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Tottenham head coach Ange Postecoglou has shouldered the blame for their latest lamentable loss in the Premier League but vowed to fight to get Spurs out of a hole as the pressure continues to build relentlessly on the Premier League’s first Australian manager.
Spurs plummeted to 15th in the table, closer to the relegation zone than to 10th-placed Fulham, as Postecoglou’s injury-plagued crew hit a new low in the first half of a 3-2 defeat at goal-shy Everton on Sunday when they shipped three goals and were totally outplayed.
Not even a couple of late goals from Dejan Kulusevski and Richarlison could mask the inadequacy of the Spurs performance, as they’ve now taken only four points from the last 27 with no signs of the freefall ending.
Everton have been finding it hard to score against anyone – but they cut Spurs open at Goodison with ease, netting three times in the opening period for the first time in nearly eight years. It led Postecoglou to admit it had been his fault.
“It wasn’t a great first half. I guess the majority of that is down to me. I changed the team and changed the structure,” said Postecoglou, who employed a three-man defence because he felt he had no other options with just 11 fit players available.
“We had a couple of setbacks in terms of player availability and we struggled to get control of the game and allowed Everton to capitalise on that.
“Obviously at half-time we had a mountain to climb. Fair play to the players, they kept going until the end but ultimately fell short.
“I have the responsibility of the group of players. I do have to try and get us through this and that’s what I’ve got to focus on.
“For me to focus on anything else is abstaining myself from the responsibility I have. I’m just determined to get us out of this.”
There’s been plenty of sympathy for Postecoglou for Spurs’ depleted resources, with star striker Dominic Solanke becoming the 11th injury victim, sustaining a knee injury in Saturday’s training session and having to be ruled out.
But Spurs’ fans can’t expect any fresh legs from the transfer window, with Postecoglou admitting: “As far as I know at the moment there’s nothing imminent.”
The League Cup remains Postecoglou’s big hope of a trophy as his side lead 1-0 over Liverpool after the semi-final first leg but with the second leg not being staged at Anfield until February 6, fans’ patience is beginning to run short as the criticism multiplies.
“We know we’re in a really tough situation right now, but we believe we’ll get through it. But you can’t afford to drop your head,” Postecoglou said.
Meanwhile, Ruben Amorim admits his Manchester United side might be the “worst” in the history of the club after they slumped to a sixth home league defeat of the season in losing 3-1 to Brighton.
After tributes were paid to the great Denis Law, the current crop of United players once again failed to live up to the storied history of this club as Yankuba Minteh fired the visitors in front inside five minutes on Sunday.
Although Bruno Fernandes levelled from the penalty spot, Kaoru Mitoma had Brighton back in front on the hour before a horrible error from Andre Onana was punished by Georginio Rutter to ensure there would be no late United fightback.
United have been relegated five times, most recently in 1974, something still highly unlikely to be repeated this season.
But they have not lost this many of their first 12 home league games since the 1893-94 season – when they were still known as Newton Heath and 17 years before they had even moved to Old Trafford.
“In (nine) games in the Premier League, we won two,” Amorim said.
“I know that, imagine what this is for a fan of Manchester United, imagine what this is for me. We are getting a new coach who is losing more than the last coach. I have full knowledge of that.
“I am not going to change, no matter what. I know we can succeed, but we need to survive this moment. I am not naive. We need to survive now.
“We are the worst team maybe in the history of Manchester United. I know you want headlines, but I am saying that because we have to acknowledge that and to change that.”
Amorim started work as United boss during the November international window. In this league, he was won only three of 11 matches.
“Everybody here is underperforming, no matter what the circumstances,” he added. “We are underperforming and have to accept that. It’s unacceptable to lose so many games, for any Premier League club – imagine Manchester United.
“So it’s a really hard moment but we have to continue, we have to continue, there is no other way.”
More than two months into Amorim’s reign, this expensively-assembled squad still look deeply uncertain of major elements of his system.
The Portuguese has said it will take time to implement his ideas, but fans will want to know how much longer it will take.
“I knew it was going to be hard to put a completely new idea in the moment, but when you lose games and don’t win three games in a row it becomes really hard,” Amorim said.
“So that’s why I’m telling we are going to suffer because I will continue to do the same. To help my players is to give them the tools to play in this way, but then without training it is really hard…
“I am just here to help my players, but we need to understand we are breaking all the bad records.”
Nottingham Forest’s unlikely title challenge goes from strength to strength after a 3-2 win against last-placed Southampton – that’s nine games unbeaten now in all competitions – featured goals from Elliot Anderson and Callum Hudson-Odoi, before Chris Wood nodded in his 14th of the season.
Forest are now third, behind Arsenal only on goal difference, with Liverpool still leading the way six points ahead of their pursuers with a game in hand.
Elsewhere, in a return to some EPL normality, Phil Foden scored twice and Erling Haaland celebrated his bumper new deal with a goal as Manchester City romped to their biggest Premier League win in more than two years, with a 6-0 thumping of relegation-threatened Ipswich.
Haaland helped himself to a goal at the end of a week in which he committed himself to the club for the best part of a decade, while Mateo Kovacic, Jeremy Doku and James McAtee were also on target as City moved above Newcastle into fourth place on goal difference.
It was their biggest league win since hammering Forest by the same scoreline in August 2022 and means they’re back in the top four for the first time since December 1.
© AAP
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