Pressure ramped up on boss Ange Postecoglou once again last night after Tottenham Hotspur fell to their second consecutive Premier League defeat against Chelsea.
Spurs looked as though they were about to return to winning ways in convincing fashion at one stage, going two goals ahead just ten minutes following goals from Dominic Solanke and Dejan Kulusevski.
However, it wasn’t to be, with strikes from Cole Palmer, Jadon Sancho and Enzo Fernández securing a second straight four-goal haul at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for the Blues, after their 4-1 win last season.
The result keeps Ange’s side in 11th place, already sitting seven points off a top-four place, and struggling to reach the level many expected them to this campaign.
It continues a topsy-turvy few weeks for the North London outfit, potentially heaping more pressure on the Aussie after yet another embarrassing defeat.
Tottenham’s inconsistency during 2024/25
Shockwaves were sent through the English top flight a couple of weeks ago when Spurs smashed four past defending champions Manchester City at the Etihad, ending the mammoth unbeaten run on home soil.
However, since that afternoon in the North West, Postecoglou’s side have failed to replicate such a performance, finding results hard to come by in the process – contributing to their lowly league standing.
The Lilywhites have failed to win a single game in all competitions since the 23rd of November, drawing two and losing two, summing up their recent slump and inconsistent form.
His side have taken the lead in all but one of the matches, with the clash against Bournemouth at the Vitality the only meeting where they failed to find themselves on the scoresheet.
However, it’s holding onto the lead that appears to be the issue, as seen on Sunday, throwing away a two-goal lead, before going on to lose yet another massive Premier League clash.
Fans are undoubtedly growing frustrated with the lack of form and consistency under Postecoglou which could ultimately lead to his downfall as Spurs boss.
If he is to turn around their recent fortunes in the coming weeks, he must look to drop one player after his disappointing display in North London once again last night.
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Tottenham player must be dropped after Chelsea
There’s no denying that throwing away a two-goal lead against one of your rivals is unacceptable, but it was the manner in which the defeat transpired – losing all concentration following numerous moments of madness.
One of those moments came in the form of midfielder Yves Bissouma, who gave away the first penalty, handing Cole Palmer the golden opportunity to level the game early on in the second half.
The Englishman obliged and tucked the ball home, after the Malian lunged in with a needless tackle, taking out Moises Caicedo, leaving referee Anthony Taylor with no choice but to award the spot kick.
However, the midfielder also produced some dismal numbers away from his rash challenge in the box, including a tally of just 31 touches – a total less than ‘keeper Fraser Forster who registered 35 during the defeat.
Minutes played
79
Touches
31
Duels lost
5
Fouls conceded
3
Interceptions made
0
Pass accuracy
20/23 (87%)
Possession lost
4
Bissouma also lost five duels, conceding three fouls and failed to make any interceptions, struggling to win the battle in the centre of the park, which contributed to their downfall in North London.
As a result, the midfielder was handed an awful 4/10 match rating by The Express’ Dan Kilpatrick – the lowest of any Spurs player who started the match, highlighting how disappointing he was in the clash.
Given his display, Ange desperately needs to drop the former Brighton man for their upcoming matches next week, ultimately handing himself the best chance of retaining his possession.
Bissouma has proven that he’s unable to provide the quality needed to ground out a result when times are hard, which could lead to Postecoglou’s dismissal if he doesn’t take action immediately.
5/10 Tottenham dud may have just cost Postecoglou his job
Tottenham Hotspur blew a two-goal for the second time against Chelsea this afternoon.
ByEthan LambDec 8, 2024
