Ange Postecoglou stood before the press, his demeanor reflective of Tottenham’s 3-0 defeat against Fulham at Craven Cottage in the Premier League on Saturday evening. Disappointment lingered in the air as he dissected the match, analyzing the missed opportunities and defensive lapses that led to their downfall.
Recalling their previous encounter with Marco Silva’s men in the Carabao Cup, where Spurs suffered a penalty shoot-out defeat, Postecoglou emphasized the team’s desire for a more favorable outcome this time around.
Their aspirations were high, buoyed by the confidence gained from a resounding 4-0 victory at Villa Park last weekend, a match where they had showcased their potential for a top-four finish.
In a bid to strengthen the lineup, Postecoglou handed Radu Dragusin his first start for Tottenham, replacing the injured Micky van de Ven.
Despite this change, the core of the team remained intact, with Brennan Johnson retaining his place ahead of Timo Werner, supported by Dejan Kulusevski, who had played a pivotal role in three of Tottenham’s four goals against Villa.
The decision to keep Rodrigo Bentancur on the bench was attributed to the exceptional form of Pape Matar Sarr and Yves Bissouma, while the return of Richarlison to training provided additional options for selection.
However, Fulham seized control of the match just before halftime, exploiting defensive vulnerabilities to take the lead through Rodrigo Muniz’s well-placed finish.
Their dominance continued into the second half, as Timothy Castagne’s deflected cross extended their advantage. Despite Spurs’ efforts to rally, Calvin Bassey’s unfortunate deflection compounded their misery, leaving them unable to claw their way back into the game.
As questions were posed to Postecoglou by Tottenham correspondent Alasdair Gold during the post-match press conference at Hotspur Way, the manager remained steadfast in his commitment to analyzing the team’s performance and regrouping for future challenges.
The Spurs boss on the performance:
“To be fair to the players, it’s the first time this year where I’ve felt, especially in the second half, that we just didn’t…we’re in the position we are because every week we’ve been really, really competitive in every aspect of the game and even in our losses I’ve felt like we’ve hit certain markers in terms of our endeavour and competitiveness and I though that it was missing today and that was disappointing.”
The Spurs boss on the game:
“I think the first half was even enough, we had enough of the play, we had enough of the chances. We conceded a bad goal but there’s nothing there I didn’t think we couldn’t overcome. But the second half after we conceded the second one we just didn’t reach the levels of intensity and tempo we’ve had all year. Then it was very hard for us to get any kind of control or traction in the game. It seemed like we were chasing the whole time. It was a disappointing night for us.”