- Tottenham lost 3-2 to arch-rivals Arsenal in a blow to their bid for the top four.
- Spurs conceded twice from corners and have struggled to deal with set pieces.
- Can Arsenal win a trophy for their progress? The Gunners have recovered, but the last obstacle remains: listen to the It’s all starting! podcast
Tottenham head coach Ange Postecolgou is convinced his team has no problem defending set pieces after his side slumped to defeat in the North London Derby.
Arsenal scored twice from corners in their 3-2 win against their deadly rivals amid a growing trend that has seen Spurs struggle to defend against set-piece situations.
Postecoglou, when asked in March, said he did not plan to add a set-piece specialist coach to his staff, a role several clubs have sought to fill in recent years.
And when asked about his team’s apparent difficulties in defending set pieces, the Australian coach denied that his team has a specific problem, saying: “No, because it’s about understanding where you are as a team. soccer”.
“If I thought fixing defensive set pieces was the answer to closing the gap, then I would put all my time and effort into that.” But that’s not where we are.
Ange Postecoglou has insisted that Tottenham have no problems defending set pieces
Spurs conceded twice from corners in their 3-2 loss to arch-rivals Arsenal
“For us it is about focusing on the details, not only on set pieces, but in many moments of the games in which we do not feel that you give a good opponent the time and space to do what suits you. to do harm.
“I don’t think it’s one part, I think it’s a bigger picture than that, but our defensive set pieces for those two were very poor.
But there is much more to fix. It is about getting from where we are to where we want to be over time.
“To do that, we’re still not completely focused on the details, the little things that take you from where we are to becoming a competitive team.”
“You have to give credit to Arsenal, they are there now. They are a team that does take good care of the details and we don’t.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (second from left) broke the deadlock after touching his own goal.
Spurs’ dramatic defeat dealt them a blow in their bid to qualify for the Champions League.
‘What are those details? There are thousands. “I’m not going to sit here, but it’s about small details like you can’t give the opposition time and space, you can’t make decisions or lose focus at a given moment.”
Tottenham were disadvantaged in several referee decisions during the match.
Leandro Trossard caught Dejan Kulusevski in the Arsenal box seconds before Bukayo Saka doubled Arsenal’s lead, while Spurs also had a Mick van de Ven goal disallowed for a tight offside.
Postecoglou added: ‘It doesn’t matter how I saw it. What matters is what I have always said: matches are no longer refereed in the stadium.
‘They are refereed elsewhere and no one will convince me otherwise. It is not even refereed again, it is refereed somewhere else. That’s why I no longer celebrate goals.
‘I’m waiting for someone ahead. I just don’t think the referees in the stadium have the authority they had to make decisions anymore. It is a pity.’
