Ange Postecoglou, the manager of Tottenham Hotspur, was quick to criticize his team’s defense against Arsenal on Sunday, calling it “unacceptable” that they were unable to prevent the visitors from getting close to the goal.
The Gunners dominated the first half and took advantage of defensive breakdowns to lead by three goals at the half thanks to goals from Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka, and an awful own goal by Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.
Spurs put up a strong second half performance, scoring twice via Cristiano Romero and Heung-min Son, but Mikel Arteta’s team held firm to secure the win and the crucial three points.
At full time, Postecoglou spoke with Sky Sports and stated, “In my opinion, we gave them much too easy access to our goals. In the first half, they arrived three or four times and scored three goals. That simply cannot be tolerated at this level. We suffered defeat at the hands of an excellent team.
We resisted and demonstrated tenacity, but we had no choice but to do so. We had to offer our fans at least a glimmer of optimism when we emerged in the second half.”
Postecoglou continued, “We are still not as resilient as we can be, particularly in those times where there is a transition or a set piece. This is something that Spurs need to work on going forward. They scored three goals on four attempts, as I mentioned, and had far too easy access to our goal. They are a good team, and if you don’t have the fortitude to defend your own objective, they will punish you.”
Son, who scored the game’s first goal, told club media that Spurs can learn from the second half. “Everyone stepped up and they showed great character but that shouldn’t be a habit for us.” The first half ought to see us perform better.
“We are grown men, we have learned a lesson today and will move on.”
