Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou called out by club icon as brutal verdict issued
Tottenham legend Glenn Hoddle admits he was ‘worried’ by Ange Postecoglou’s tactics in their 4-1 defeat by Chelsea and brutally said a youth team would have beaten the north Londoners. Postecoglou adopted an extremely high defensive line after seeing his side reduced to nine men when the score was still 1-1.
Spurs saw Cristian Romero and Destiny Udogie dismissed in a chaotic game at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on November 6. But rather than desperately scrap for a point, Postecoglou insisted that his team push higher up the pitch in search of a winning goal.
However, Chelsea finally broke down their London rivals, with Nicolas Jackson bagging a late hat-trick. Former Spurs player and manager Hoddle believes a team made up of children would have beaten Spurs’ nine men.
Asked about Postecoglou’s start to life at Spurs, Hoddle told talkSPORT: “I have got a few little suspicions. I was worried when we went down to nine men, playing the way we did. If that’s what Ange wants to do then fine.
“But I’ve been in football long enough – you cannot put pressure on the ball if you’ve only got nine men on the pitch. Sometimes it’s horses for courses, isn’t it? I’m not trying to be negative.”
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Hoddle added: “Of course I was hoping Spurs were going to see it through. Although I spent three great years at Chelsea, I’m a Spurs man and I’ve supported Spurs since eight years of age.
“But I was sitting there thinking, ‘Any team in the world – even a youth team – would have broken that down’. That’s how I see it anyway. But it’s positive if Ange is saying, ‘No, we’re going on the front foot’.
“He’s thinking that by putting the back four on the halfway line, he’s going to be able to apply a bit of pressure and he’s going to have players forward. Son had half a chance at the end to make it 2-2.
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“That’s Ange’s theory and it’s very positive, but I’ve been in football long enough to know they’re going to get broken down. It was just a matter of Chelsea timing their runs.”
Postecoglou insisted that his side will never change their principles. He told Sky Sports after the game, which was his first defeat in English football: “It’s just who we are. It’s who we’re going to be as long as I’m here. We go down to five men, we’ll have a go.”
The Australian had previously guided Spurs to the top of the Premier League, embarking on a ten-match unbeaten start to the campaign. However, consecutive defeats against Chelsea and Wolves, in addition to a pile of injuries and suspensions, has seen Spurs fall to fourth.
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