Pundit Steve Nicol has claimed that Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham Hotspur must learn to win ugly amidst their inconsistent results this season.
Nicol spoke on an ESPN FC panel following Tottenham’s disappointing home draw against fellow London side Fulham. The former footballer stated that top teams must find a way to win ugly if needed and gave Liverpool as an example.
“They [Liverpool] have shown there are different ways that they can skin a cat; unfortunately for Tottenham, they only have that one way.
“We have tried to give Postecoglou a lot of time to get past that initial ten games when they were sitting top of the league because of the way they played, but they have not changed the way they play.” Nicol said.
Ange Postecoglou’s stint filled with mixed results
Postecoglou has been Tottenham’s manager for around a year and a half, and his tenure has been filled with patches of positive results and bad losses. Last season Spurs were first in the league after ten game weeks, but a run of five games without a win saw them drop down to 5th. Following a lengthy run of good results, Spurs went on another disastrous streak, losing five out of six games towards the end of the season.
Even this season has seen mixed results. Tottenham gave 19th-place Crystal Palace their first victory of the campaign before defeating Champions League side Aston Villa 4-1. This was followed by a disastrous 2-1 home defeat against bottom-placed Ipswich Town. Spurs faced Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium next. The result? A 4-0 victory for the Lilywhites.
Tottenham are brilliant on their day but must find a way to win when they’re not at their best. All elite sides have shown the ability to grind victories, and unless Postecoglou finds a way for Spurs to start doing so, their search for a trophy is bound to continue eluding them.
