With Tottenham sitting 15th in the league and having one of their worst spells under Ange Postecoglou, we approached Chris Waddle, a former Spurs player and English international, for insights and thoughts about the current situation in North London.
Postecoglou’s Stubborn Tactics and Playstyle Resulted in so Many Injuries for Spurs
Waddle mainly expresses a favourable view of Postecoglou, highlighting his positive attitude, communication skills, and the exciting style of football his team plays. He suggests that the current negative perception of Tottenham is largely due to the team’s injury situation and not the manager’s capabilities.
“I like Ange. He’s positive. He talks well. His team plays exciting, nail biting football. If he had his full team we wouldn’t be talking about Tottenham in this way. He’s had quite a few injuries but the issue for me is there’s no plan B. Sometimes you can drop off and play deeper. Spurs have a lot of pace and so they could catch teams on the break but he’s got his thing and he’s stubborn about it.”
Waddle’s main criticism is Postecoglou’s lack of tactical flexibility. He argues that the manager’s refusal to deviate from his preferred style, even when faced with injuries and different game situations, is a significant issue. Waddle believes that Tottenham could use their pace to their advantage by playing deeper and hitting teams on the counter.
“When everyone was fit they were flying and he’s just been unlucky. I will say the way they play may be contributing to the injuries because of the intensity. I’ve never seen so many injuries. It’s strange.”
Waddle casts doubts on Postecoglou’s past success with Celtic and highlights the differences between the Scottish Premier League and the English Premier League, implying that a plan B is crucial for success in the latter.
“The success he had at Celtic is interesting because Celtic or Rangers are going to win the league every year. He could play any system at Celtic but there’s a lot of good teams in the Premier league so you need a plan B.”
Maddison’s Lack of Form and Confidence
Waddle notes that Maddison began his Tottenham career positively but has since experienced a decline in form. He suggests that Maddison has “lost his way” which has contributed to his reduced role within the squad.
“It’s a strange one with Maddison. He started well at Tottenham. He has gone off the boil, and he has lost his way.”
Waddle believes that the numerous injuries within the squad have negatively impacted Maddison’s form and confidence. He emphasises that Maddison needs to focus on his strengths and work hard to regain his previous level of performance, whilst also acknowledging that Maddison has been hit hard by the injury situation within the squad.
“Maddison has suffered. He was a part of a team with no injuries, and he had more time on the ball playing among their best eleven, and then he can hurt teams. Now, they have so many injuries, and he has lost his form and confidence. He just has to roll his sleeves up and try to do what he is good at. But he has definitely found the injury situation very hard. When you are a creative player, you don´t want to be under pressure. He has suffered more than anyone else, and he needs the best players around him.”
Maddison’s playing time has decreased recently, with only 122 minutes played out of a possible 360 in his last five league appearances. He was substituted at halftime in a 4-1 win against West Ham and was also subbed early in a 1-0 loss to Crystal Palace. Since the Crystal Palace game, Maddison has not started a league game. Maddison has 8 goals and 4 assists in the Premier League this season, but many will be expecting more from the attacking midfielder.
Bergvall and Gray on the Rise
Waddle was full of praise for Ange Postecoglou for giving young players like Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray opportunities to play. Waddle highlighted that Gray has performed well despite playing out of his natural position in central defence and also believes other young players like Djed Spence have made positive contributions this season.
“You got to give Ange the credit that he has thrown these young players in. Archie Gray has done well, and he is not a centre half. Spence came back and has done wonderfully. Some young players have come in and it´s really encouraging.”
Waddle believes that the injury crisis has provided a platform for these young players to gain valuable experience. He expresses that they have managed to handle this opportunity with impressive maturity.
“They are getting experience. The injuries have given the opportunity to the young players and they have handled it very well.”
Both 18-year-old players have impressed recently, with Bergvall scoring a crucial goal in a 1-0 victory against Liverpool in the League Cup semi-final. Archie Gray has also become a consistent starter, completing the full 90 minutes in 14 of his last 16 appearances.
Could Marcus Rashford be the Answer to Spurs’ Woes?
Marcus Rashford continues to be left out of the Man United squad, with his future uncertain. Some have suggested that Spurs should take a punt on him, but Waddle does not think that Rashford would be a good fit for Tottenham. He speculates that Rashford is more likely to move abroad than join another Premier League club and questioned whether a move to Tottenham would be a significant enough challenge to improve Rashford’s career.
“Would Rashford add something to Tottenham? I don’t think he would. I think Rashford has his eyes set on playing abroad. I would be very surprised if he hasn’t. Would he leave Man United for Tottenham? Is that really the challenge that can improve his career? I wouldn’t say that.”
The former Spurs player has suggested that a move to a club like Inter Milan, PSG, Bayern Munich, or Bayer Leverkusen would be more beneficial for Rashford’s career than joining Tottenham. He even goes as far as saying it would be better for him to stay at Manchester United than join Tottenham.
“I think he could go to Inter, PSG, Bayern Munich or Bayer Leverkusen. That would spark his career. It would probably be better just staying at Man United than going to Tottenham.”
Spurs continue to struggle with injuries, and many want owner Daniel Levy to sign some players in the January Transfer window.
