou’s Tottenham keep leaking those two-goal leads and keep leaking points. It’s not bad luck. It’s starting to look like a consequence of the coach’s mantra, which prioritizes style of play over navigating the nuances of the game.
There was no hint of control even when two goals were conceded from Marc Cucurella’s early slips. The result is that as good as those margins are, Spurs now sit in the bottom half of the Premier League table after 15 games. They have lost more than they have won.
In fact, of the 17 teams that were in the Premier League both this season and last season, only two have lost more games in the competition than Tottenham since Christmas. Dominic Solanke arrived in the summer but the other additions were young prospects.
As a result, are signs of progress imminent? For all the talk of trophies in season two, maybe this one it is his Spurs. “Tottenham are so close to being a good team,” Carragher said on commentary for Sky Sports. “But they always let you down.”
