Tottenham Hotspurs’ 2-0 loss to Manchester City has almost crushed any hopes of Arsenal winning the Premier League title. Ahead of the fixture, there was a big debate on whether the Spurs even wanting to win this game as it would help their North London rivals get closer to the Premier League title. However, coach Ange Postecoglou was critical of those takes in his pre-match press conference.
In a survey done by Sky Sports, 54% of Spurs fans voted for their team to lose the game against City on Tuesday. In the end, the fans’ wishes came true as Erling Haaland fired two goals and helped City go into the final matchday at the top of the Premier League table. Following the loss, Tottenham Hotspurs’ coach Ange Postecoglu was visibly upset. He got into it with a fan during the game as he was cheering for the Spurs to lose the game.
The 58-year-old appeared visibly unhappy during the post-match press conference. He made some scathing takes about his assessment of the club. “The last 48 hours have revealed that the foundations are fairly fragile. It’s my observations. You can make your assessment. I probably misread the situation. But that’s OK. Maybe I’m out of step but I just don’t care, I want to win,” said the former Celtic manager.
Is Ange Postecoglou’s anger towards Spurs fans valid?
Tottenham Hotspurs’ loss has not only put Arsenal’s title hopes to rest, but it has also cost them a place in the UEFA Champions League. In fact, the Spurs are at risk of missing out on European football altogether, if they fail to win their final league game against Sheffield United. They are currently fifth with 63 points, but Chelsea and Newcastle are both just 6 points behind them with two games to play.
Ange Postecoglou started the season in a stunning fashion, but as the season progressed the team kept regressing. Injuries affected them massively, but they cannot use that as an excuse for their disappointments. Despite missing out on some key pieces, the Australian did not force any change in tactics. While it worked out for them initially, the last few weeks have shown that this style could prove to hurt them against a few opponents.
The North London rivalry is certainly one of the most fierce among the others in the country, but the 58-year-old stated that he just wants his team to win games. However, he has had to answer questions on whether his team will play to win against an opponent in a Premier League fixture [referring to journalists asking Postecoglou whether the Spurs are locked in ahead of the game against City.] While the coach will be working on the team over the summer, he will be hoping that the fans do not turn up with hopes of the Spurs losing a game in the future.
