Postecoglou says opponents slowing down the game is a problem for Spurs

Tottenham fell to defeat against arch-rivals Arsenal on Sunday, despite dominating possession. Postecoglou has since answered questions regarding his side’s pace of play and lack of goals despite dominating the ball.

Despite an attacking approach Spurs are struggling to score goals

Ange Postecoglou has become notorious for his attacking approach, with his sides frequently dominating the ball, proven by Tottenham having the highest average possession (67%) in the Premier League this season. (FBRef)

Despite controlling matches, Tottenham have failed to excite fans in the opening four games of the season, with a 4-0 victory against a very poor Everton the only silver lining.

Many fans inside the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium have taken issue with Postecoglou’s seemingly slow pace of play against Arsenal in particular.

Postecoglou gives his take on Tottenham’s slow pace of play

Ange Postecoglou was asked as to whether he felt frustrated at his team’s slow attacking pace against Arsenal, with the manager explaining to Football.London:

“Not specifically. I think it was before that. It was quite obvious Arsenal were quite keen to slow the game down. I thought we did that at times unnecessarily in the first half as well. A couple of times from goal kicks where we took ages to get started.

“We allowed them to get the break they wanted. At the end of the game it is always going to be difficult because they are really good at sitting deep, they’ve got a really strong presence inside their defensive box.

“So going a goal behind was always going to be difficult for us to open them up or generate any tempo in the game. I thought there were missed opportunities, particularly in the first half when we were on top and continued to be relentless. There was a lot of slowing down of the game when they were in control of it. When we slowed it down we kind of contributed to it as well”.

Spurs Web opinion

It’s not just the pace of play that’s hampering Tottenham’s creativity, it’s also the squad’s apparent lack of quality in delivering a dangerous final ball, with Spurs dominating the ball against Arsenal yet only conjuring up 0.71xG. (FotMob)

Pace of play has also been a clear issue with Maddison and Romero in particular slowing down the game and taking long on the ball, ultimately allowing the opposition to regroup and set up their low block that Spurs struggle to succeed against.

Hopefully, a younger, rawer starting line-up against Coventry will mean that Spurs have more pace and creativity to their game with Lucas Bergvall and Mikey Moore in particular showing that they can provide exactly that in pre-season.

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