Ange Postecoglou is still the right man for Tottenham – opinion

Every time Tottenham Hotspur drop points many are quick to point the finger at Ange Postecoglou, but one person should not bear all the blame for each collective failure.

Ange Postecoglou under pressure at Tottenham

Ange Postecoglou has been rebuked by supporters since before he even became Tottenham manager. While household names such as Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte largely played dull, uninspiring football and were dismissed by the club, many turned their noses up at Postecoglou simply because he was not a big-name manager.

Although there are plenty who now back him, Postecoglou is heavily criticised by fans and the media alike whenever Spurs fail to pick up three points, yet the praise he receives when his side wins is not always as prominent.

While it may be convenient to make him the scapegoat, every player in the team is responsible for what has been an inconsistent season for Spurs.

The players have to take some responsibility

Postecoglou is not telling his players to perform brilliantly one match and then poorly the next. Looking at Tottenham’s players, how many can we actually say have had good seasons?

The problems in defence are obvious, with both fullbacks looking poor at the back. Pedro Porro has been giving possession away a lot and looks like he could use a good rest, while Destiny Udogie has looked a shadow of the bright, hard-working player we saw last season.

Plenty could also be said about Tottenham’s centre-backs, with Cristian Romero looking less solid than usual, often being caught out and failing to mark the attacker, while his replacement, Radu Dragusin, has made a number of basic errors, some of which have proved fatal for Spurs.

As for the midfield, Spurs are sometimes lacking in inspiration. Although Dejan Kulusevski has been nothing short of tremendous in his central role, James Maddison has struggled to reach the heights he hit in his early days at the club.

Despite Tottenham’s strong attacking statistics, their forwards and wingers are actually one of their biggest problems. Heung-min-Son filled the role of main goalscorer last season, but he has offered little in the past few months, except for the odd performance when he has looked sharper, such as when he returned from injury to face West Ham and got on the scoresheet.

Brennan Johnson has provided a number of goals, but his overall play shows he still has much to learn, while Timo Werner’s problem is the opposite, with the left winger’s finishing a long way off what is required.

As for Dominic Solanke, there is obviously a good player there. His play holding up the ball has been excellent, but he has to become more clinical, as he has already missed seven big chances in the league this season.

This is not to say that all of Tottenham’s players have failed their manager, but it is important to consider their performances and see that a number of them have not been at their best.

When critiquing Postecoglou, we should look at the players he has at his disposal, rather than merely saying he is at Tottenham so he should be in the top four, which often seems to be the measurement of how good a Spurs manager is.

The season so far has not been a disaster for Tottenham

Even with players underperforming it is important to remember after frustrating results to look at the bigger picture and not overreact. Currently, Tottenham are three points off the top four in the Premier League table, in the quarter-final of the Carabao Cup and only outside the top eight of the Europa League on goal difference.

This has been accomplished despite a number of injuries and unavailable players in the first-team squad, which has become such an issue that Postecoglou named seven substitutes on his bench who have never started a Premier League game, in the 1-1 draw against Fulham.

Also, Spurs have won matches in style, scoring more goals than any other team in the English top flight. And while Postecoglou is more often criticised for showing naivety by playing a high line and abandoning defending, only three teams have conceded fewer goals than Tottenham.

Having said all this, there are problems which need addressing, most importantly Tottenham’s inconsistency, but would getting rid of Postecoglou really fix this?

Ange Postecoglou is doing his best with limited resources

To suggest many of Tottenham’s players are underperforming because of Postecoglou’s tactics seems bizarre. His style of play ought to be an attacker’s dream, while many of the goals Spurs have conceded have been a result of poor man-marking and missed tackles, rather than balls in behind which have exposed the Aussie’s system.

Whether it is players struggling for form or being kept out with injuries, exposing Tottenham’s thin squad after quite a weak summer transfer window, there are many factors making Postecoglou’s role difficult.

Rather than waiting for Spurs to drop a poor performance and condemning the manager, now is the time to get behind him because there is still much to play for.

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