Mental softness big reason for Spurs’ inconsistency and patchy results according to manager Ange Postecoglou.
Mental softness has been attributed as the principal reason of Spurs patchy form by manager Ange Postecoglou, and he is not happy about it.
The manager stated that he would never “palm off responsibility to whatever we’re going through to things that have existed in the past” and denied that there is a “institutionalised” explanation for the team’s failure to meet its goals.
But he continued to think about how frustrating Thursday’s 1-0 loss at Bournemouth was as he anticipated Sunday’s derby at home against Chelsea. He was then subjected to insults by some of the travelling support. Postecoglou was distracted by the fact that, following a fair start, his players gave up at the first hint of pressure, giving Dean Huijsen a free run to head in from a corner in the seventeenth minute.
Spurs’ third defeat in six Premier League games came against opponents that began lower than them; the previous two were at the hands of relegation-threatened Crystal Palace and Ipswich. Throughout the run, the 10th-place Spurs have defeated eighth-place Aston Villa and fourth-place Manchester City. Fulham, who are sixth, drew with them.
“The key is to understand that Bournemouth is not a ‘lesser’ team,” Postecoglou said. “They have beaten City and Arsenal at home. We prepared ourselves for a tough game, that was going to be tougher than any other game we were going to face.
“And the disappointing thing is that in a game where we started well, we once again allowed the opposition to play the game on their terms by us lacking discipline and conviction in a key moment. We can’t keep doing that.”
When was asked whether it was a physical issue, one to do with mental softness or a mixture of things. “It’s a bit of everything but it can’t be a physical thing when it happens early in the game,” he replied. “We started well. And literally the first time they go up, they get a set piece and they score an unopposed header. You can’t go into a game like that and allow the opposition then to take control.
“It doesn’t sit well with me. Nor should it. I’m not going to accept it. My responsibility is to change that because if we’re going to get to where I want us to get to, we need to break that cycle of not showing the belief and resilience in key moments.
“Nothing’s changed in terms of my resolve to play the football I want to play. It’s just that we haven’t understood the other side of that and that’s the discipline and resilience to overcome difficult moments so that football we have can come through.”
Two weeks ago, Postecoglou stated that his status would be the subject of “a lot of scrutiny” if Spurs finished 10th at Christmas. Next Sunday, they play Southampton in the league, and the following Sunday, they host Liverpool.
Ben Davies was the most recent player to suffer a hamstring injury at Bournemouth, adding to the growing list of injuries. Cristian Romero, who is expected to train on Saturday as he attempts to get past his hamstring and toe issues, is welcome back to Postecoglou.
Postecoglou said he had not yet worked out why the team had been so erratic. “We will keep searching for those answers. Some of it is just around having a competitive squad where there is competition for places which keeps people on edge and we don’t have that at the moment. We haven’t had that for a while. Within the absence of that, we have to find other ways to make sure the players are clear on their responsibilities.”