Ange Postecoglou has expressed an opinion in his post-match press conference on the way Spurs play that may frustrate some supporters.
Tottenham have continued their inconsistent form which has been notable throughout their season. Although Spurs made light work of the Premier League reigning champions on Saturday, they were unable to secure the three points in the Europa League against a Roma side who have gone the month of November without a win and are 12th in Serie A.
Spurs looked threatening in attack, with 3.61 expected goals, 12 shots on target and three shots which hit the woodwork, but they were not able to defeat their Italian opponents.
As good as Spurs were at times, there were periods of the match when Roma were dominant, which eventually led to their stoppage time equaliser, causing questions over whether Ange Postecoglou should compromise on making his side enjoyable to watch in order to get results.
Postecoglou has made it clear in his post-match press conference that entertaining the supporters is just as important to him as winning matches (Football London).
When asked about whether Tottenham will value the result over entertainment in their final three league stage matches, he said: “No (smiles). Why can’t it just be entertaining? Isn’t it why we all come? Would you really prefer us to sketch out a couple of 0-0 draws and a 1-0 win and we get through?
“I don’t know. I would much rather we’re exciting to watch and maybe it is edge-of-the-seat stuff and sometimes we don’t get the reward, like we could have tonight, but no, if you want those kinds of games, there are plenty in world football you can watch every weekend. I’d like to think when you tune into us you’ll be entertained.”
Although Postecoglou’s stubbornness and belief in his own philosophy is nothing new, his comments may come as a surprise to some, as Tottenham’s next match in the competition is of great importance, with them facing Rangers, who are one position above them in eighth.
There were times against Roma when Tottenham looked open, and the yellow and reds had plenty of chances they did not take, but Spurs did do a good job for large parts of the game at keeping the visitors’ attack in check, with Roma often having to stray offside as they tried to break down the defence.
The goals Tottenham let in were not scored because they played too open, rather they were from a free kick carelessly given away by Radu Dragusin and from them failing to clear the ball away from a corner.
While Tottenham conceded late on, the game should already have been won after all the goal-scoring opportunities they had at the other end. The biggest takeaway from the game should be that Spurs need to be clinical, take their chances and improve their decision-making in the final third. They should still be able to get results while playing entertaining football.
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