Everton 3-2 Tottenham (Calvert-Lewin 13′, Ndiaye 30′, Gray 45’+7 og | Kulusevski 77′, Richarlison 90’+2)
GOODISON PARK — Ange Postecoglou always said this Aussie is not for turning.
Yet, the beleaguered Tottenham Hotspur boss is not totally a man of his word.
At Goodison Park, against a team who came into the contest without a single goal in nine of their previous 11 league matches, Postecoglou went with three central defenders for the first time this season and could only watch on in horror.
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Read MoreThere are plenty of mitigating circumstances that would give credence to claims Postecoglou deserves more time, with Spurs remaining without their first-choice back four and goalkeeper, while Dominic Solanke’s absence at Goodison Park made him the 10th first-team absentee.
But the excuses are running thin. Losing a match when you have 10 first-team players out is forgivable, especially away from home. But there is a way to lose that could, and should, cost those responsible their jobs.
On Sunday, Spurs conceded three inside 45 minutes against an Everton team who had not scored so many in the first half for just under eight years.
Postecoglou’s formation switch was meant to shore things up.
“It’s fair to say it is a challenging situation, when you are losing players the amount we are,” Postecoglou insisted.
“If I start worrying about myself or the cards I’ve been dealt, it’s up to me to get us out of it and I’ve got to be good enough to do that.
“We’re still in all four competitions. Our league position is not great to say the least and eventually our players will come back, significant talent will come back.
“This is not about me but what is about me is I have a responsibility to the players. For me to focus on anything else is abstaining from the responsibility I do have.”
"That's a MAGIC moment."
Iliman Ndiaye what a goal! pic.twitter.com/Q9byZ92x1d
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) January 19, 2025
Except, to lose in the manner they did at a raucous Goodison is all about Postecoglou.
Switching to five at the back against a team with 15 league goals all season should not result in the catastrophe that unfolded on Merseyside.
Time and again, with their back five so high, Idrissa Gueye launched long balls in Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s direction, getting Spurs on the backfoot they were never able to pivot off.
Gueye had not registered a single assist all season, but inside half an hour he had two after setting up Calvert-Lewin for his first goal in 17 matches, before Iliman Ndiaye’s fine second, where he found himself one-on-one with a bedazzled Radu Dragusin without Everton having had to do very much at all.
By the time Archie Gray, one of the few beacons of hope in the Spurs darkness, had put through his own net, the damage had been done.
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Read MoreThe scoreline took a more flattering turn in the second half after Dejan Kulusevski and Richarlison’s late goals, but the sorry state of that first half showing is the real indicator of what direction this team are heading.
It is all about what happens in the cups this season, but league form will always be the litmus test of a team’s progress.
This was Tottenham’s 12th league defeat this season, making it only the sixth campaign they have lost as many 12 games from their first 22 matches of a league season, and the first since 1997-98.
There is time to save their season and win a trophy, but Spurs are best placed to remove the biggest obstacle to any salvation.
The Postecoglou dream was a fun idea, but when his efforts at turning things around lead to even worse outcomes, something must be done to prevent that dream becoming an irreversible nightmare.
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