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Tottenham: Ange Postecoglou may already be rethinking his aims for the season
Tottenham went down to a deeply frustrating 1-0 defeat to rivals Arsenal in an entertaining but bitty north London derby.
Gabriel Magalhaes headed home the winning goal in the 64th minute after Cristian Romero switched off from a corner, to leave Ange Postecoglou’s side with just four points from as many games.
Here are the key Tottenham talking points…
Spurs already off the pace
A third consecutive home defeat to Arsenal was all the more frustrating for Spurs because it felt like such an opportunity missed.
There is never a good time to play Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal but the Gunners travelled up the Seven Sisters Road without the suspended Declan Rice and missing six senior players to injury.
The absence of Rice and captain Martin Odegaard meant Thomas Partey and Jorginho lined up in midfield – hardly the most dynamic pairing at this level.
And yet, for all their possession and openings, Spurs failed to take advantage in another frustrating afternoon which followed a now-familiar script.
Postecoglou’s side played some eye-catching football at times and pressed Arsenal superbly, but the hosts were short of cutting edge in front of goal and ultimately undone by a defensive lapse at a set-piece. It was far too easy for Gabriel to head home the winner just after the hour.
The upshot is that Spurs now have one win from their opening four matches - coming against pointless Everton - and host Brentford next weekend on the back of consecutive defeats.
It is far too early to talk of pressure on Postecoglou, but the Australian said back in April that he expected to be in a title challenge this season, and Spurs already trail Arsenal by six points and Manchester City by eight.
Those gaps will only widen if Spurs do not start picking up results quickly, which may leave Postecoglou needing to recalibrate his aims for the campaign.
Set pieces Spurs’ downfall again
Tottenham’s set-piece problem returned on the worst possible occasion, as Gabriel headed home a corner to settle a scrappy game, which was shaded by the hosts.
It was too easy for the centre-half to rise in a crowded penalty box to meet Saka’s inswinging ball, with Spurs’ vice-captain Cristian Romero guilty of leaving his man.
Spurs could point to Gabriel’s slight push in Romero's back beforehand, but it was not enough to interest the VAR and the Argentine – who has built a reputation on aggression and competitiveness – should have been able to respond.
As much as it was tempting to blame Romero, Spurs’ weakness at set-pieces is a collective problem, and plainly not about one player or one big game. They have too frequently appeared weak and disorganised at dead balls under Postecoglou, conceding nine times from set pieces in the top flight last season.
Postecoglou has repeatedly dismissed the suggestion that Spurs’ set-piece defending was an issue
By contrast, Mikel Arteta has turned his Arsenal side into set-piece specialists, always capable of winning a tight game with this kind of goal.
Last season, Postecoglou repeatedly dismissed the suggestion that Spurs’ set-piece defending was an issue and suggested it would improve in time.
Nick Montgomery, who joined Postecoglou’s coaching staff in the summer, has been working on defending set-pieces to solve the problem.
After this painful defeat, supporters will question when their side will turn a corner.
Effective press offset by poor finishing
Postecoglou’s XI was conspicuously short of defence-minded players – with Dejan Kulusevski, James Maddison and Rodrigo Bentancur in midfield – but the most impressive aspect of their performance was their work out of possession.
With Dominic Solanke and Kulusevski – statistically among the top-flight’s best off-the-ball forwards – working tirelessly, Spurs repeatedly unsettled Arsenal’s attempts to play out from the back, capitalising on the absence of Rice.
On at least four occasions, they won the ball high up the pitch, creating overloads, with relentless and smart pressing.
But they were unable to make these positions, too often dithering in possession and allowing Arsenal to regroup.
When Kulusevski did manage to release Brennan Johnson from one such situation at the end of the first half, the winger fired over the bar – one of several good openings wasted by Spurs.
In the end, this game featured more encouraging glimpses of the type of team Spurs can be in the future, but they will keep struggling to win points in the Premier League until they sharpen up in front of goal.
