LONDON — Chelsea moved the ball forward, passing to Moises Caicedo just inside Tottenham`s half. There was no immediate pressure, and Tottenham`s defenders slowly retreated. Chelsea then passed the ball across to Pedro Neto. A defender was nearby but didn`t apply pressure. Chelsea`s player looked up and saw his teammates open. With no pressure on the ball, it should have been easy to find Cole Palmer or Nicolas Jackson. However, Neto`s passes were too strong, delaying the inevitable Tottenham goal concession.
It was almost certain that Tottenham would concede. Any team that doesn`t prioritize defending their own goalmouth and seems to have lost the identity their manager was trying to build, is unlikely to keep a clean sheet.
You wouldn`t mistake Ange Postecoglou`s team for a top defensive side, but they used to have a clear plan. Tottenham would press opponents intensely and with many players. If you bypassed the press, you might get a good shot, but it was a calculated risk. If Tottenham won the ball back, they were likely to score.
When did Tottenham last play with that intensity? There was no sign of quickness off the ball from a team that last played competitively 18 days prior. By the end of the game, Chelsea had regained possession in Tottenham`s final third seven times, compared to Tottenham`s four. While this style isn`t mandatory, it`s important to remember that earlier in the season, with a severe injury crisis, Postecoglou responded to questions about his high line and aggressive pressing. Without their starting defense, Tottenham adjusted, becoming a weaker team, which was perhaps understandable.
Now, even with Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Guglielmo Vicario, and Destiny Udogie playing, their defense is still disorganized. It seems Tottenham is confused about what “rest defense” even means.
Chelsea often got the ball easily because Tottenham gave it away. They faced a group of five Tottenham players who were moving in the right direction but too slowly to effectively challenge them. Progressing through midfield, where Rodrigo Bentancur was struggling, Chelsea encountered Tottenham`s likely first-choice defense.
Tottenham`s defensive actions seemed weak. Players ran between the fullback and center back unmarked. Palmer could easily reach the touchline whenever he wanted. A more clinical team than Chelsea would have secured the win much earlier than Enzo Fernandez scoring from Palmer`s cross in the second half. Jadon Sancho, in particular, showed that Chelsea might have been better off paying Manchester United to avoid signing him rather than paying £25 million to acquire him. One powerful shot tested Vicario, but too often, attacks fizzled out on Chelsea`s left side of the box.
Perhaps Tottenham`s defensive weaknesses would be acceptable if their attack was still as strong as it was for most of Postecoglou`s time in charge. However, their attack has also declined recently. Their non-penalty expected goals per game in the Premier League since January rank them 16th in the league. Before Robert Sanchez`s late save against Heung-min Son, they hadn`t created many significant chances to improve this average.
Instead, their ineffective attack has increased tension between Postecoglou and Tottenham`s traveling fans. While much of the fans` anger was directed at chairman Daniel Levy, the substitutions of Wilson Odobert and Lucas Bergvall for Brennan Johnson and Pape Matar Sarr led to chants of `You don`t know what you`re doing` from some fans. When Sarr then scored a fantastic long-range goal, Postecoglou responded by sarcastically cupping his ear towards the away fans.
This moment is likely to be shown on sports news, reflecting on Postecoglou`s time at Tottenham and how a promising start based on clear principles and energy has become something undefined. Twenty defeats in all competitions, closer to 18th place than seventh, and it`s another season where Arsenal finishes above Tottenham. Furthermore, if the defense doesn`t improve quickly, a Europa League exit is likely soon.
