After another defeat at St. James’ Park today, Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou revealed his disappointment at the result and told the press he thought his side should have won the game.
Spurs struggle in the hostile atmosphere
In the last two years, Spurs have been soundly beaten 6-1 and 4-0 by Newcastle in away games. This time, it was a more frustrating afternoon for the Lilywhites, as they dominated the Magpies in many ways.
Despite having the lion’s share of possession, and more than double the amount of shots Newcastle had, Tottenham were unable to capitalise on Newcastle’s frailties, and suffered a blow as Alexander Isak rounded off a counter-attack to grab all three points.
It was a familiar story for Postecoglou, who saw his attackers being wasteful and his defence switching off at key times.
Speaking to the press after the game (via Football.London), the Spurs boss was asked whether his side deserved more and he suggested they should have won the game long before Newcastle’s eventual winner.
He said: “Obviously [we should have got something from the game]. Very similar I guess to our first away game when we controlled it for the most part, nullified most of the threats that Newcastle have.
It’s obviously a difficult opponent here at home. The crowd create a pretty strong atmosphere for the home side, little things go their way but I thought for the most part we handled that really well.”
Tottenham needed to kill the game
The Newcastle winner came against the run of play, after a spell of intense pressure from Spurs. It is in that vital period that Postecoglou believes his side failed to get the reward they deserved.
He added: “We gained the ascendancy in the game and we just needed to kill it off and we didn’t and a disappointing second goal. I thought we switched off a little bit but the game should have been well over by then.
“So, another sore one unfortunately where we haven’t got the rewards for our play, but ultimately it’s three strong performances from the first three games. The results don’t reflect it in that way.”
Spurs now have four points from their first three games, and suffered defeat for the first time this season.
Spurs Web Opinion
It is getting really frustrating to see the team playing well, creating an abundance of chances, and none of them being put away. Whether it’s poor decision-making in the final third, or nobody being in those positions where the ball is being delivered, it needs to be rectified quickly.
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Tottenham needed to kill the game
It was put to Ange that he must be wondering how we were going home without any points?
Ange: “Yeah, obviously, very similar I guess to our first away game when we controlled it for the most part, nullified most of the threats that Newcastle have. It’s obviously a difficult opponent here at home. The crowd create a pretty strong atmosphere for the home side, little things go their way but I thought for the most part we handled that really well. Then we gained the ascendancy in the game and we just needed to kill it off and we didn’t and a disappointing second goal. I thought we switched off a little bit but the game should have been well over by then. So, another sore one unfortunately where we haven’t got the rewards for our play, but ultimately it’s three strong performances from the first three games. The results don’t reflect it in that way.”
Did we miss a natural striker?
Ange was asked if the team missed the presence of Dominic Solanke and Richarlison…
Ange: “Yeah, potentially, but I still think even outside of that we just had some really good opportunities, a little bit more composure. Fair play to Pope, I thought he had an outstanding game. But I thought we could have tested him a few more times with just some better decision-making. It’s not just the opportunities we did create. I thought there was another probably six to 10 moments where we could have created even more opportunities. That’s been a constant theme for us that we’re trying to break through.”
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