Clinton Morrison has revealed he thinks “pressure is going to build” on Ange Postecoglou, given Tottenham are “so susceptible defensively that it’s a real problem”.
Tottenham were handed their second Premier League loss in four games on Sunday, meaning they are now 13th in the Premier League. To make matters worse, it was against local rivals Arsenal.
The Gunners are flying high in second, and were too strong for Spurs in the 1-0 victory.
And while it was only a one-goal swing, Morrison feels in the crucial areas of the pitch, at the back and up top, Tottenham are not offering enough.
“Tottenham are so susceptible defensively that it’s a real problem. They are not being clinical enough either, which is what the real hammer blow is,” Morrison said on BBC Radio 5 Live
“If you’re going to be that offensive and that open and free, you’ve got to bang the ball in the back of the net, and they’re not doing that. Dominic Solanke is having a rough start. He was playing against two of the best today.”
As a result, he feels Spurs boss Postecoglou could be in some danger.
“The pressure is going to start to build a bit on the manager,” Morrison added.
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Postecoglou is convinced he can bring success
But Postecoglou himself does not feel that he is currently under any pressure.
In fact, he is eager to replicate a feat he has achieved at many of his other clubs, such as Celtic, Yokohama F Marinos and Brisbane Roar, in achieving silverware in his second campaign.
“I will correct myself: I don’t usually win things, I always win things in my second year. Nothing has changed,” he said after the loss to Arsenal.
That pressure will begin to ramp up if he does not string a run of form together, though.
New signings can help ease pressure
If by January things are not looking up, Postecoglou will almost certainly look to improve his side in the transfer market.
He has eyes on Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who could help to get the best out of Dominic Solanke, by giving him competition.
Another striker on the radar is 15-year-old Harry Gray, whose brother Archie is already at Spurs. The former bagged eight goals for Leeds under-18s last season.
Further to those pursuits, Tottenham are keen on Eberechi Eze and Noah Okafor.
Postecoglou’s side feel that another Premier League giant may have budged in front of them for the former, but a move for the latter is being planned for January.
How does Postecoglou compare with Conte
Postecoglou was the first permanent Spurs manager to follow Antonio Conte, when he left the club.
The Italian had essentially a year and a half at the helm, and managed 76 games in that time.
He won 41, drew 12 and lost 23. That means his Tottenham side achieved an average of 1.78 points per game, and they also achieved a fourth-placed finish in his first season.
Postecoglou has managed just 45 Tottenham games so far, winning 21, drawing seven and losing 16. His points-per-game tally is 1.62.
In his one full season so far, he guided Spurs to fifth in the Premier League. But he’s currently performing worse than how Conte did, and he did not last all of his second season, so Postecoglou will hope he can go one better.
He clearly feels it’s possible, but there needs to be change from how the season has started for that to be true.