Tottenham Hotspur 1-2 Ipswich Town: The Afterthought
Here we go again. Where’s the wall? It’s time to bash your head into it. “Tottenham Hotspur inconsistency is down to me,” Ange said after the incredible home defeat against Ipswich. As a Spurs fan, it might be highly frustrating to watch your team look unbeatable one week and then weaker than a relegation-threatened side the next.
So, what have we learned from the latest disaster class by this Spurs team?
Other teams are smart…
You can’t win a title if you don’t adapt. Other teams are smart, too. Ange has been stubborn enough to use the same tactics against every outfit he has faced. The quality of the squad ensures that they win most of the games, but then there are times—and there will be times—when Spurs slip against a random team (no disrespect to Ipswich, of course).
Does Ange think other teams do not watch their tapes? How can you not beat a relegation-threatened Ipswich at home? This should be a bread-and-butter fixture for every established Premier League team. Kieran McKenna was spot on with his tactics because he understood his assignment and made tweaks accordingly; Ange didn’t.
Every other week, when a result doesn’t go their way, Ange makes the same excuse that it is his fault for the lack of consistency. That’s all fine, but why isn’t he learning from these defeats, and why isn’t he tweaking his tactics to get through such games? Ipswich is a formidable opponent, but 10/10 times, you would expect Spurs to beat them, especially at home. The worrying thing for Ange and Spurs would be that other teams have started to figure them out.
Time to stand up to Levy?
It’s not like Spurs fans have not been asking questions from Levy for all these years, but has he been listening to the suggestions or criticism? You can’t keep changing managers like you change nappies for kids. That is not the solution; it worked for Chelsea under Roman Abrahamovic because he would put in so much money in the squad that it eventually had to work. Levy is anything but Roman. It’s not that Spurs haven’t spent money, but there is an apparent lack of vision and direction regarding where the club is currently going.
It might be time for the Spurs fans to stand up and start asking Daniel Levy serious questions because this cannot go on for long. Spurs currently have one of the best stadiums, if not the best, in England. They have a competitive squad and an ambitious coach, but they aren’t close to winning anything big, and that has been the case for a couple of decades now. Maybe Spurs need someone else in the think tank, a guy with a different vision. We don’t think it will be long before Levy finally faces a real backlash.
Goodbye, Ange?
After the game against Ipswich, there were audibly loud boos from the fans. Ange coming up with the same excuse after every loss isn’t helping his case either. His future looks on thin ice, but how many managers will get sacrificed before fans start asking questions from the real culprit – the board.
Ange Postecoglou might not be the right person to lead the club, but Spurs have already tried serial winners like Mourinho and Conte and failed. Who else is out there who will take this cursed job? Spurs’ damaged reputation hasn’t come from the fans or managers but from the board, which just sits idly by as managers come and go, but things do not change.
Hence, it would not be wise to sack Ange. Instead, give him this season and see where it goes, and in the meantime, start asking questions of the seriously inept Spurs board.