Ange Postecoglou has admitted that Tottenham did not use the ball well in the second half against Fulham yesterday.
Spurs were electric for much of the first half in front of their home fans at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with Marco Silva’s men struggling to cope with the pace at which the Lilywhites moved the ball.
Son Heung-min gave Tottenham the lead on 36 minutes but the North Londoners would have undoubtedly been disappointed not to put the game to bend before the interval, given the chances that they created.
Fulham were much braver in the second period, looking to invite Tottenham’s pressure and play out from the back. That ended up costing them as a turnover high up the pitch led to James Maddison doubling the home side’s lead on 54 minutes.
However, the Cottagers subsequently went on to create some very good chances, with a combination of some last-ditch defending by Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven, and some sharp saves by Guglielmo Vicario needed to keep them out.
LONDON, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 23: Son Heung-Min of Tottenham Hotspur celebrates with teammates after scoring the team’s first goal during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Fulham FC at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on October 23, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
Postecoglou maintains high standards at Spurs
Postecoglou revealed that while he was over the moon with the way his side played out of possession, he admitted that he was far from impressed with the way they used the ball in the second half.
The Australian told Football.London: “I thought we showed our patience and I thought our pressing was outstanding the whole game. Maybe in the first half, we could have had one or two more just to put the game to bed.
“But really disappointed with the second half. With the ball we were nowhere near the levels we have been all year. That’s probably the worst sort of 45 minutes with the ball we’ve had all year.
“We’ve got to make sure we stay disciplined in our approach because in the end Vic made a couple of great saves to keep a clean sheet. Within that context, we should have had much better control of the game than we did.”
Postecoglou remarked that the second-half display showed that his side still have a lot of room for improvement.
When asked why there was a drop-off, he responded: “I’m not trying to make a point, it’s just what I saw. I thought we were really wasteful with the ball in the second half.
“We took some liberties with taking extra touches. I’ve been around long enough to know if you try to take liberties, you’ll get dragged down pretty quickly.
“I’m not going to let the fact that we’ve won the game disguise the opportunity there for us to improve. In the second half, with the ball we weren’t anywhere near the levels we’ve already shown this year and there was no real reason for it. It wasn’t as if the opposition did anything different. It was more self-inflicted.
“My role in that was to give feedback to the players. That’s what they want. They want to get better, they want to improve. I’ve got some stuff there to show them.
“I’ve said every week that I’ve sat here that we’ve still got a long way to go. That doesn’t change. We’re still nine games in, at the beginning of building something. It would be so much easier for me to sit here and say we’re a great team.
“What I’m saying is that we have to improve. That responsibility is on me to make sure we do. We can be better, absolutely we can. Within that context, without the ball, I thought we were brilliant tonight. We were outstanding. Let’s not discount it.”
Spurs Web Opinion
Unlike some of his predecessors, Postecoglou is evidently process-driven rather than results-oriented, with the Australian believing that results would take care of itself if the players do what is asked of them.
So, it is not surprising that he has expressed his frustration with our usage of the ball in the second half, and that is something he will undoubtedly want the players to learn from.
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