Tottenham Hotspur’s season is fizzling out at a rapid rate after Thursday’s 2-0 defeat at Chelsea.
The Lilywhites had an incredible start to the Premier League this season, winning eight and drawing two of their first ten games; however, Spurs’ recent performance has made their chances of qualifying for the Champions League less likely.
With a game remaining, Tottenham’s seven-point deficit to Aston Villa following their defeat at Stamford Bridge last night means Postecoglou’s team has their work cut out if they are to compete in the Champions League the following season.
Another setback for the Lilywhites, Borussia Dortmund’s victory against Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday night guaranteed that fifth place in England would not receive an extra Champions League slot.
Many people were afraid that the current season would end much worse than it has, especially after Harry Kane left and Postecoglou had to take on the difficult task of replacing Spurs’ top scorer.
Some people are still skeptical of the Australian’s long-term chances in the city and are less enthusiastic about him. Football.london has weighed in on this issue and offered their thoughts below.
Tom Cavilla
It has been a positive first season for Postecoglou, who walked into the club at a time of great uncertainty.
The Spurs boss will, naturally, be disappointed with how the end of the season has gone, though will surely recognise progress has been made nonetheless.
He will be expected to deliver an improvement next campaign and will likely want to address certain areas of the squad in order to make this possible.
Now is not the time for a change in manager, given all the chopping and changing of recent years. Daniel Levy should stick by his man for at least another season and see where things are at this time next year.
The pressure will be on to finish in the top four in 2024/25, which may feel more attainable given Jurgen Klopp’s departure from Liverpool and the ongoing sense of disarray at Chelsea and Manchester United.
Lee Wilmot
Since I support Tottenham, it seems absurd that we are discussing Ange Postecoglou here at the club, considering how brilliantly we (the Spurs supporters) began the season. Playing expansive, attacking football, Postecoglou was a breath of fresh air.
The team suffered greatly from injuries and suspensions; they do not now have the depth that teams like Manchester City, Liverpool, and even Arsenal do, and their performance become erratic. His first season was always going to be difficult.
The last few weeks have not been good at all for the situation. Although it was a strong effort in the North London Derby versus Arsenal, it hasn’t been terrific for weeks. Notably unimpressive performances have come from Fulham (3-0 defeat), West Ham (1-1), Newcastle (4-0 loss), and even Nottingham Forest (3-1 win).
The build-up play has slowed down a little. We still control possession in the middle of the park, but we’ve fallen short in both boxes. It’s not helping either that he switches up the midfield dynamics every game, but I can see why he’s doing it: the guys he’s selected haven’t been producing.
Talking about changing is foolish. Football under Postecoglou has shown us how excellent it can be, and it will return to that level. We just had it too nice at first. The first year is always difficult. Next year, the Australian will definitely get things straight, and we’ll get going.
Joe Doyle
It’s been a tough run of results for Spurs fans to stomach recently, and in some ways they are a victim of their own success.
Having started the season so well, there was always a chance that things would sour slightly and a poor run of form has come at the wrong time.
But if you go back to the eve of the season, having lost all-time leading scorer Harry Kane to Bayern Munich, I’m not sure many Tottenham fans would have turned down the chance to be just four points off a Champions League place if they win their game in hand.
Granted, Liverpool, Man City and Newcastle in their last four fixtures is not exactly ideal. But Aston Villa also have to face Liverpool before the end of the season and are still in European competition – it’s not a foregone conclusion.
That being said, some of the problems facing Postecoglou recently must rest with him. To paraphrase the old David Moyes quote at Man United which became somewhat of a meme: Spurs must improve in a number of areas, including passing, creating chances and defending.
Being so open during games is entertaining, no question: Spurs are arguably among the most fun teams in the league for the neutral. But it still feels slightly naïve to stick to your guns so stubbornly in the face of the evidence.
