Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer both believe that the optics at Tottenham Hotspur at the moment are not very promising for Ange Postecoglou, with the Australian having some huge problems on his hands.
Tottenham drop to the bottom half of the table
After successive defeats to Bournemouth and Chelsea, Tottenham have now dropped to the bottom half of the table, a situation that would have been unthinkable at the start of the season.
This was supposed to be the year that Spurs pushed on and improved from their fifth-place finish last season, with Ange Postecoglou even boldly declaring at the start of the term that his sides always win trophies in his second season in charge.
The Tottenham boss is now under huge pressure, although reports indicate that he is not in any immediate danger of being sacked.
Gray Lineker and Alan Shearer appalled by Tottenham displays
Lineker and Shearer were both extremely critical of Tottenham’s recent performances, with the pair not surprised that the 59-year-old’s position is now coming under scrutiny.
The former Spurs striker told The Rest Is Football podcast about the 4-3 loss to Chelsea: “The penalties they gave away were just daft. Bad decision-making, almost lunging in a panic situation. I don’t know, I suppose Ange must be under pressure now.
“You never know how a club feels about a coach but it’s generally the case that the coach gets the blame for these things.”
Shearer felt that the body language of the Tottenham players against Bournemouth and the reaction of the away fans after the final whistle were ominous for Postecoglou.
He added: “I was at the game on Thursday when they played Bournemouth and they were awful. You could chuck at them they didn’t look bothered on Thursday, particularly the first-half.
“There was a slight improvement in the second half but that was really worrying from a Tottenham point of view. Ange went over to confront the fans because they were booed off, and rightly so as they were that bad, and that for me I thought ‘ooooh problems’.
“You know when you look at players and their body language, Thursday it was rotten. They were awful. Yesterday they were better but it’s not a great sign.”
The Europa League is a welcome distraction
It will come as a relief to the Tottenham squad and Ange Postecoglou that the side can take a momentary break from the pressures of the Premier League as they travel up to Rangers on Thursday.
It is a game one would expect the Lilywhites will win and one would hope that the players take some confidence into the clash at St Mary’s on Sunday.