Isak extends Newcastle's good run to increase pressure on Postecoglou's Spurs | first division

Ange Postecoglou was, as always, with his hands in his pockets, on the edge of his technical area. It had been another frustrating afternoon, a defeat that means Spurs have won just one of their last eight games. There was general grumbling rather than directed fury, but also a clear sense that another season was slipping away for Spurs. Meanwhile, for Newcastle, a fifth successive Premier League win means qualification for the Champions League, which seemed so unlikely. when they lost at Brentford a month ago, suddenly seems like a realistic goal.

Of course it was going to be like that; How could it not have been? That's how the Spurs do it, man. There is Postecoglou; can't do anything else. But there are also Radu Dragusin and Pape Matar Sarr, disconcertingly far away. They are about philosophies, but they are not just about philosophies. There is no system in which the opposition should be allowed to wander into space like Newcastle did towards the end of the first half. That's not everyone's process, and Eddie Howe's team, especially before the break, took full advantage.

And it does not mean that it is false to point out that the focus on Postecoglou and his dogmatism deviates from much deeper issues. Tottenham's salary/turnover ratio stands at a staggering 47%, the lowest in the world. first division. This could be interpreted as a sign of a well-run club, but it also indicates a lack of ambition. Perhaps if they had taken that figure to 48% they would not have started the season with only three first-line centre-backs. It's a shame, or perhaps a consequence of the intensity of Postecoglou's style of play, that all three were injured at the same time, with Dragusin also sent off at half-time, but equally a team that is thin in certain areas inevitably opens up. a side of that kind of bad luck.

It's also why, when Guglielmo Vicario was injured, Spurs' backup was Fraser Forster, a very different style of goalkeeper. With the 36-year-old succumbing to the virus illness that left Spurs with four teenagers on the bench, Brandon Austin made his debut. He will turn 26 on Wednesday and has been at the club for eight seasons, but has not played a senior game since Orlando City, where he was on loan, lost 3-1 to the Chicago Fire in July 2021. The applause every time he shared with effectiveness. with a cross suggests where expectations are these days.

However, the new year had started well for Spurs, Dominic Solanke getting ahead of Sven Botman, in his first game in 295 days, to head in Pedro Porro's cross from the right after four minutes. The spirit of bonhomie, however, lasted less than two minutes. Lucas Bergvall's pass hit Joelinton in the hand, the ball broke for Bruno Guimarães who passed it to Anthony Gordon who converted cleanly. The hand was next to the Brazilian and in no way deliberate. Was it in the period before the goal? Since two other players had to touch the ball before it hit the net, the referee and video assistant referee decided not to. Postecoglou shook his head gravely.

The equalizer was perhaps controversial but, equally, it was the kind of opportunity that Spurs usually concede, the ball given away in their own half. Time and again the possession was wasted; Time and time again Newcastle created opportunities. Gordon had a couple more chances, one well saved by Austin and another that went just wide. But Jacob Murphy was also a persistent threat as he got behind Djed Spence and eventually one of his low crosses deflected off Dragusin and was returned by Alexander. Isak, seventh consecutive league game in which he scores.

Spurs rallied after half-time, Sarr pulling off a low save from Martin Dubravka and Brennan Johnson hitting the rebound off the post. James Maddison, watched by Thomas Tuchel in the first match the German attended as England head coach, came off the bench to fire a goal wide. Johnson and Sergio Reguilón launched balls through the six-yard box in quick succession. And while it wouldn't be accurate to say that Newcastle presented no threat on the break, they weren't running through Spurs like others had done this season either.

In particular, given that Spence had to be deployed as an auxiliary centre-back (he played that role admirably), the second half could be described as something positive, something to build on. The problem, however, is the context: when a team has managed only 37 points in its previous 30 games, it is not much consolation if the defeat is harsher than it has been.