Tottenham Hotspur boss Ange Postecoglou will start having pressure mounting on him after suffering a north London derby defeat to Arsenal, according to BBC Radio 5 Live pundit Matthew Upson.
Spurs fell to their second Premier League loss of the season on Sunday, thanks to a narrow 1-0 reverse at home to their bitter rivals. Defender Gabriel Magalhaes scored the only goal of the contest shortly after the hour mark, following some poor defending from the home side when facing a corner.
Postecoglou’s side were beaten 2-1 by Newcastle United before the international break, while they only managed a 1-1 draw against Leicester City in their opening game of the campaign. Their solitary win so far has come in the form of a 4-0 victory at home to Everton at the end of last month.
Postecoglou in Midst of Difficult Spell at Spurs
North Londoners suffered derby defeat to Arsenal
In light of Tottenham's defeat to Arsenal, Upson, who featured for the likes of the Gunners and West Ham United during his playing career, claimed that Postecoglou will come under pressure should he struggle to oversee a good run of form. The Greek-Australian tactician has been in charge of Spurs since last summer, and he guided them to a fifth-placed finish in his first campaign at the club.
However, Upson has criticised the team’s defensive capabilities and believes summer signing Dominic Solanke has struggled to hit the ground running. Spurs signed the former Bournemouth striker for £65million during the transfer window as their statement arrival.
Upson told BBC Radio 5 Live:
“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.
“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.
“The pressure is going to start to build a bit on the manager.”
Why Timber Was Not Sent Off Against Spurs
It was a controversial moment in the North London derby
In the first half of the derby at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Arsenal’s Jurrien Timber avoided being given his matching orders as tempers frayed. The Dutchman put in a heavy challenge on Spurs’ Pedro Porro, which resulted in tensions reaching boiling point.
Lilywhites goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario was involved in the melee and Timber grabbed the Italian’s shirt. Timber was booked for the challenge on Porro, while Vicario was cautioned for instigating the commotion.
According to Gary Neville, speaking on Sky Sports, those at Stockley Park reviewed Timber’s challenge. It has been claimed that the defender touched the ball, but didn’t follow through over it, which prevented the yellow card from being upgraded.
The Premier League match centre also confirmed on X that VAR checked for a potential red card, but confirmed referee Jarred Gillett's on-field decision. It was a lucky escape for Arsenal as they were already missing midfielder Declan Rice through suspension.