Postecoglou’s tactical rigidity and naivety cost Tottenham in crushing 4-3 defeat against Chelsea | OneFootball

It’s been a frustrating past couple of weeks for Tottenham Hotspur, and their miserable run of form culminated in Sunday’s crushing 4-3 home defeat against Chelsea.

Spurs started the game on the front foot, capitalising on a couple of errors from Marc Cucurella to go 2-0 up inside the opening 11 minutes thanks to goals from Dominic Solanke and Dejan Kulusevski.

Tottenham seemed like they had the game in the bag, but things started to unravel once Chelsea settled and got into their stride.

Manchester United loanee Jadon Sancho pulled one back for the Blues before talisman Cole Palmer levelled matters with an emphatic penalty.

Chelsea completed the remarkable turnaround when Enzo Fernandez rifled an effort past Fraser Forster in the 73rd minute.

Tottenham’s frustration was evident in the dying embers as Pape Matar Sarr gave away a needless penalty.

Palmer then sealed maximum points for Chelsea with an audacious panenka that reduced Heung-min Son’s stoppage-time effort to a mere consolation.

The defeat at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium means Spurs have now won just one of their last seven games in all competitions.

They’re also winless in their last three Premier League outings (D1, L2) since thrashing Manchester City 4-0 at the Etihad Stadium.

Postecoglou’s stubbornness cost Spurs valuable points

Inconsistency has been a recurring problem at Tottenham since the tail end of last season, and this season has proven no different.

However, they had a golden chance to walk away with three points at home to Chelsea, but manager Ange Postecoglou’s tactical rigidity turned the tide against them.

Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven are crucial to Postecoglou’s system, but they’ve been grappling with injuries recently.

Naming both players in the starting line-up was a huge gamble, but it was a call he had to make given the calibre of the opponent and the importance of the occasion.

Spurs were in cruise control at 2-0 up, and Postecoglou could have asked his side to drop the line a couple of meters and play on the counter-attack.

But his insistence on a high defensive line left his compromised centre-backs dangerously exposed.

Postecoglou’s high line has become his tactical trademark, but it’s a strategy that has repeatedly faltered in high-stakes games, especially against Chelsea.

Last season, in a similarly chaotic clash against the Blues, Spurs were reduced to nine men, yet he clung to the same high line, and it produced a predictably catastrophic result.

Postecoglou’s refusal to adapt is starting to look less like tactical conviction and more like reckless stubbornness and naivety.

The risks of this system became painfully clear as the game wore on. Romero limped off on the quarter-hour mark, and Sancho cut in from the left flank to pull one back almost immediately.

Van de Ven also suffered a setback in the 79th minute after Spurs’ capitulation, and Palmer’s sublime panenka came just five minutes later.

There’s plenty of blame to go around when assessing Tottenham’s inconsistency, but the main issue lies in Postecoglou’s unwillingness to tweak his system and adapt.

It’s painfully clear that he lacks the squad depth or profile to maintain his high-octane style.

The team has been crippled by recurring injury woes, yet the manager pushes his fragile players to their limit and bemoans his misfortune when the inevitable occurs.

Despite their struggles, Tottenham are still four points away from the top four, so Champions League qualification is still achievable.

However, Postecoglou increasingly looks like he’s out of his depth, and his refusal to adapt is enough proof that he doesn’t have what it takes to stop the rot.