It’s often said that attack will win you games and defence will win you titles; the top three teams have each conceded at least 16 fewer goals this season across the Premier League. 54 against in 34 games isn’t really good enough to nail a Champions League spot.
Judging across the season as a whole, I’d say Postecoglou has done about par for the course with this Spurs side. With more time under his belt at the club and a few key additions, it could be a really exciting season next year.
Isaac Johnson
I think the talk of potentially getting rid of Postecoglou is nonsensical. Few would have been able to revamp Spurs so well after Harry Kane’s exit.
He’s also had hard luck with injuries too – any club that loses their best defender for a lengthy period of time is going to suffer as Tottenham did when Micky van de Ven was absent for two months over the busy festive season. James Maddison’s lengthy setback was also untimely.
The signings of him, goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario and Pedro Porro have been excellent, the performances of Destiny Udogie and Richarlison have reached new heights and Son Heung-min looks back to his prolific self.
Postecoglou is not without fault and while admirable, his one-plan thesis has seen Spurs become unstuck at times. This is something he must amend and morph if Tottenham are to become top-four regulars again.
But Postecoglou is a leader. Some players won’t take to him, but most will and those who don’t will soon exit. It’s been a long time since the club had a talisman on the sidelines and to chuck that away after almost achieving a top four finish but for a revitalised Aston Villa side would be baffling.
Kieran Horn
Tottenham have become victims of their own success under Ange Postecoglou. A superb start to the season surprised just about everyone so when heavy defeats against Fulham, Newcastle and Brighton follow, the criticisms are loud.
At the end of the day, this is a project and for it to be effective, patience is required. Unfortunately, football fans having that trait is rare and thus starts the questioning of Postecoglou after a sub-par display or defeat to a team Tottenham should be beating.
There are of course problems, defending set-pieces being the biggest, but that was inevitable considering the drastic change in philosophy, style of play and game plan. Injuries have played their part, with it no coincidence that the best performances and thus results came in the early part of the campaign, and that is why the need for another strong transfer window is paramount.
Depth is still required in several areas across the pitch with it made abundantly clear that Spurs’ current options are not up to the standard Postecoglou will demand. The likes of Pedro Porro and Cristian Romero have shown signs of vast improvement under Postecoglou and that will undoubtedly continue throughout the squad in time.
Amie Wilson
The thought of writing about any doubts over Ange Postcoglou’s future at Tottenham would have baffled me only a couple of months ago, even from an outsider looking in. It probably highlights the short-term nature of football at this current time.
The Australian came in in the summer when he lost the talisman in Harry Kane just as the season was starting. His squad have also been hit with injuries and suspensions, and no matter how good your squad is, it’s still going to have an impact when you’re missing key players.
The start was one that got everyone talking, but the side have since dropped off. It may be that the impressive start raised expectations, with disappointment at the overall outcome of the season.
Postecoglou will not change the way he plays, meaning that players will become more accustomed to the style the longer they work with him. Giving him more time should mean an improvement in the understanding of the style of play, as well as summer additions, Spurs will hope for a successful 2024/25 season under the manager.
Isaac Seelochan
Ange Postecoglou’s job should not be under threat this summer, but at the same time he needs to take a share of the blame for Tottenham’s drop-off. His bizarre reluctance to acknowledge Spurs’ issues from set-pieces is similar to the strange reluctance from Erik ten Hag to acknowledge the huge number of shots Manchester United are facing.
Not sounding bothered about Spurs missing out on the Champions League is also unusual, particularly considering his team’s strong start to the campaign. Their mini-collapse has been alarming.
But it has still been a season of progress after losing Harry Kane to Bayern Munich and enduring a miserable campaign last term. Finishing fifth would be a good result for Tottenham.
However, it should also be acknowledged that the struggles of United and Chelsea this season presented a great opportunity for the club to make a return to Europe’s elite competition. And if the Lily Whites continue to struggle in their remaining fixtures this season, then the Australian should come under more pressure if their slump is not addressed at the start of 2024/25.
