Tottenham’s identity crisis on full display in loss at Chelsea: Can Ange Postecoglu and company recover?

London – Chelsea goes the ball on the field and checks in to Caicedo just within the Tottenham half in Moiseso. Not yet busy, the defenders float loom back to their task. Time to drive the ball over the field to Pedro Neto. There is a defender in his periphery, but he takes a look more. Chelsea’s no. 7 looks up and sees blue shirts keep themselves company. Without that pressure on the ball, it should have been easy enough to choose one of Cole Palmer or Nicolas Jackson. Neto hits them both, and somehow traces extended the inevitable.

Of course they would admit. Every team that treats his own back post as a bender cannot feel like his chances of a clean slate. Nor can someone who seems to have shocked so much of the identity that their manager had tried to put in.

You may never have confused the side of Ange Postecoglou for the Chicago Bears from 1985, but they at least worked on a plan in better days. Tottenham would be furious and in large numbers. When you got through, you would have a fairly reasonable chance of a prime shot, but that was a risk that it was worth taking. If Spurs got the ball away from you, they would have a better chance to score.

When did Spurs played the latter that way? Certainly, there were no signs of Snappiness of the ball of a team whose last competitive outing was 18 days ago. At the last whistle, Chelsea had found seven times in the last third part, Tottenham on four. Of course there is no obligation to play in this way, and it is worth mentioning that, in the teeth of a brutal injury crisis earlier this season, Postecoglou argues for constant questions about the zeal with the diligent with which he has implemented his high line and aggressive pressure. Tottenham adjusted without their starting defense; They were a smaller team, but perhaps that was understandable.

Now Cristian Romero, Micky Van de Ven, Guglielmo Vicario and Destiny Udogie are all playing and yet there is still mulch where a defense system should be. It is as if Tottenham finds a verb where there is none in the term resting defense.

Chelsea would get possession, often for no other reason than their opponent, it gave them, and notice that they are confronted with five men who may have moved in the right direction, but that they have been doing too slowly so far to really hinder them. By going through a midfield that was really Rodrigo Bentancur -spinning plates, they would come across a rear four that is demonstrably the first choice of Tottenham.

All these defensive actions seemed to be discreetly. Runners between Fullback and Center Back went untraced. Palmer had the right to go to the name rule as and when the mood brought him. A less professional ligate opponent than Chelsea would have killed traces for a long time before Enzo Fernandez returned in the second half in the cross of Palmer in Palmer. Jadon Sancho in particular offered more evidence to support the argument that Chelsea would be better off paying Manchester United £ 5 million to not sign him than £ 25 million to do this. One rasping shot tested Vicario, but with too many other occasions the movements on the left corner of the box died.

Perhaps the shortcomings of Tottenham’s defense can be tolerated if they were the full attack they have been for the majority of Postecoglou. That has also died lately. Their 1.1 non-penalty expected goals per Premier League match Since the beginning of January, she brought 16th to the competition. Before Robert Sanchez’s vast save to deny the Heung-Min Son in the 89th minute, they had not created a chance of a note to stimulate that average.

Instead, their attack had succeeded in deepening the friction between Postcoglou and traveling Tottenham fans. Although much of their anger was aimed at chairman Daniel Levy, the decision to go Wilson Odobert and Lucas Bergvall for Brennan Johnson and Pape Matar Sarr saying of “You don’t know what you are doing” of a mattering of supporters. When the last one thundered a 30-yarder in the net, Postecoglou could not help himself, while he had his ear in the direction of the end.

It is the kind of clip that you can see running on Sportnieuwsbulletins, possibly in the very near future, who thinks about the office of Postecoglou in North Londs and how a clear start of principles, energy and authority became a product that looked like nothing. Twenty defeats in all competitions, almost 18th in seventh, and it is St. Tutteringham’s Day. All and, if this defense does not bring its action together, a Europa League output, would certainly come for a long time.