Ange Postecoglou on why his Tottenham players underperformed against AZ Alkmaar
Following Tottenham Hotspur’s 1-0 defeat to AZ Alkmaar, Ange Postecoglou has opened up on his side’s horrendous Europa League performance in the Netherlands.
Tottenham Hotspur’s form in the Premier League has been nothing short of abysmal, with the Lilywhites firmly lodged in the bottom half of the table.
With their domestic campaign now a dead rubber, any hopes of silverware realistically rest solely on their Europa League run.
Of course, Tottenham are touted as one of the favourites to win the Europa League. Their path to the final is clear, but the pressure is mounting on Ange Postecoglou and his squad to deliver.
Ange Postecoglou on Tottenham’s Europa League defeat
However, their round of 16 first-leg tie against AZ Alkmaar—a side they had already faced this season—proved to be a nightmare.
The result? A 1-0 defeat, which, in truth, flattered Tottenham. They were played off the park and were fortunate to escape without a heavier loss, especially after Troy Parrott missed a huge chance to further extend their advantage.
There was also a yellow card which means Rodrigo Bentancur will miss the return leg against AZ Alkmaar, while Dominic Solanke sustained an injury which has caused concern upon his return to action.
Tottenham simply did not look up for the challenge. The intensity, the hunger, the aggression—all missing. Speaking to Football.London, Ange Postecoglou did not shy away from calling it how it was.
When asked why his players weren’t up for the tie, he said: “Look, it is a combination of things, but we will analyse it and have a look at the areas where we struggled, but it is fair to say, yeah, it was nowhere near the level it needed to be.”
Ange Postecoglou admits Spurs were second-best against AZ Alkmaar
Ange Postecoglou did not hold back in his post-match assessment, acknowledging that his side was second-best in virtually every department.
He continued: “Yeah, it was not great from us tonight. Pretty much all facets of the game. We did not really get to grips with any part of the game.
“We struggled to gain any momentum with the ball, we were not as aggressive as we needed to be without it.
“The surface was tricky, but we knew that from yesterday, and we just did not tackle the challenges we had out there in a real positive way.
“That allowed AZ to get into a rhythm, and when you are playing away from home, it is difficult to stem the tide.
“I do not think it is a matter of effort or attitude. It is not about going out there and not trying, but like I said, we did not really come to grips with it or have the right mindset to tackle an away fixture in Europe.
“It is always tough, and we obviously conceded the goal, which was disappointing, but even after that, we did not settle down into the game at all.
“You are going to face pressure when you play away in Europe, and you have to weather the storm and get to grips with it, but we never really did, so that was a disappointment.”
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