Postecoglou faces date with destiny as Spurs capitulate again

If Ange Postecoglou is connected nan hunt for leaks astatine Tottenham Hotspur, his hunt should commencement pinch those moving done his midfield and defence that person been near unattended to spot his occupation successful jeopardy.

Postecoglou revealed connected Friday that location was a mole wrong his nine filtering retired classified accusation into nan nationalist domain.

But what is nary concealed is Spurs are a soft touch for opponents pinch moreover nan slightest hint of threat.

It was proved again successful a 4-2 conclusion by Wolves astatine Molineux - a masterclass successful each logic why Postecoglou's broadside person mislaid 17 Premier League games retired of 32, much than successful immoderate different season, and why they languish down successful 15th place.

Their day was encapsulated by Djed Spence's farcical ain goal, arsenic keeper Guglielmo Vicario palmed nan shot against nan backtracking full-back and into nan net, to springiness Wolves a two-goal lead successful a dispiriting first half.

Postecoglou's look of thunder turned to 1 of complete disbelief erstwhile he went backmost to nan chair to reappraisal nan infinitesimal connected a monitor. It was an X-rated scary show.

It is simply a flaw nan Australian has simply been incapable to cure, undermining each his good attacking principles that prompted specified optimism and dream successful nan early months of his reign.

Since Postecoglou took complete earlier nan 2023-24 campaign, only West Ham and Sheffield United (seven each) person scored much Premier League ain goals than nan six by Spurs.

And only nan existent bottommost 3 clubs – Southampton (26), Leicester (22) and Ipswich (19) – person mislaid much convention games than their 17 this season.

It is nan astir defeats Spurs person suffered successful a convention run since 2003-04 (19) erstwhile they vanished 14th.

There does person to beryllium immoderate discourse applied to this defeat, though.

Postecoglou's priorities, perfectly understandably, dishonesty pinch nan Europa League quarter-final 2nd limb distant to Eintracht Frankfurt connected Thursday aft a 1-1 tie successful nan first gathering astatine home.

It explained nan six changes that saw Son Heung-min, Micky van de Ven, Pedro Porro and Destiny Udogie kept back, while Rodrigo Bentancur came connected arsenic substitute. The large prize was nan return of Dejan Kulusevski aft wounded for a 15-minute run-out.

There is besides a worrying downside to that discourse too.

If location is immoderate repetition of nan carelessness and wide incompetence that scarred this display, past Spurs' trophy hopes will beryllium complete for different play and so, successful each probability, will beryllium Postecoglou's spell successful charge.

What cannot beryllium explained distant is nan slapdash mode and deficiency of basal organisation that allowed rejuvenated Wolves to grounds a 4th consecutive top-flight occurrence for nan first clip since January 1972.

It started wrong 2 minutes, erstwhile keeper Vicario's tame punch from a area recovered Wolves defender Rayan Ait-Nouri unmarked from nan set-piece connected nan separator of nan area. He accepted nan invitation to score.

The 2nd was different calamity, Vicario again culpable erstwhile he turned location striker Marshall Munetsi's tame header connected to Spence erstwhile he could person held on, nan shot rebounded backmost into his ain goal.

And moreover erstwhile Mathys Tel offered dream conscionable earlier nan hr pinch his 2nd convention extremity successful successive games, Cristian Romero flouted his position arsenic a World Cup victor pinch a shocking portion of defending. The Argentina centre-back was robbed and beaten by Ait-Nouri, who crossed for Jorgen Strand Larsen to people pinch ease, and for a 4th successive game.

It went on.

Spurs inflicted much of their ain wounds aft Richarlison thought he had group up a tense finale pinch 5 minutes left.

Lucas Bergvall, instrumental successful Spurs' first goal, past coughed up possession excessively easy successful an instant, leaving Matheus Cunha to title clear and people conscionable a infinitesimal later.

There has to beryllium a measurement of sympathy for Postecoglou, who looked a disconsolate fig arsenic he made his measurement crossed towards those Spurs supporters who were near aft nan last whistle, because immoderate of these errors were nan benignant for which nary head tin legislate.

Postecoglou defended his players saying: "The goals weren't lapses aliases anything, they were individual errors, which is different for america to springiness goals distant for illustration that. But that's what happens and we sewage punished and makes it difficult for america to get an outcome."

It was a very generous mentation from a head who has taken truthful overmuch power himself – but nan measurement of these mistakes, and nan regularity pinch which they person happened successful this dismal season, constituent to a deeper problem.

On nan individual errors by Romero and Bergvall, he added: "It's not for illustration they're doing it connected purpose. Those 2 are beautiful reliable successful those situations. Today was a postulation of events that were different and that makes it difficult to get thing retired of nan game."

Those who beryllium successful judgement connected Postecoglou's future, and successful nan stands astatine Molineux, whitethorn request to disagree fixed nan number of times Spurs person been likewise exposed this season.

And, pinch his accustomed honesty, Postecoglou added: "Mistakes are portion of football, I'm not going to beryllium holding anyone to account, nan only personification who gets held to relationship is me.

"I thought we played beautiful good but conceded immoderate beautiful mediocre goals. Individual errors costs us. It's disappointing to lose."

The backdrop to it each was nan show of thousands of discontented Spurs fans stretched on 1 broadside of Molineux.

They did not purpose their ire successful nan guidance of Postecoglou, but president Daniel Levy, pinch large chants of "We Want Levy Out" aft only 8 minutes, while holding up banners emblazoned pinch nan connection "Time For Change".

The position quo remains for now but it each comes down, arsenic it has for immoderate time, to nan Europa League arsenic Postecoglou's last chance to fulfil his committedness of winning a trophy successful his 2nd season.

It whitethorn beryllium his last chance. Full stop.

There is overmuch to respect astir Postecoglou and his purist footballing principles, but successful reality it has each travel down to events successful Frankfurt this Thursday night.

It is now aliases ne'er for Postecoglou and Spurs.