Richard Keys has accused Ange Postecoglou of naivety against Aston Villa, warning the Tottenham head coach that he will not be able to bring success to the North London club if he does not become a bit more pragmatic.
Tottenham were their own worst enemy against Villa, wasting a whole host of chances, particularly in the first half. The Lilywhites will argue they were unlucky, given that they had three goals ruled out for marginal offside calls and hit the post twice.
They were undone by a set-piece just ahead of half-time, with Pau Torres rising highest to head home the equaliser before Ollie Watkins netted the match-winner against the run of play on 61 minutes.
In his column on BBC Sport, Jermaine Jenas insisted that Postecoglou should have adopted a slightly more cautious approach, given the players that Spurs were missing.
Keys agreed with Jenas’ assessment and he also singled out Gugleilmo Vicario for criticism for not being decisive with his decision-making.
The beIN SPORTS anchor wrote in his personal blog: “It couldn’t have been an easy day at Spurs, but they shouldn’t have lost to Villa. Having said that – Villa were top-class. Ollie Watkins’ finish was as good as you’ll see. Terrific.
“But Spurs were so naïve again. What was the keeper doing bouncing around in his area trying to get them on the front foot deep in first-half stoppage time? Calm down, man. Keep the ball. Get in one-up. Manage the game. Do all of the things you didn’t do v Chelsea.
“But oh no. They did it again. They were reckless. I know Ange ‘it’s what we are mate’, but you won’t be joining the big boys unless you’re more professional.
“I grant you – the way Spurs play can be enjoyable to watch, but it won’t bring success. I don’t buy the fact that they were short yesterday. If they get in one-up the second half is different.”
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As Keys himself points out, it was a game of fine margins and the result could have been a lot different had one or two things gone in Tottenham’s favour. Had Son stayed onside for his goal in the first half, we might have ended up winning this game comfortably.
So, it does not seem wise to consider ripping up the playbook after such a tight contest where we did not have the rub of the green. We will certainly win more points than we lose playing this way over the course of the season.
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