Fans proud despite Tottenham's heavy loss to Chelsea

Tottenham fans supported coach Ange Postecoglou and the offside trap tactic at the halfway line, in the 1-4 defeat to Chelsea in round 11 of the Premier League.

As the Tottenham players walked down the tunnel after the final whistle, tens of thousands of spectators in the stadium stood up and applauded. It was a scene that seemed only reserved for the winning team, but Tottenham not only lost, but lost badly.

All eight Tottenham players (in white shirts) remaining on the pitch, excluding the goalkeeper, stood around the circle or the line across the middle of the pitch, when Chelsea had the ball. Photo: screenshot — All eight Tottenham players (in white shirts) remaining on the pitch, excluding the goalkeeper, stood around the circle or the line across the middle of the pitch, when Chelsea had the ball. Photo: *screenshot*

Having been reduced to nine men, with Cristian Romero and Destiny Udogie sent off, Tottenham still played with a high defensive line, aiming to play an attacking game. There were times when they set an offside trap at the halfway line, despite being two players down and the score still tied. There were two times when Tottenham almost equalised at 2-2, when Eric Dier's goal was ruled out for a small offside, and Son Heung-min's shot was pushed out by goalkeeper Robert Sanchez.

Asked about the defence pushing high into midfield when down to nine men, coach Postecoglou told Sky Sports : "That's how we are, and we will continue to play like that as long as I am here."

The reporter asked again: "But Tottenham don't change the way they play? When they have only 10 men or nine men?". The Australian coach replied: "Definitely not. If we have only five men, we will still find a way to win."

Tottenham's high defensive line caused controversy among neutrals, who felt the home side should have played concrete when they were down a man. But many Tottenham fans didn't think so, and were even proud of the result.

On the Tottenham fan forum on Reddit , Bomberman9 commented: "Defeats always hurt, but this one hurt less because I didn't see any players lose faith or will. The team played the way I wanted to see until the end, and did better than the opponent even though the score didn't seem that way." JefeLummer responded: "We created more chances with nine men than Jose Mourinho did with 11 men and led 1-0."

Coach Postecoglou thanked Tottenham fans after losing to Chelsea at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, round 11 of the Premier League on the evening of November 6, 2023. Photo: Reuters — Coach Postecoglou thanked Tottenham fans after losing to Chelsea at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, round 11 of the Premier League on the evening of November 6, 2023. Photo: *Reuters*

Tottenham players have many moments to stimulate the excitement of the home crowd after each good ball situation. For example, after Pierre Emile Hojbjerg cleared the ball on the goal line from Nicolas Jackson's close-range header in the 56th minute, the home players celebrated with him as if he had just scored. Or defender Pedro Porro, after drawing a foul from Marc Cucurella, waved his arms towards the audience to call for more cheers.

BlandoCalrissian was proud that Postecoglou instilled such a spirit in his players. "Dare to think, dare to do," he commented. "Postecoglou is the embodiment of Tottenham's philosophy. Even if the team loses, they must play the most courageous and exciting football. Hopefully he will continue to lead the team for a long time." And thelordreptar90 responded: "I have never been so proud of the team after a loss."

Tottenham fans have also compared Postecoglou to previous managers such as Jose Mourinho, Nuno Espirito Santo or Antonio Conte. These managers are known for their pragmatic style of play, and would probably "park the bus" in front of the goal in the above situation. "I'd rather the team play like this than the self-destructive football of Mourinho or Conte," commented PointBlankCoffee .

Postecoglou has led Tottenham to 11 matches, achieving a winning rate of 72.7%, the highest in the club's history. However, they are expected to face difficulties in the coming time because center-back Romero will be suspended for three matches, while Micky van de Ven and James Maddison are injured and it is unclear when they will return.

Postecoglou, 58, is a Greek-Australian. His playing career was limited to clubs in Australia, but he has achieved more success in his managerial career. He helped Australia win the 2015 Asian Cup, then led Yokohama F Marinos to the J-League title in 2019. Before moving to Tottenham in the summer of 2023, he won five trophies for Celtic in just two seasons.

Hoang An

Source link