LONDON — In London, Chelsea advanced the ball, finding Moises Caicedo just inside Tottenham`s half. With no immediate pressure, Tottenham`s defenders retreated slowly. Chelsea switched the play to Pedro Neto on the wing. Despite a defender nearby, Neto had space. He looked up and saw his teammates unmarked. Without pressure, passing to Cole Palmer or Nicolas Jackson should have been straightforward. However, Neto`s passes were too strong, delaying the inevitable goal for Spurs.
Ultimately, conceding seemed unavoidable. Any team that neglects defending their back post and appears to have lost the identity their manager tried to instill cannot expect a clean sheet.
While Ange Postecoglou`s team was never mistaken for a top defensive unit, they previously showed a clear tactical approach. Tottenham would press aggressively with many players. Opponents might get through and have scoring chances, but this was a calculated risk. Winning the ball back allowed Spurs better scoring opportunities.
When did Tottenham last display that intensity? There was no sharpness off the ball against Chelsea, despite having 18 days since their last game. By the end, Chelsea had regained possession in Tottenham`s final third seven times, compared to Tottenham`s four. While this aggressive style isn`t mandatory, earlier this season, during an injury crisis, Postecoglou faced criticism for his high line and pressing. Without key defenders, Tottenham adapted, becoming a weaker team, which was perhaps understandable.
Now, with Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Guglielmo Vicario, and Destiny Udogie all playing, a cohesive defensive system is still missing. It seems Tottenham is struggling to define “rest defense.”
Chelsea often gained possession easily, simply because Tottenham gave it away, and faced a group of five defenders moving slowly and ineffectively. Progressing through a midfield relying on Rodrigo Bentancur, they encountered Tottenham`s supposed best back four.
Defensive errors happened subtly. Runners between fullback and center back were unmarked. Palmer had freedom to reach the byline at will. Against a more clinical team, Chelsea would have sealed the game much earlier than Enzo Fernandez`s goal from Palmer`s cross. Jadon Sancho`s performance suggested Chelsea might have been better off paying Manchester United to avoid signing him. One powerful shot tested Vicario, but many attacks fizzled out on Chelsea`s left side.
Perhaps defensive issues would be overlooked if Tottenham maintained their potent attack from earlier in Postecoglou`s tenure. However, that attacking threat has also diminished recently. Their non-penalty expected goals per game since January rank 16th in the league. Before Robert Sanchez`s late save against Son Heung-min, they created few significant chances to improve this statistic.
Instead, their attack has fueled growing tension between Postecoglou and Tottenham`s traveling fans. While much fan anger is directed at chairman Daniel Levy, substituting Wilson Odobert and Lucas Bergvall for Brennan Johnson and Pape Matar Sarr led to chants of `You don’t know what you’re doing`. When Sarr scored a powerful goal moments later, Postecoglou responded by cupping his ear towards the away fans.
This moment might be replayed on sports news, reflecting on Postecoglou`s time at Tottenham and how initial promise and clear principles have devolved into something indistinct. Twenty defeats in all competitions, closer to 18th than 7th place, and potentially another `St. Totteringham`s Day` (Arsenal finishing above Tottenham). Furthermore, unless the defense improves quickly, Europa League elimination seems likely.
Dominic Ashworth