Ange Postecoglou slams Tottenham for not taking chances in 1-1 draw with Leicester

LONDON – Ange Postecoglou admitted that “wasteful” Tottenham Hotspur lost their composure as Jamie Vardy’s second-half equaliser gave Leicester City a 1-1 English Premier League draw against his profligate team on Aug 19.

The newly promoted Leicester survived a series of costly Spurs misses either side of Pedro Porro’s first-half opener for the visitors at the King Power Stadium.

Vardy then made Tottenham pay for their erratic finishing with a typically predatory header in the 57th minute, capping his surprise appearance just days after he had been ruled out by manager Steve Cooper after suffering a pre-season injury.

The 37-year-old has now scored nine Premier League goals in 17 appearances against Spurs, who trudged off wondering how they had failed to demolish the Foxes during their dominant first-half display.

“Disappointing night for us. First half excellent and controlled the game but wasteful in front of goal. Once Leicester scored, the crowd lifted and we lost our composure,” Postecoglou lamented.

“It was an issue we had last year as well. We need to keep working hard and be a bit more ruthless in front of goal. At times, we made poor decisions.

“The dominance is great but if you don’t score, it is meaningless. We have to be stronger in our mindset in the front third. To be that wasteful is disappointing. We just weren’t clinical.”

Tottenham finished fifth last term, in which Postecoglou’s commitment to all-out attack in his first season with the London side was eventually exposed at the cost of Champions League qualification.

Once again, they were hampered by poor finishing and unfocused defending. The team had 15 attempts on goal, seven on target but only one goal at the end of the day.

Dominic Solanke was especially culpable on the striker’s debut after moving from Bournemouth for a fee that could rise to £65 million (S$110.6 million).

It was a defender, Porro, who opened accounts for Tottenham in the 29th minute.

James Maddison floated a pin-point cross into the Leicester area, where the right-back timed his run perfectly to flick his header into the far corner from 10m.

But Tottenham’s wastefulness came back to haunt them near the hour mark as Leicester struck from their first effort on target. Unhinged far too easily, Spurs defenders stood statuesque as Vardy was left unmarked in the box to head in Abdul Fatawu’s cross.

It was exactly the kind of sloppy goal that bedevilled Tottenham during their swoon in the closing weeks of last season.

Vardy threatened to take advantage of more disjointed defending, surging onto Bobby de Cordova-Reid’s pass but failing to find the accuracy required to beat goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario.

Another Spurs striker, Richarlison, missed a golden opening to win it at the death and Postecoglou’s men had to settle for one point when they really should have taken all three.

Their evening was also soured when midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur was carried off on a stretcher after a long stoppage in the second half following a nasty collision.

The Uruguayan was given oxygen as he was surrounded by medical staff but was later reported to be recovering.

For Leicester, the result was a positive for the team back in the Premier League after winning the Championship following a year’s absence.

Amid reports the Foxes could face a points deductions for breaking financial rules, new boss Cooper needs to hit the ground running and this gritty display was an encouraging start – thanks to Vardy.

“I was as fit as a fiddle until I got to about 65 minutes if I’m honest,” the striker said.

“I see age as just a number. As long as I keep looking after myself and my legs keep feeling great, then I will carry on for as long as is physically possible.

“I wouldn’t say I am doing anything differently playing-wise. I think the main thing is I am looking after myself recovery-wise.”

Cooper was also pleased with the draw, saying: “We definitely leave the pitch feeling more positive at full-time than we did at half-time.

“It was a fairly positive start, but we want to be winning games. This is a Premier League football club, we’ve got to become a Premier League team again – that’s the aim.” AFP, REUTERS