By Darragh Leen
In recent weeks, Ange Postecoglou has been unwilling to engage with the idea that Tottenham Hotspur are simply in a battle for Champions League places. Instead, he has dreamed a little bigger. “I don’t see the sense in trying to aim for something other than No 1,” he said earlier this month.
Spurs fans, no doubt, will understand that argument. But there is a problem here, which is that the thought of Spurs being in the title race is no longer based on reality. It may not be a truth that Postecoglou wishes to confront, but it is the truth nonetheless that his players are indeed locked in a tussle for the Champions League places, rather than anything more.
On that front, with Aston Villa and Manchester United watching closely, this was a deeply damaging night. Spurs were not just beaten by Fulham, but thumped. Three goals in less than 20 minutes brought a much-deserved victory for Marco Silva’s aggressive and imaginative side, who were led by the excellent Rodrigo Muniz, who scored twice.
Spurs lost the physical and tactical battle, and failed to score in a league game for the first time this season.
In the aftermath of the 3-nil defeat, Postecoglou did not back down from his assertions that he is not personally concerned by the scrap for Champions League qualification. “I don’t see fourth as the prize,” he said. “Fourth is not my end goal. I don’t want to finish fourth if we haven’t grown as a team. If nobody believes me, that’s fine.
“Fourth would be great if I feel like we are creating something that is going to bring us success next year. But fourth is not our goal. It is not my goal. If we finish fifth and if I think we’ve got a team to challenge next year then I won’t be disappointed.”
Son Heung-Min misses a chance against Fulham.Credit: Getty Images
The Spurs supporters, executives and players might not necessarily agree, as there is a reason why the Champions League is regarded as the promised land. Naturally, the money it brings in would help to accelerate Postecoglou’s squad-building efforts.
For much of this season, Spurs have played like a Champions League team-in-waiting. But not on this trip to Fulham, where they were undone by the excellence of Muniz and a team that knew where to find the weak points of their opponents.
Muniz has been a Fulham player since August 2021 but, until these last few games, he has never looked capable of leading the line. Last season he went on loan to Middlesbrough in the Championship and scored just two goals.
The careers of strikers can change in an instant, though, and Muniz is suddenly an entirely different threat. In his last seven games, he has scored seven times. No player in the Premier League can match his tally since the start of February. His tireless running was one of many, many issues for Spurs on the night.
Rodrigo Muniz scores Fulham’s third goal. Credit: Getty Images
“What a performance, again,” said Silva. “He never gave up, even in moments when he was not even involved in the squad. When the chance came, he stepped in. He deserves all the credit.”
The remarkable form of Muniz has not been good news for Armando Broja, who joined Fulham on loan from Chelsea in January but has barely featured since. The deal for Broja is thought to include a clause which requires Fulham to pay £4 million if he did not play 60 per cent of their matches. This clause will now be triggered.
Clearly, this is not a move that has gone to plan, although Fulham will rightly argue that Muniz has earned the right to spearhead Silva’s attack. The 22-year-old caused all sorts of problems for the Spurs defence, where new signing Radu Dragusin was making his first start since his £25 million switch from Genoa, and raced behind them to score Fulham’s first.
Throughout the game, Fulham continually found space behind the Spurs full-backs. It was from this position that Antonee Robinson found Muniz, and from which Timothy Castagne assisted Sasa Lukic for the second goal. The third came as Calvin Bassey’s shot hit the post and trickled across the six-yard box. Muniz, so sharp, got there first.
For Spurs there were chances created, but none converted as Brennan Johnson and Timo Werner both fired wide. Last week, they won 4-0 at Aston Villa. This week, they were thrashed. Whether you see this as a race for top four or otherwise, such fluctuations in form are not conducive to a team hitting its targets.
Clearly emotional after a disappointing loss, Spurs captain Heung-Min Son said his team have taken “two steps backward” after such a positive result last week against Villa.
Postecoglou, who said his side lacked intensity in the second half and were careless with the ball, did not believe the shock 3-0 defeat had dented Tottenham’s top four ambitions.
He joked: “It’s all over, we’ll just go for sixth” when asked if the defeat was a serious check on their momentum.
“There’s ten games left. plenty of football to play,” Postecoglou added. “If we get top four great, but its more about how we play.”
The Telegraph, London
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