LONDON, Sept 15 (Askume) – It was perhaps not surprising that a tight north London derby was decided by a set-piece but what was even more surprising was that Arsenal exploited Tottenham’s weaknesses to beat Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham Hotspur.
After Bukayo Saka took a corner kick in the 64th minute, Arsenal defender Gabriel’s unmarked header into the Tottenham net was enough for Mikel Arteta to give Tovar’s side a 1-0 win.
Three of Arsenal’s last four Premier League goals against Tottenham have come from corner kicks. Since the start of last season, Spurs have conceded 18 goals from set pieces (excluding penalties), second only to Nottingham Forest.
So it comes as no surprise that Postecoglou was once again asked about the weaknesses that have plagued his work since he took office.
“I know for some reason people think I don’t care for set pieces and that’s a story that could go on for a long time,” the Australian told reporters after Sunday’s defeat, which saw his side settle for just one goal in four games. … four points.
“I think, as I said, we have been working hard against them, like we have done against other teams, you know (Arsenal) are a threat. Today we dominated them to a large extent. But once we changed our approach to the game.
“That’s my responsibility, friend, and I’m happy to do it. As I’ve always said, for me, it’s the big picture, and the drama here is more important than the details of how we get there.”
Before the derby, Postecoglou quite rightly claimed that his side’s four points from three games was a good result after impressive displays against Leicester City, Everton and Newcastle United. Earlier against Arsenal, Tottenham were fluent again but lacked ideas and looked vulnerable to the deception eventually provided by Gabriel.
Worryingly, after some early efforts, Tottenham’s attack was easily dealt with by a smart Arsenal, while the Gunners were without Declan Rice and captain Martin Odegaard.
Son Heung-min’s performance was weak, the performance of newly signed Dominic Solanke, who cost £65 million, was also disappointing on the attacking end, and they lacked the starting ability of Arsenal’s midfield.
“It’s very disappointing,” said Postecoglou, whose side had 15 goal attempts. “That’s the story of our season, we lacked some confidence and belief in the final third.
“It’s not a lack of effort, we’re just going through an early phase where we’re playing well and dominating but we’re not getting anything in return. That’s the nature of football.”
Tottenham won eight of their first 10 Premier League games last season, the first season under former Celtic boss Postecoglou and their best start since 1960-61.
However, this time they were unsuccessful and missed out on the top spot in the standings.
“When I look at this year’s four games individually, the football is probably more consistent and attractive than the first four games of last year, but obviously our results reflect that,” Postecoglou insisted.
Tottenham Hotspur host Brentford next weekend.
