EPL

Postecoglou: Spurs have a confidence problem to overcome

By Sports Desk May 05, 2024

Ange Postecoglou says that Tottenham need to "overcome" their low confidence after suffering a 4-2 defeat to Liverpool on Sunday.

Spurs slipped to their fourth consecutive Premier League defeat, being left to bemoan their slow start as they found themselves 4-0 down by the hour mark thanks to goals from Mohamed Salah, Andrew Robertson, Cody Gakpo and Harvey Elliott.

Richarlison came off the bench to salvage some pride for Spurs, scoring one before setting up Son Heung-min for a goal on his 300th Premier League appearance.

Spurs had the opportunity to cut the gap to the top four after Aston Villa’s defeat to Brighton, but they remain seven points off a Champions League spot.

Postecoglou’s side still have a game in hand over the Villans, though he was sure that Spurs would be able to put their recent poor run behind them.

Asked if Spurs had a confidence problem, Postecoglou told Sky Sports: "Maybe in the front third there is.

"It probably is a bit of a lack of confidence, but again, that's something the guys have to work through.

"You have to find a way to overcome that because, ultimately, if you don't put pressure on the opposition in the front third after you've worked your way up there, they're going to get comfortable with their position."

Spurs have won just one of their last nine Premier League away games, failing to win any of the last five.

Despite that run extending at Anfield, Postecoglou highlighted what he thought was an improvement on their recent performances.

He continued: "Obviously a hugely disappointing outcome for us but at least we were more like ourselves today in terms of our football.

"Our last two away games at Newcastle and Chelsea, apart from the results which weren't great either, we just didn't try and play our football.

"I thought today, even in the first half, some of our football, our pressing was back to where it should be."

Related items

  • Juventus 2-0 Monza: Departing Alex Sandro scores as Bianconeri round off with a win Juventus 2-0 Monza: Departing Alex Sandro scores as Bianconeri round off with a win

    Juventus completed their Serie A campaign with a comfortable 2-0 home win over Monza thanks to first-half goals from Federico Chiesa and Alex Sandro.

    Juve ended their season on 71 points, third in the standings, though they can still be overtaken by Europa League champions Atalanta, who sit fifth and have two matches left to play.

    Chiesa broke the deadlock after 26 minutes on Saturday and long-serving left-back Sandro, playing in his final game for the Bianconeri before departing as a free agent, doubled the lead two minutes later with a header from a corner.

    Juve came close to scoring a third early in the second half, but Chiesa's attempt from the edge of the box hit the woodwork.

    Thiago Motta is expected to take charge of Juve in the coming days, after his departure from Bologna was confirmed.

    Monza ended the campaign in 12th place with 45 points.

    Data Debrief: How's your luck?

    Chiesa's effort against the frame of the goal means that, since the beginning of the last season, only Inter (36) hit the woodwork more times than Juve (35) in Serie A.

    Juve will be hoping to be that bit more clinical next term as they aim to challenge for the title under Motta. 

  • Barcelona 2-0 Lyon: Ballon d'Or winners on target to seal Champions League triumph Barcelona 2-0 Lyon: Ballon d'Or winners on target to seal Champions League triumph

    Barcelona sealed a quadruple as they clinched their third Women's Champions League title by beating fellow European heavyweights Lyon 2-0.

    Aitana Bonmati and Alexia Putellas, both Ballon d'Or winners, with Barca's heroes in Bilbao on Saturday.

    Bonmati opened the scoring in the 63rd minute and, after surviving an onslaught of Lyon pressure, Barca made sure of a famous victory in stoppage time – Putellas lashing home with her left foot after a sweeping counter-attack.

    It marks Barca's first-ever win over Lyon, as they became the first team since Arsenal in 2007 to win four trophies in a single season.

    Lyon and Barca went into Saturday's final in Bilbao having scored 70 goals between them in this season's Champions League.

    Yet it was a cagey first half, with Barca's Caroline Graham Hansen looking the most likely to spark the match into life.

    That changed just after the hour when Bonmati, last year's Ballon d'Or winner, saw a close-range cross-shot divert in off the unfortunate Vanessa Gilles, after a slick move had put the Spain international through down the left-hand side of the area.

    Lyon, the eight-time European champions, could have found themselves 2-0 down soon after, but Selma Bacha made a vital challenge to deny Graham Hansen what would have been a deserved goal.

    The French giants aimed to make their defender's good work count, with substitute Ada Hegerberg entering the fray.

    Hegerberg, the all-time leading scorer in the Women's Champions League headed over from her best chance, as Barca's defenders – and goalkeeper Catalina Coll, who took a nasty hit to the head – fought stoically to clear their lines.

    And Lyon's hopes were extinguished as another fine Barca move saw the ball worked back to Putellas in the area, and she unleashed an unstoppable effort into the roof of the net.

    Quadruple queens

    For the first time in 17 years, and the first time since the rebranding of the Women's Champions League, a team has won three domestic trophies and the European crown.

    This Barca side, coached by Jonatan Giraldez, are a special bunch. 

    They have scored 129 goals in Liga F this season, winning 27 of their 28 games and drawing the other, conceding just nine times, and now they have a third Champions League title in the space of four years.

    Bonmati and Putellas, their Ballon d'Or-winning duo, served up the key moments, but the whole team delivered a stellar performance to finally end their hoodoo against Lyon.

    Bompastor bows out?

    Lyon boss Sonia Bompastor is expected to join Chelsea ahead of next season, as the Blues' replacement for the departing Emma Hayes.

    The 43-year-old has had an incredible tenure at Lyon, winning the Division 1 Feminine on three occasions and the Champions League in 2021-22.

    Despite falling short at the final hurdle this time, she will leave a club legend.

  • Lino: Final-day win at Sociedad a big boost for Atletico Lino: Final-day win at Sociedad a big boost for Atletico

    Samuel Lino believes Atletico Madrid's final-day victory over Real Sociedad will provide them with a timely boost heading into next season.

    Diego Simeone's side ran out 2-0 winners at Reale Arena in their final match of the 2023-24 campaign. Lino opened the scoring after just nine minutes, while Reinildo sealed the points in second-half stoppage time.

    However, despite a fourth-place finish in LaLiga, it brought the curtain down on a third successive trophyless season for Atleti, who will finish at least 18 points adrift of champions Real Madrid.

    Los Rojiblancos fell to Borussia Dortmund following a 5-4 aggregate defeat in the Champions League quarter-finals, while they were soundly beaten by Athletic Club in the Copa del Rey semi-finals.

    But Lino, who had his fourth direct goal involvement in three appearances (one goal, three assists), thinks a hard-earned win against their sixth-place opponents - a fourth success in five games - will give him and his team-mates positive momentum to build on next season.

    "It was an important victory to finish the season well," he told Movistar Plus. "We were good, focused, played a good game and that's what we wanted.

    "Overall, we were not within the club's objectives, but we finished well, and now we have to switch off. A win away from home could help us to come back strong next season."

© 2023 SportsMaxTV All Rights Reserved.