Tottenham Hotspur were apparently offered the chance to sign a prestigious player over the weekend, as the Lilywhites unfortunately tasted defeat in the North London derby.
Tottenham lose to Arsenal as Postecoglou bemoans set pieces
Ange Postecoglou was forced to defend his set-piece policy yet again after Sunday’s 1-0 defeat at home to bitter rivals Arsenal, with Gunners defender Gabriel Magalhaes nodding in the only goal of the game from a corner.
Spurs dictated overall play with the majority of possession and chances created at home, as they looked to upset a weakened Arsenal team who were without club captain Martin Odegaard, summer signing Riccardo Calafiori, Spain star Mikel Merino, Declan Rice and Oleksandr Zinchenko.
However, a resolute Arsenal side did their defensive duties and made Tottenham pay for their lack of cutting edge, with Gabriel rising above everyone else to thump a header past Guglielmo Vicario from close range.
It was an avoidable goal from Postecoglou’s perspective, who stuck up for his philosophy on defending dead balls when quizzed by the media.
“I know for some reason people think I don’t care about set-pieces, and it’s a narrative that you can keep going on for ages and ages. I understand that,” said Postecoglou on Arsenal’s winner from a corner.
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Tottenham Hotspur’s summer signings |
Signed from |
|---|---|
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Timo Werner |
RB Leipzig (loan) |
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Dominic Solanke |
Bournemouth |
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Archie Gray |
Leeds |
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Wilson Odobert |
Burnley |
|
Lucas Bergvall |
Djurgarden |
|
Min-hyeok Yang |
Gangwon FC |
“Like I said, we work on them all the time, like we do with every other team. You know that they’re a threat. As I said, for the most part we handled them really well today, but we switched off in one and we paid a price. You learn from that and you move on.
“It is what it is. It’s my burden to carry and I’m happy to do that. Like I’ve always said, for me there’s a bigger picture that’s at play here that’s much more important than the finer details of us getting to where we want to.
“For us, the way forward is to, as I said, try and turn the football we’re playing now into something meaningful. We’re a team that’s progressing in many areas. With all that sort of progress, there’s always kind of new challenges and new things that you need to overcome.”
Gabriel’s winner was the 10th time Tottenham have conceded a dead-ball goal under Postecoglou, and that is something the Australian will be very eager to change. Winger Brennan Johnson was also criticised for his display against Arsenal, so it appears there are a few conundrums for Spurs’ head coach ahead of their next matches against Coventry City in the EFL Cup and Brentford this weekend.
Tottenham offered chance to sign Adrien Rabiot just days ago
Over the weekend, Tottenham’s disappointing defeat to Arsenal wasn’t the only thing happening in north London, as it is claimed that former Juventus and PSG midfielder Adrien Rabiot approached the club over a free transfer too.
That is according to The Boot Room, who claim that Rabiot was offered to Spurs via his representatives, before the Frenchman opted to return to his homeland with Roberto De Zerbi’s Marseille.
The 29-year-old, who featured for France at Euro 2024, has finally ended the search for his new club by putting pen to paper on a rumoured £162,000-per-week contract with the Ligue 1 side. Despite many links to the Premier League, Rabiot won’t be making an English move this season, despite his credentials.
“He is a complete player, I have rarely seen someone so strong both physically and technically,” said ex-Juve boss Andrea Pirlo in 2020. “He doesn’t even know the potential for improvement he can have, and we work on the mental side of things to make him understand that he is a champion. He is improving game after game.”
