Ange Postecoglou ‘shattered’ after depleted Tottenham lose again, maintains ‘we deserved to win’

LONDON — Ange Postecoglou did adapt. His idealistic vision for how Tottenham ought to play football has been tempered in recent games, and it was again today. There’s only so many adjustments that can be made, however, when the cracks have become fissures. Any manager, whatever their inclinations towards pragmatism, would find there are no reasonable adjustments to the numerical crisis Tottenham have found themselves in.

It was bad enough before Destiny Udogie did his hamstring against Wolves, let alone when a sickness bug seized on Fraser Forster. When Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon glanced at the team sheet on Saturday morning they’d have seen them lining up against Tottenham’s third choice goalkeeper, third choice center back, second or third choice right back on the opposite flank, Radu Dragusin and an 18 year old midfielder moonlighting as a center back. Those last two had “literally got off sick beds to play together”, said Postecoglou. Dragusin, “shattered at half time” would not make it back for the second half, leaving debutant Brandon Austin to be shielded by Archie Gray and Djed Spence.

Long before then, Postecoglou had made his tweaks. Since Spurs blew a 2-0 lead at home to Chelsea they have been lining up with a double pivot in midfield rather than their manager’s favored 4-3-3. Given the need to protect the back line, it was immediately apparent today that the intensity of the Tottenham press was not what it has been before. The line was still extremely high — some things will never change — but reasonable adjustments had been made in light of the situation Spurs find themselves in.

With Rodrigo Bentancur suspended and form deserting Yves Bissouma it fell on Lucas Bergvall to step in alongside Pape Matar Sarr. He did so manfully for an hour, earning fulsome praise from his manager. “Lucas today was unbelievable as an 18-year-old to play in that position. I just see so much to be positive about.”

Bergvall embraced the pressure that came his way from Newcastle’s robust, dynamic midfield of seasoned internationals. The teenager carried the ball fearlessly when he evaded the attention of Joelinton and Bruno Guimaraes. Had it not been for that, Pedro Porro might never have seen the space to creep up into and deliver the cross from which Dominic Solanke opened the scoring.

It is just that in the most decisive moment, Bergvall was one of a number of young players whose inexperience was punished. Gray was nearer the Newcastle press then he ought to be to receive Brandon Austin’s pass, but then, of course he was. Yet another 18-year-old, this one playing center back despite being a natural midfielder, in his first season in the Premier League can be forgiven for not understanding why he needed to be wide of the penalty box rather than ahead of it.

Bergvall wanted to push the ball past Joelinton and get Spurs flying up the pitch. A mere 90 seconds earlier that had led to his side’s opener, it would now lead to Newcastle drawing level. The ball poked against the Brazilian rather than around him, Guimaraes slipped in Anthony Gordon and the lead was gone off a low drive that a keeper with more experience than Austin might have got a glove on.

Postecoglou seemed to believe this was the moment on which the match changed. He was “as angry as I’ve ever been in my career that the players have been denied the right rewards for a fantastic performance.” If he never quite verbalized exactly what he was referring to it seemed, he would eventually suggest that a handball that wasn’t, in the buildup to the goal, was the cause of his fury. 

“I’m shattered that the boys didn’t get the rewards they deserved,” he added. “Our football was outstanding against a very good opponent who is on form and in a good place. I thought it was brilliant, outstanding and a game we deserved to win.

“I know what everyone wants me to say [about the goal]. All I’ll say is on any other day, on a fair and even playing ground, we would have won that game.”

Within the letter of the law, the goal should have stood. Prior to the 2020-21 season the handball regulations were tweaked such that while a goal would still be ruled out if its scorer accidentally handled, it would no longer be chalked off if the same happened to a teammate in the build up. Equally, it is easy to see why Postecoglou feels aggrieved. It feels like Newcastle got too much of a benefit for the ball inadvertently hitting Joelinton’s hand.

Instead, it was just the latest hammer blow of misfortune to a coach who is going to face further questions over his future with Tottenham still nearer to the relegation places than the European ones. Luck simply is not on his side. Indeed, it was almost a surprise that when Austin went down in the second half he was able to shake off a knock. As late as Thursday this team only had 11 fit players in training.

Given that, it is worth noting how impressive Tottenham ultimately were in passages. In the first half they held out about as well as they could be expected to given the disparity in talent between the two sides, particularly in midfield. It took a quite excellent blending of strength and technique to eventually secure Newcastle’s lead, the visitors nicking the ball off a Spurs throw in before Guimaraes and Sandro Tonali worked the ball from left to right and Jacob Murphy. His low cross demanded a drained Dragusin do something. All he could do was deflect the ball on to Isak’s boot.

From there on out Newcastle would scarcely threaten again. Some of that is on them. For all the talent with which they attacked their early deficit, they seemed intent on playing like an underdog desperately clinging on to a lead from about the hour mark onwards. Equally, the introduction of James Maddison, Heung-Min Son and Bissouma at the same time gave Spurs more control in the Newcastle half, less energy but more guile. 

Even before then, Postecoglou’s men had refused to concede to the seeming impossibility of the task with only one first choice defender left in their XI. Sarr had driven over from a good spot early on. Solanke had his openings to add another. Parity never quite came, but it was easy to see why Tottenham’s head coach felt hard done by.

After all, he has done what his critics have asked of him. Against a more powerful opponent, Postecoglou had approached this task with a degree of caution, tweaking his system to keep Tottenham in it rather than to take the game to their opponent. That it did not pay off says more about just how challenging his task is right now. There simply aren’t the players to do much at all.