Usually, when you’re second in the Premier League table and lose 4-1 to a team in the bottom half, there would be an inquest. But nine-man Tottenham Hotspur’s hammering at the hands of Chelsea has seen a remarkably positive response. Manager Ange Postecoglou’s decision to hold onto his principles and press the halfway line with two men less than Chelsea has been roundly applauded. But as with everything football, it is a matter of context.
Postecoglou has a tremendous amount of credit in the bank and rightfully so. The former Celtic boss has Spurs challenging at the top end of the table. The football they are playing is a refreshing antidote to the contrasting pragmatism of Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte before him. Ange’s press conferences have also been a world away from the latter. While Conte was preoccupied with pushing his own politicised narratives upon journalists, Postecoglou is approachable and engaging. From the players to the fans to the press pack, the Australian is proving to be a hit.
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It is for that reason that Postecoglou has been let off with this 4-1 defeat. Freak results happen and the sendings-off of Cristian Romero and Destiny Udogie provided mitigating circumstances. Injuries to Micky van de Ven and James Maddison, two of this season’s standouts, compounded the misery. Sometimes it just isn’t your night and this really wasn’t Tottenham’s night.
But there were interesting clues into what Spurs’ future under Postecoglou might look like. It was 1-1 when Udogie became the second Tottenham player to hit the showers. 35 minutes remained on the clock. Perhaps it was time for a bit of that old Mourinho or Conte pragmatism? A chance to batten down the hatches in an attempt to snatch a point. After all, in situations like this, the impetus is entirely on the team with 11 men to seek victory. Spurs could have tested Chelsea’s mettle and make them work for the win.
But they didn’t. Postecoglou, even in the face of all logic, stuck rigidly to his principles. He asks his teams to play a certain way. Front-foot, high-pressing, gung-ho. So that’s what the former Melbourne Victory manager did here. With nine men and facing a team with hundreds of millions of pounds worth of attackers, he tried to fight fire with fire. He lost 4-1.
Eric Dier and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, one not the most mobile defender and the other not a defender at all, were asked to push up to the halfway line. The idea was to restrict Chelsea to their own half. But it failed. Nicolas Jackson made a mockery of Spurs’ bravery, scoring a hat-trick between the 75th minute and the final whistle.
The response to this turn of events has been positive. Hooray for the man who will not compromise his principles in the face of adversity. It is a noble epitaph, but an epitaph nonetheless. Spurs were beaten 4-1 after leading 1-0 from an early Dejan Kulusevski goal. At 1-1 with 35 minutes to survive, they pressed the self-destruct button.
You get away with these once in a blue moon. This defeat has come at a time when Ange’s stock is sky-high. But imagine the same tactical rigidity bringing about a hammering for other Premier League managers. Would Manchester United’s Erik ten Hag have been praised for persisting with a failing system? Would last night’s beneficiary, Mauricio Pochettino? Perception is everything in football. Right now the game-costing decision to employ a high-line at 1-1 is seen as a brave adherence to principles. If Spurs go on a bad run and Postecoglou still doesn’t change things, it could be seen as bullheadedness.
But for now Ange has earned more than enough leniency. His team are still flying high and a heavy defeat with nine men is not a rebuke for their way of doing things long-term. But it will be fascinating to see the response Postecoglou’s idealism receives if and when Spurs endure a truly poor run of form. No honeymoon period lasts forever in football, after all.
*18+ | BeGambleAware | Odds Subject To Change
