Tottenham Tactical Suicide Soccer
Glenn Hoddle, who played for Tottenham Hotspur in the past, criticized coach Anger Postekoglou's tactics.
Tottenham Hotspur lost 1-4 to Chelsea in the 11th round of the 2023-24 season Premier League (PL) held at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England at 5 a.m. on the 7th (Korean time). As a result, Tottenham, who finished undefeated in 10 games, failed to regain first place as they were unable to add points.
Tottenham laughed first early on. The game seemed to be getting easier as Dejan Kulusevski scored the first goal in the 6th minute of the first half. However, Tottenham continued to face crises after that. Raheem Sterling hit the net in the 23rd minute of the first half, but fortunately the goal was disallowed as a foul was declared after a video review (VAR) check.
Even in the second VAR situation, it seemed like they were escaping the crisis. In the 32nd minute of the first half, Moises Caicedo hit the net with a fantastic mid-range shot, but the referee checked the situation through an on-field review after communicating with the VAR room. Caicedo's goal was cancelled.
However, we looked at the situation in detail about the rough foul that Christian Romero committed against Enzo Fernandez in the previous process. In the end, the referee judged that Romero's tackle was deep and declared a penalty kick (PK) along with a direct red card. Cole Palmer took the kicker and scored the equalizer.
Even in a situation where one player was lacking, Coach Postekoglou formed a high line. He played the game aggressively, no different from the 11-man situation. Son Heung-min and Kulusevski were placed at the front, while James Madison, Yves Bissouma, and Pape Sar made up the midfield. Romero's vacancy was filled with Eric Dier.
But bad news coincided. In the 10th minute of the second half, Destiny Udoji, who already had one warning, received one more and was sent off due to accumulated warnings. Tottenham is fighting with 9 people. But Coach Postekoglou did not back down.
Coach Postekoglou used a 4-3-1 formation with eight field players excluding the goalkeeper. In fact, excluding Son Heung-min, it was no different from the 0-7-1 formation. They formed a defensive line near the half line and continued to form an offside trap. When the ball flowed, goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario quickly came out and blocked Chelsea's attack with his handling tactics.
Chelsea was embarrassed. Usually, even if only one player is sent off, the opponent usually lowers his line and launches a counterattack-oriented attack. The opponent cannot help but feel embarrassed as they do not move down the line even though two players have been ejected. Accordingly, in the early 11vs9 fight, Chelsea continued to fall into the offside trap and missed opportunities.
However, it was difficult for 9 people to deal with 11 people. In the end, Chelsea succeeded in a comeback in the 30th minute of the second half when Sterling completely broke the offside trap and connected a cross, which Jackson finished. Afterwards, Tottenham collapsed. In the end, Jackson scored multiple goals in extra time in the second half. In the end, Tottenham lost the game 1-4.
It was a tactic that surprised everyone. Even in a 1-2 situation, Tottenham did not back down, seizing 2-3 opportunities and even hitting the net once through a set piece. Although it was flagged for offside, it was a scene that chilled Chelsea's nerves.
As a result, Coach Postekoglou's tactics were the cause of defeat. Hodo also strongly criticized it. He pointed out, “I think it was suicide football that Tottenham continued to maintain such a high line near the halfway line.”
However, Coach Postekoglou does not plan to back down. At a press conference after the game, he expressed strong confidence in his tactics, saying, "This is who we are, and as long as I'm here, we will do that. Even if we are reduced to five players, we will try."