The first chants of “we want Levy out” were audible long before the implosion which condemned Spurs to their latest defeat. The home fans were airing their dissatisfaction early in the first half. What happened later just increased the volume.
It was the embattled Ange Postecoglou, of course, who had to face the cameras afterwards. That is the lot of the head coach. But he is not the main target for the ire of the home supporters. Chairman Daniel Levy is the man in the firing line.
Levy has of course transformed the club during his tenure, taking Spurs into their magnificent new stadium and overhauling the infrastructure. On the pitch, though, supporters feel they are seeing same old problems. A culture of underachievement remains.
The discontent is not new but recent events have brought it into sharp focus. Spurs are on a run of one win from 12 Premier League games. They have lost 13 out of 23 this season in total. Only Leicester, Wolves and Southampton have tasted defeat more often. Those sides are in a relegation fight. Spurs, in 15th, might now be too.
FREE TO WATCH: Highlights from Tottenham Hotspur’s defeat to Leicester
They are beset by injuries, with James Maddison the latest player to be sidelined, joining an absentee list which stretches into double figures. And yet, nearly four weeks into the January transfer window, their only senior signing is the 21-year-old goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky.
Spurs’ missing team currently out injured
“The players need help,” said Postecoglou in his press conference. He added that the club are “working hard” to “alleviate the problems” but it has become a familiar refrain. Supporters certainly feel that way. That much was clear from the mood inside the ground.
Levy can of course point to heavy investment in previous transfer windows. But, even without the injuries, the squad remains imbalanced. Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall have shown huge promise but, together with Wilson Odobert, they were signed in the summer with the future in mind.
The present-day problems, such as a glaring lack of defensive depth, have not been addressed and Spurs are paying a heavy price as the injuries continue to pile up. Postecoglou’s side have now conceded at least two goals in five straight Premier League games.
Jamie O’Hara believes Ange Postecoglou is ‘out of his depth’
Postecoglou is not exempt from blame, of course. His injury list is mostly down to bad luck but his unwavering devotion to playing his way is a contributing factor. Even as the absentee list has increased, he has continued to send out his side to play at breakneck speed.
Their intensity can be seen in Premier League tracking data which, ahead of the weekend’s games, showed Spurs top among Premier League clubs for both sprints and distance covered. The physical demands of Postecoglou’s approach are taking a toll on the players.
It is a vicious circle. Without options to rotate, Postecoglou is asking for more and more from those still standing. He was booed for his decision to take off Richarlison in the second half but insisted the striker was “feeling his groin” and “should have come off at half-time”. Pape Sarr, he added, should not have played at all but had to because of Maddison’s absence.
The hope is that Spurs’ form will pick up as the injury list begins to clear. But asked in his press conference if he expects to still be in place when that happens, Postecoglou was realistic. “Who knows?” he said. “A fair chunk will say no.”
Tottenham Hotspur boss Ange Postecoglou praised the efforts of his players
And besides, the injuries do not explain away the current problems entirely.
Spurs are having to cope without four members of their first-choice back five but they were losing games even with Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Destiny Udogie and Guglielmo Vicario starting in addition to Pedro Porro earlier this season, with Arsenal, Crystal Palace and Brighton among the sides to beat them.
They are still capable of spectacular results. Even this season they have put four goals past Manchester City and Aston Villa. They have also beaten Liverpool and Manchester United. But the defensive openness evident in spells against Leicester has been a theme of Postecoglou’s tenure.
He again talked up the efforts of his players afterwards, insisting they remain behind him. “The players are committed to what we’re doing,” he said. “When you are a manager of a football club, you can feel vulnerable and isolated, I don’t feel that.”
Jamie Carragher dissected Spurs’ struggles on Monday Night Football last week
But his assertion that they could achieve “something special” in the remaining months of the season felt fanciful in extreme given the context. Spurs are a long way from where they want to be – and have been for too long. Postecoglou is not the only one feeling the heat.
Who’s to blame? What the fans say
We invited Spurs fans to comment on the side’s predicament in our match blog after the game. Read on for a selection of their comments.
Spurs12345: “Not the manger’s fault. How on earth can you expect Spurs to perform at the highest level with no first-team squad, no financial backing and the injuries? They do better in cups currently because the pace is lesser. Time Enic sell up and help the club move forward by leaving.”
Alfie: “Ange should resign to save his own career. Levy might be a good businessman but he is a shocking football club owner. Levy lures in decent managers with false promises and then chucks them under the bus. Ange isn’t at fault in my opinion.”
James: “Ange has to go, his system is flawed and he’s too stubborn to change it. The team structure is such that any breakdown in play affords huge spaces for any team to attack. Levy and the board are the biggest problem at Spurs, but Ange will take Spurs down.”
Lee: “The squad depth was never going to be resilient enough to compete in Europe and the Premier League. But this drop in form is ridiculous and something has to change, otherwise we will sleep walk into the Championship.”
