Matt Law has defended Ange Postecoglou and refuted suggestions the Tottenham Hotspur manager is 'delusional' after his side suffered its 10th defeat of the Premier League season.
Spurs were beaten 2-1 at home to Newcastle United in a controversial clash which left Postecoglou 'the angriest' he's 'ever been'. The Australian coach was furious when Anthony Gordon's equaliser was allowed to stand after the ball struck Joelinton on the arm in the build up to the English attacker's goal.
Eddie Howe's Magpies piled more misery on the Lilywhites, and the pressure is growing on Postecoglou. Dominic Solanke gave the hosts the lead before Gordon equalised, and Alexander Isak was on target yet again with a first-half winner. The defeat leaves Spurs 12th in the league with 24 points from 20 games.
Law: Postecoglou Not Delusional Despite Spurs Slump
The Australian's stubbornness has been criticised
Law pointed out the injury curse Postecoglou had dealt with and largely blamed this for the North Londoners' poor run of results. The Daily Telegraph journalist wrote on X:
Tottenham have not lost 10 games because Ange P is ‘delusional’. They’ve lost 10 games because they’ve got a tonne of injuries and the squad can’t cope. Just as Newcastle had lost 9 games this time last season for the same reason.
Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero and Ben Davies are among the Spurs defenders to be sidelined this season. Postecoglou has been forced to use Archie Gray and Radu Dragusin as a makeshift centre-back pair but has refused to steer away from his attack-heavy brand of football despite vulnerabilities at the back.
The Daily Mail's Craig Hope argued that Postecoglou was 'trapped in his own delusional world' because of his lack of adaptability. He argued that Newcastle boss Eddie Howe is an 'idealist' from whom the Spurs coach should learn a thing or two.
Postecoglou appears to have a lot of credit in the bank despite his side's struggles. He has two years left on his contract, and there doesn't appear to be any drama in the dressing room, and he's got the vast majority of fans still on board.
The 59-year-old can end the club's 17-year trophy drought by winning the Carabao Cup. The Lilywhites are in the semifinals, facing holders Liverpool with the first leg next on Wednesday (January 8) on home soil.