On the most recent episode of the rest is football podcast, Alan Shearer has criticised the body language of Tottenham Hotspur's players, and has suggested the optics don't look good for Ange Postecoglu.
Premier League legend criticizes Tottenham Hotspur players
The 54-year old said: "“The penalties they gave away were just daft. Bad decision-making, almost lunging in a panic situation. I don’t know, I suppose Ange must be under pressure now.
You never know how a club feels about a coach but it’s generally the case that the coach gets the blame for these things.
Then, Shearer critcised the body language of the players during the embarrassing defeat on the South Coast away to AFC Bournemouth last Thursday night, saying: "I was at the game on Thursday when they played Bournemouth and they were awful. You could chuck at them they didn’t look bothered on Thursday, particularly the first-half.
There was a slight improvement in the second half, but that was really worrying from a Tottenham point of view. Ange went over to confront the fans because they were booed off, and rightly so as they were that bad, and that for me I thought ‘ooooh problems’.
You know when you look at players and their body language, Thursday it was rotten. They were awful. Yesterday [in the defeat to Chelsea] they were better but it’s not a great sign.”
You would find it hard to disagree. Whilst the capitulation against Chelsea was embarrassing, particularly against a rival side, there were still good parts during the game. Obviously the opening ten minutes, and scoring the final goal of the game, but also the chances created, with Dominic Solanke and Pape Sarr both missing big chances towards the end of the first half.
In short, the defeat on Sunday was a game that could have gone either way. The game against Bournemouth could have been 4-0 or 5-0 to Andoni Iraola’s side. That performance was objectively and flat out pathetic. Many things against Chelsea were also pathetic, but there were things that could have been built on. The game on Thursday looked like late era Jose Mourinho or Antonio Conte fixtures.
On Thursday evening, against Rangers – we will see an intense, hostile home atmosphere. It won’t be as fierce as Galatasaray, but it will be a tough game. We will see the character of the players during that game. You do fear the worst when thinking about it. Let’s hope to be proved wrong.