Angeball tests faith of Spurs fans as 'bigger issues' raised

Even with a microphone in front of him, Ange Postecoglou was barely audible as the Tottenham manager slumped into the press conference room at Stamford Bridge and took responsibility for his side's third defeat in a row. "I feel like we've lost a bit of belief and conviction in our football and that is on me to change that," Postecoglou mumbled, head bowed. "We were nowhere near good enough."

- JAMIE BRAIDWOOD

It was not unusual to see the Australian so despondent following a defeat. Rather, what felt significant from this 2-0 defeat at Chelsea, aside from how lacklustre Tottenham were, was how angry Postecoglou had been on the touchline. The Spurs boss seethed at his players and his frustrations boiled over during his round of post-match TV interviews when pressed on why his team were not responding to his instructions. “Come on, mate, we didn't play well," Postecoglou snapped. "What do you want, for me to write you a dossier on where it went wrong?"

Well, maybe. There's certainly plenty to fill it with, given Tottenham's current form and their propensity to concede goals from set pieces, with 22 now in the Premier League this season, the third-most behind Sheffield United and Nottingham Forest. Postecoglou's post-match press conference lasted less than three minutes, during which he still found the time to question Tottenham's mindset, attitude, the confidence of his midfield, and the effectiveness of his own messaging. In fairness, Postecoglou had warned that Spurs have "far more important issues" than defending set pieces and he did not hesitate to lay them out on the table.