The Tottenham Hotspur soap opera continues after Ange Postecoglou’s poor set-piece record haunts him again in defeat against Arsenal.
Spurs have won just one of their four Premier League games so far, losing their previous game toothlessly to North London rivals Arsenal in quite a stale 1-0 loss.
Having finished fifth in their first season in charge under new boss Ange Postecoglou, the Lillywhites have got off to a poor start with questions already being asked of the Australian.
Former Spurs midfielder, Jamie O’Hara, who isn’t shy on voicing his opinion on social media, as well as talkSPORT said: “I’m not sure what to think of his (Postecoglou) tactics at the moment because Tottenham look so soft and are conceding goals for fun,”
Tottenham have also come under fire for their set-piece defending, with goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario often looking suspect on corners.
On that matter, O’Hara said: “The set-pieces are a disgrace both in attack and defence; he needs to work on that. I’d give Ange Postecoglou a 3/10 for the way he managed the game against Arsenal.”
Since then, Postecoglou has addressed the talk regarding the set-pieces.
Speaking post-match, he said: “I know for some, people think I don’t care about set-pieces, and it’s a narrative that you can keep going on for ages and ages. I understand that. Like I said, we work on them all the time, like we do with every other team.”
MORE TOTTENHAM COVERAGE ON F365…
👉 Hoddle claims Spurs lack ‘X-factor’ star for key Postecoglou tactic underscored by ‘abysmal’ facet
👉 Cristian Romero slams Tottenham in deleted post after losing NLD derby to Arsenal
👉 Tottenham star emerges as top alternative for Real Madrid if Arsenal deal proves ‘difficult’
Since Postecoglou’s arrival, Spurs have conceded 18 times from set-pieces, with 13 of them coming from January onwards.
O’Hara, who played 93 times for Spurs in the Premier League, continued his damning assessment of Spurs.
He said: “Cristian Romero is another I’d give a 3/10 to, he got beaten by Gabriel for the goal and he seems to gift the opposition a goal every week. Brennan Johnson was the worst player, he is woeful. He was nowhere near good enough and he was hiding, but he never produces when he does get the ball. I’d give him a 2/10 as well. I look at it and think, have we brought in top players? Dominic Solanke, one good season at Bournemouth and we signed him for £60million.”
Solanke is yet to get off the mark for Spurs since his arrival in the summer, still nursing an ankle injury, having missed games against Everton and Newcastle.
The 27-year-old seemed to be gifted a golden opportunity early in the first half of the North London derby, though he failed to pulled the trigger, looking like a player shy of confidence in front of goal.
Last season, the former Liverpool man scored 19 league goals, and Postecoglou and Spurs will be hoping he hits similar numbers this season to allow them to improve on their fifth placed finish last season.