It all a trash.. Ange Postecoglou replies to tottenham red card
Tottenham news as Yves Bissouma amongst those to come under fire despite 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest on Friday
Ange Postecoglou wasn’t a happy man for several reasons after Yves Bissouma was sent off for Tottenham, putting their two goal lead at Nottingham Forest in danger momentarily on Friday. The Mali international saw red for a late and high challenge on Ryan Yates in the second half just minutes after Dejan Kulusevski had doubled Spurs’ advantage.
Heroics from Guglielmo Vicario in goal and some wayward finishing from the Forest forwards meant that a first clean sheet in eight games was secured. The result also helps to put the recent five game winless run firmly behind Tottenham as they push on towards a possible title fight yet again.
However, with a team full of injuries, Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher didn’t hold back in a scathing assessment of some of Tottenham’s stars despite the win. “We’ve not seen these for years, these types of challenges, “Neville said bissouma’s fouls.
“These have got to stop. It’s a straight red, banned for three games, and absolutely, I’ve got no sympathy whatsoever. They don’t exist anymore [these challenges]. They were outlawed 10 or 15 years ago! They seem to have come back in in this last month or two.
For Tottenham it is their fourth red card of the season. Bissouma himself has another to his name, being dismissed against Luton in the 1-0 away win for two yellows in the space of just minutes. Bissouma has also played out a suspension due to reaching the yellow card threshold too.
For his second red of the campaign, just 17 games in, he will now miss four games and also has to sit out most of January due to commitments at the African Cup of Nations as well. Joining Bissouma on the sidelines for the visit of Everton two days before Christmas is Destiny Udogie.
The Italian was booked in the first half for bringing down Yates on a counter-attack but vented his frustration at Andy Madley’s decision after the Forest midfielder appeared to gesture for the card to be shown. Udogie himself has also been suspended this year after getting sent off at Chelsea.
This time round he has reached the five yellow card accumulation and will have one match to miss. For an already plagued side this is the last thing that’s needed and Neville can’t get his head around the thought process. “They’re so talented, these players, [Cristian] Romero, Udogie, probably a couple more that I could name.
“They’re so talented and [it’s] so important to Spurs that they’re available and they’re fit and in the team. For them to lose them constantly through all this, look, I got sent off two or three times in my career and made some mistakes. But these are getting sent off two or three times a season, some of these players, and it’s the same players.
“They’ve got to stop it because they’re going to cost Tottenham. Spurs will drop points without these players. If they’re injured, you can’t do anything about it. But if they’re continually being rash and reckless with these challenges, it becomes stupidity, it’s madness.
“I bet he’s angry inside [Postecoglou]. I bet the Spurs fans are angry. I’m a little bit angry because I’ve not watched a team play football for a few years that have excited me as much as this team in terms of knowing that I’m going to get a good game of football. They’ve got to stop those little bits of ill-discipline. I accept that it’s commitment but they just seem to do it regularly. They have got to stop it.”
Postecoglou refused to dig out his players though and actually showed frustration at the call to show the red card. “Ah, no. I think they slowed it down and they saw what they saw and we have to cop it,” he said honestly after the game. He also wasn’t being drawn into discussing the decision further, refusing to comment on if slow motion replays make things seem worse.
On the squad discipline he explained: “It’s been an issue but it’s a fine line, players don’t want to be missing games. I think today was more of a desperation tackle rather than anything nasty.
“We have had to deal with a couple of those this season and you can’t go on like that because you will pay a price for that. We talk about it constantly and there is a line between their commitment and overstepping the mark.”
Carragher is less sympathetic towards Spurs though. “There’s always times when those challenges happen and I always look at those situations where I have been on the end of a challenge like that, but I have also been involved in a challenge like that,” he said at the City Ground.
“I can’t think for the life of me that a player will want to do a challenge like that with the inclusion of VAR.” Postecoglou’s own anger at a perceived lack of consistency from officials was clear though. Not only did the boss shake his head after Bissouma was sent off, Emerson Royal hugged his teammate on the walk off, but Postecoglou also made his point to the fourth official minutes later.
Yates appeared to go into a tackle over the top of the ball himself not long after Bissouma had been given his marching orders and the Tottenham coach was visibly aghast at why the Reds had not been punished themselves. Postecoglou made the signal for VAR whilst pacing his technical area, asking the question of the fourth official as to why the numbers hadn’t been evened out.
Tottenham hung on despite their numerical disadvantage though. The ill-discipline is still a concern regardless. Spurs now have the third most yellow cards in the league this season – behind only Chelsea and Sheffield United – but have conceded comfortably the most fouls and are clear at the top of the unwanted red card table too.
Postecoglou’s mantra is very much, “it’s just who we are, mate” but this issue could cost him more than just a few players and their availability.
