The brief smile Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou displayed after their midweek European victory was replaced by a familiar look of frustration, as his side suffered a 2-1 home defeat to Nottingham Forest. This loss marks Tottenham’s 18th in the Premier League this season.
Tottenham conceded twice in the first 16 minutes. Despite dominating much of the game and pulling a goal back through Richarlison late on, they succumbed to yet another disappointing result. The defeat raises concerns about a potentially historic low point for the club, with the team currently sitting on 37 points in 16th place. They are on track for their lowest points tally since the 1997-98 season (44 points), and only the current bottom three clubs have suffered more losses.
The loss at home puts additional pressure on Postecoglou.
“It’s another game we have lost where we shouldn’t lose, and it’s been a big part of our season in that we are just making things really difficult for ourselves in key moments,” Postecoglou told reporters.
“Giving away poor goals. It’s a shame because our football was outstanding and we totally dominated the game. Even with the two goals we conceded I still feel like we deserved to win the game. At the same time, it’s another loss and another unacceptable loss,” he added.
The home crowd expressed their displeasure with boos at halftime, though the atmosphere was slightly more forgiving at the final whistle.
“I don’t need to say anything to the fans. The fans are disappointed and angry as we are as well,” Postecoglou acknowledged. “The fans clearly wouldn’t be happy with our results but neither am I or the players. From our perspective, it’s something we need to accept responsibility that we have fallen short of the standards we need to have.”
