Ange Postecoglou criticises Tottenham's wastefulness in front of goal and says decision-making will stop them reaching the next level
Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou has called on his players to be more “ruthless” if they are to close the gap on the Premier League's top teams.
The Spurs held firm 1-1 draw against Leicester at the King Power Stadium on Monday night in a game in which they had 71 per cent of the possession.
He North Londoners Had ten shots in the first half, more than any other team during the opening weekend of the top-flight campaign.
Even though Pedro Porro opened the scoring, Spurs should have gone into the break with at least a two or three goal lead.
But the visitors failed to capitalise on their dominance and Jamie Vardy levelled in the 57th minute with the Foxes' first shot on target.
And Tottenham failed to get back in front and Spurs failed to beat a newly promoted side for the first time under Postecoglou.
The Australian, who was seen dejected on the team bus, admitted his side will not be able to reach the next level unless they improve their decision-making.
Speaking to talkSPORT's Sam Matterface, Postecoglou He said: “I think we started the second half well, I think we were ahead for 15 minutes.
“We really wasted the ball in front of goal, we just didn't take advantage of the opportunities.
“We weren't clinical enough, we made some bad decisions, we lacked composure in and around the box.
“And in a football match, there is always the danger that the opposition will go up and score, and that is exactly what happened.
“They got a little bit of momentum out of that and we lost a little bit of composure and finished strong.
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“But as I said, we can't keep wasting opportunities like we did tonight and expect to get a better result.”
And Postecoglou insisted that Spurs' attractive style of play counts for nothing unless they get all three points.
He said: “You play football to get a result, you don't just play it to look good.
“If we're going to get to the next level as a club, then as a team we need to have that (cutting edge).
“There were times last year where we were very similar, we kept opponents in the game because they just weren't ruthless enough with our decision-making in the front third.
“We have to improve, our football will take us a long way, but if we want to close the gap with the best teams, then we have to be more decisive.”
He concluded: “I cannot criticise the performance of the players.
“But at the same time, as a team, when you don't get the result you want, you have to take it as a collective disappointment.”
Postecoglou will be hoping for a better result on Saturday when Spurs host bottom side Everton at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
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