Tottenham Hotspur coach Angie Postecoglou attracted attention by firmly ordering Tottenham players to stand up at the end of the game when they sat down on the ground and tried to waste time.
Tottenham allowed the first goal in the match against Sheffield United in the 5th round of the 2023/24 Premier League season held at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England on the 16th (Korean time), but Richarlison and Dejan Kulusevski scored in succession in extra time in the second half. He scored a goal and won 2-1.
The two teams fought fiercely for the first 45 minutes and were unable to score, ending the first half 0-0. Sheffield, who had targeted Tottenham with a set piece after the second half began, ended up taking the lead by scoring the first goal.
In the 29th minute of the second half, when the ball from a corner kick passed the defense and flowed backwards, midfielder Gustavo Hamer, who was behind, pushed in a low, quick shot, shaking the Tottenham net. It was the first goal that made Tottenham, who had been trying to score by continuously pressuring Sheffield, even more impatient.
After conceding the first goal, Tottenham continued to raise the line and launched a stronger attack to make up for the conceding goal. In the 35th minute of the second half, Son Heung-min, Pape Sar, and Manor Solomon were replaced, and Brennan Johnson, Richarlison, and Ivan Perisic were brought in to change the offensive line for a comeback. Johnson, who joined Tottenham in this summer transfer window, made his Tottenham debut as a substitute against Sheffield.
Johnson could have been Tottenham’s savior by scoring a goal on his debut, but he was caught offside. In the 42nd minute of the second half, Johnson, who infiltrated from the right side of the penalty box with his hand raised, infiltrated Bissouma’s pass in front of the goal and hit Sheffield’s net. However, after seeing that Johnson was ahead of the defense, the assistant referee raised the flag and the score was ruled out as offside.
The game continued for quite some time after 45 minutes of the second half. A whopping 12 minutes of extra time were given to reflect the fact that Sheffield players often sat out complaining of injuries. To push the opponent even further during extra time, Tottenham removed Van der Pen and Foro and brought in Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Emerson Royale.
The saviors of Tottenham, which was in deep defeat, were Richarlison and Kulusevski. Substitute Richarlison hit the Sheffield net with an accurate header from a corner kick in extra time in the second half. Afterwards, Tottenham continued to push Sheffield, aiming for a comeback. Three minutes after the equalizer was scored, Kulusevski struck the corner of Sheffield’s goal with a sharp right-footed shot from inside the penalty box and scored a comeback goal, filling the stadium with cheers.
Afterwards, Sheffield completely lost their momentum as frontline striker Oliver McBurney was sent off, and the game ended with Tottenham’s dramatic comeback win of 2-1.
Tottenham, who turned the game around by scoring two goals in a row in extra time in the second half, won four consecutive league games and remained undefeated in five league games since the opening game. To date, there are only three teams that have not lost until the 5th round of the league, including the ‘defending champion’ Manchester City (5 wins) and Liverpool (4 wins, 1 draw). The league ranking also maintained second place.
On the other hand, Sheffield failed to win in all five league games and remained at 1 point. The league ranking was also maintained at 17th place, and the team was unable to escape the threat of relegation.
Tottenham fans fell into a crucible of enthusiasm due to the thrilling comeback win. They continued their winning streak by turning the game around at a dramatic time, but on this day, Sheffield players were suspected of ‘bed soccer’ as they were seen lying on the ground several times trying to kill time after scoring the first goal.
Sheffield’s ‘bed football’ has actually become toxic. Taking into account all the time delayed while receiving treatment, a whopping 12 minutes of extra time was given in the second half, which was enough time for Tottenham to turn the game around.
Tottenham players also seemed annoyed by the Sheffield players’ behavior. According to ‘Spurs Express’, there was an opinion that the Sheffield players wasted too much time on this day, to the extent that there was a scene where Tottenham vice-captain James Maddison mocked ‘bed soccer’ by lying down in front of the Sheffield players and holding their legs with a smile after the comeback goal. It was the majority.
At this time, Tottenham coach Postekoglou appeared to stop the Tottenham players, who had turned the game around, when they tried to play ‘bed soccer’, drawing comparisons with Sheffield. After taking the lead with Kulusevski’s comeback goal, Yves Bissouma and Maddison fell to the ground. At this time, Maddison appeared to have a cramp in his leg as Richarlison was seen holding his leg.
His legs could have been really cramped after playing for over 100 minutes, but coach Postekoglu made a gesture with his right hand telling him to get up quickly. Regarding this, some fans argued that Coach Postekoglou, who has experience playing with the Australian national team and club against Middle Eastern teams in the past, may be disgusting with ‘bed soccer’.
Ahead of the 2023/24 season, Tottenham appointed coach Postekoglou, who successfully led Scotland’s prestigious Celtic. Postekoglu takes over at Tottenham after being recognized for his leadership by lifting three trophies with Celtic last season, including winning the Scottish Premiership.
Coach Postekoglou, who led Celtic for two years starting in the 2021/22 season, made Celtic the strongest team in Scotland by winning 83 times in 113 games over the two years. Tottenham has selected coach Postekoglou, who has never coached a big league club but achieved good results with impressive tactics at Celtic, as their next head coach and entrusted him with the baton.
Even when he was appointed, Tottenham fans바카라 could not hide their anxiety. At the time, Coach Postekoglou achieved great success at Celtic, but he had no experience in managing a big club like Tottenham, and Celtic was the best team in Scotland along with Rangers, so his performance did not receive much attention. In addition, some fans expressed dissatisfaction with the selection of the team because Coach Postekoglou was selected over great players such as Julian Nagelsmann.
Coach Postekoglou responded to the fans’ disbelief with grades. After the opening, Tottenham under coach Postekoglou played hot attacking football and made a memorable start in the club’s history, showing an upward trend. According to soccer statistics media ‘Squawka’, this is the first time since the Premier League was launched in 1992 that Tottenham has scored 13 points in 5 league games since the season opened.
Tottenham has been led by many great players, including Mauricio Pochettino, Jose Mourinho, and Antonio Conte, but no one has had a better start to the season than Coach Postecoglou, so Coach Postecoglou’s leadership has once again been put in the spotlight. If they can maintain their current momentum, it is not impossible to finish the season in the ‘Top 4’, which will give them a spot in the UEFA Champions League.
Coach Postekoglu, who has enjoyed the support of his fans with his best start, will now face his first test of the season. Tottenham is scheduled to hold the ‘North London Derby’ with Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium in London, England on the 24th, the 6th round of the Premier League in the 2023/24 season and one of the best rivalry matches. After the ‘North London Derby’, there is a home game against Liverpool in the 7th round of the league on October 1st.
As attention is focused on whether Tottenham will be able to continue its undefeated streak ahead of a series of games against strong teams, attention is being paid to what kind of report card coach Postekoglou will receive in the two-game series between Arsenal and Liverpool.