When it pours… you know the drill.
After a dull and uninspired performance against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, Tottenham Hotspur suffered their third straight Premier League defeat. Ange Postecoglou’s emotions from the previous several weeks boiled over into a boiling pot of disaster.
Mauricio Pochettino, a well-known figure, is the newest driving force behind Tottenham’s continuous downward spiral. Despite the team’s fifth-place finish in the standings, the troubles are growing as expectations of rejoining Europe’s top are being ripped away as if by an unseen wire.
Ange Postecoglou, the manager of Tottenham
Manchester City will travel to N17 in a few games, and Liverpool will be waiting at Anfield on Sunday. Given Tottenham’s lackluster performance against Chelsea, there won’t be much hope for a team that is limping to the finish line.
Though Emerson Royal’s struggles as a stand-in star pointed to the main problem going into the last few games, Postecoglou felt his team lacked “belief and conviction”.
Emerson’s game against Chelsea
Emerson is the greatest candidate for the position after Tottenham suffered a terrible double blow lately with the season-ending injuries of second-choice left-back Ben Davies and first-choice left-back Destiny Udogie.
Noni Madueke tore at him down the flank against Chelsea, tearing him apart with speed and directness in a rough game that revealed his weaknesses.
Not his best hour, or rather, hour and a half. Emerson, who is out of position, will probably feel a little bit vindictive for being made into a scapegoat, but the truth is that he is not taking any chances at Tottenham.
Dejan Kulusevski also found himself in a new role, but he approached it with more hope that his skills would fit him as the No. 10 in place of the failing James Maddison, unlike Emerson who was forced into a left-sided duty.
He did not make an impression.
Why the Spurs should abandon Kulusevski Dejan
Although Kulusevski has been a standout player for Postecoglou’s team this season, he hasn’t been putting up enough of a show lately, and on Thursday night, he had one of his worst games as the No. 10.
According to Sofascore, Spurs were both toothless and spineless, and the lack of inventiveness was a result of the Swede’s troubles. He played 90 minutes and made two crucial passes, but overall, the evening was miserable, as Spurs won just one match while contesting 11 and drawing four fouls.
Dejan Kulusevski following Tottenham’s loss
Furthermore, Kulusevski was at the center of a disorganized, ineffective team effort as he gave up possession 15 times, took just one shot (blocked), and did not attempt a single dribble.
The £110,000-per-week Lilywhite received a dismal 5/10 match rating from football.london’s Rob Guest, who posted his post-match player ratings. Guest wrote: “Handed a start in his favoured No. 10 role with James Maddison on the bench but did very little in the first half to influence things in the final third when in possession.” had a greater impact in the second half, making several strong runs forward, before switching to the right wing after Maddison’s entrance.
These remarks definitely show how much Maddison has improved since being placed in his natural position, but it is obvious that he needs to go back into the starting lineup going forward. Brennan Johnson’s pace on the right wing will be more advantageous against Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool.
