Ange Postecoglou’s brief moment of joy in Frankfurt quickly gave way to another dose of Premier League frustration, as Tottenham Hotspur suffered a 2-1 home defeat to Nottingham Forest—marking their 18th league loss of the season.
The pressure is mounting on the Australian boss after another error-strewn performance left Spurs languishing in 16th place with just 37 points. Only the bottom three clubs have lost more games this season, and with a daunting trip to title-chasing Liverpool on the horizon, the mood in North London is anything but optimistic.
Just four days after guiding Tottenham to the Europa League semifinals with a narrow 1-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt, Postecoglou’s side were undone early, conceding twice in the opening 16 minutes. While Richarlison pulled one back late, it wasn’t enough to spark a full comeback.
The defeat was Spurs' eighth at home this league campaign and could see them record their lowest Premier League points tally since 1997-98, when they finished with just 44 points.
Postecoglou, clearly exasperated, lamented his team’s recurring issues.
“It’s another game we’ve lost that we shouldn’t have,” he said post-match. “We’re making life so hard for ourselves by giving away poor goals at key moments.
The football was outstanding, we completely dominated, and even with those two early goals, I felt we deserved to win. But once again, we’ve come away with nothing—and that’s simply unacceptable.”
Tottenham fans voiced their displeasure with a chorus of boos at halftime. The final whistle was met with slightly more restraint, perhaps a nod to a spirited late push that had Forest on the ropes.
But the reality remains: this is a team falling short of expectations in the league, despite flashes of quality.
Postecoglou didn’t shy away from accountability.
“I don’t need to tell the fans anything—they’re rightly disappointed and angry. So are we,” he admitted. “It’s on us to own the fact that we haven’t lived up to the standards required.
The most frustrating part is that it’s not about the quality of our play. Today, just like against Frankfurt, we played great football. But results haven’t followed.”
With just a handful of games remaining, Tottenham’s hopes for redemption may now rest solely on their European campaign. And for Postecoglou, any talk of second-season silverware may be overshadowed by the urgency of first-season survival.