Tottenham suffered their 18th league defeat of the league on Monday night
Postecoglou has come under immense criticism amid the side's dismal run
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In isolation, Tottenham were not horrendous against Nottingham Forest. They were undone by two early mistakes which allowed Nuno Espirito Santo’s side to sit back and defend a record number of crosses.
Ange Postecoglou’s big problem, however, is that Monday’s 2-1 defeat is far from an isolated occurrence. It was Spurs’ 18th league loss of the season, which is why he seems set to leave.
Despite scoring only once against Forest, creating chances has not been the issue for Spurs. It is in defence where they are still all over the place. Though keeper Guglielmo Vicario can be blamed for at least one goal, that doesn’t hide the fact it took Spurs nearly half an hour to get to grips with Forest.
When Elliot Anderson and Morgan Gibbs-White came inside, Tottenham’s midfielders and full backs did not know whether to stick or twist. There were no instructions from the side or leadership on the pitch and, within 16 minutes, Forest led 2-0.
It has been a recurring theme. You don’t lose that many matches if you are organised properly, an aspect that sometimes only takes simple coaching to achieve.
Being difficult to play through is one of the easiest things to work on. Blocking space, condensing the pitch and protecting your goal should not be difficult for the quality players at Spurs, but they have not done it.
It is not just a case of being naive - it feels as if Tottenham don’t go into games with a defensive plan. They simply have an idea of how to try to hurt opponents and think that will be enough. At Premier League level, it is not and teams are working them out. I saw Nuno work them out and Wolves did the same. Spurs lost 4-2 at Molineux and, while Postecoglou said they played well, that was only true with the ball. Without it they were awful. They were outnumbered in parts of the pitch and didn’t fix the problem.
Tottenham have rarely changed tactics. Postecoglou did pair Dominic Solanke and Richarlison up front late on against Forest which was unusual, but it was desperation. By then, it was too late. Nuno has been flexible and made changes even when leading. It contrasts with how rigid Postecoglou has been.
This latest loss was not particularly bad. Richarlison had two good chances before scoring late on. I know James Maddison stayed on the bench, but I could see the logic. Forest defended so deep there was no room in behind for him to thread his passes.
If Postecoglou is to leave, he can still do so on a high note by winning the Europa League.
He has a big decision to make over Vicario before the semi-final, because when a goalkeeper is gifting goals like he is, the dressing room loses confidence.
We can’t forget the excitement Postecoglou has brought to my former club. But while neutrals love watching Spurs, opponents love playing against them, too.