Wright criticizes Tottenham’s performance against Ipswich: ‘No disrespect intended’
We started nowhere near the level we needed and gave ourselves a mountain to climb.”
Arsenal legend Ian Wright has criticized Tottenham’s inconsistency, admitting he now expects it from Ange Postecoglou’s side.
Postecoglou faced intense pressure at the end of October after Tottenham’s 1-0 Premier League loss to Crystal Palace, as his team struggled to gain momentum in the league standings.
However, Tottenham bounced back, defeating reigning champions Manchester City in the League Cup and thrashing Aston Villa 4-1 in the league.
Despite these wins, the pressure has returned following back-to-back defeats against Galatasaray and Ipswich Town.
In their match against Ipswich on Sunday, Spurs fell 2-0 behind after first-half goals from Sammie Szmodics and Liam Delap.
They managed to pull one back with a Rodrigo Bentancur header in the second half, but despite a disallowed goal due to handball, Tottenham ultimately lost 2-1 to Kieran McKenna’s newly-promoted side.
Wright, the former Arsenal striker, commented on Tottenham’s pattern of inconsistency, stating, “This is Spurs and what they do, I don’t mean that disrespectfully.
When they’re on a good run and you think they’ll string together some results, they put in a performance like this.”
Postecoglou, visibly displeased with his team’s first-half effort, remarked post-match, “It was hugely disappointing and, from my perspective, unacceptable.
We started nowhere near the level we needed and gave ourselves a mountain to climb.”
He acknowledged that they controlled much of the second half and created chances but ultimately fell short. “We didn’t do enough with it,” he said.
The Spurs manager further expressed his frustration over his team’s passivity without the ball, allowing Ipswich to feel comfortable.
“That’s not what we want, especially at home, and we paid a price for it,” Postecoglou noted.
On Ipswich’s game management tactics, which slowed down the tempo, Postecoglou observed, “It’s part of the Premier League now. Clubs are strategically doing it.
Every 20 minutes, you can almost set your clock by someone going down, receiving instructions from the coach.”
He added that Spurs need to prevent opposition teams from taking the lead to avoid this issue.
“If we don’t let teams get ahead, they won’t try to kill the game,” he said, adding that it’s ultimately up to officials to manage such tactics.
