25% of Tottenham's goals conceded after 90mins - Will it cost Spurs Champions League?

Ange Postecoglou has deservedly been universally praised for transforming Tottenham Hotspur’s fortunes since his appointment in the summer. The former Celtic boss has successfully implemented an exciting style of play at Spurs after his three predecessors were renowned for their pragmatic approach. Expectation levels were low for Tottenham this season, especially after Harry Kane’s departure for Bayern Munich, but Postecoglou has already surpassed them with the North London club firmly in the race for a Champions League place. Spurs supporters are daring to dream under their new leader with his high-octane football silencing any doubters but could their Achilles heel scupper their top five ambitions?

Tottenham have conceded nine goals in second half injury time

Jarrad Branthwaite’s equaliser for Everton in the fourth minute of stoppage time on Saturday was the ninth goal that Tottenham have conceded in the Premier League after 90 minutes this season. Remarkably, Spurs have conceded 25% of their goals in the league in second half stoppage time - an incredible statistic. Branthwaite’s goal, therefore, wasn’t in isolation and Spurs have conceded more late goals than any other club in the league, with Crystal Palace losing the second most (7). Tottenham have already conceded more goals after 90 minutes than in any other Premier League season and it’s becoming a worrying trend for Postecoglou.

There’s various factors behind Spurs’ susceptibility to losing late goals, especially their intense style of play which can lead to tiredness - mentally and physically - late in games. Spurs have also been decimated by injuries this season and Postecoglou has been unable to replace tiring players with replacements of the same quality. During his two years at Celtic, Postecoglou’s side only lost one goal after 90 minutes in 76 games but it’s imperative to consider that the Glasgow giants generally faced far inferior sides. The most high-profile example of Spurs surrendering late goals was against Wolves in November, when they conceded twice in stoppage time to lose 2-1. That defeat and the draw against Everton are the only times when Spurs have dropped points after losing goals after ninety minutes and they have won six points after scoring in the second half stoppage time. Nevertheless, Tottenham’s vulnerability when holding the lead remains concerning.

Tottenham have dropped 18 points from winning positions this season

Only Brentford (26) and Nottingham Forest (19) have dropped more points from winning positions than Tottenham (18) this season. It’s important to factor in that Tottenham have led in 20 of their 23 games this season and they’ve also recovered 13 points from losing positions - third highest in league - but it has become a weakness. Spurs seldom look comfortable late in games and they became the first team in Premier League history to take a 1-0 lead in five games without winning them - from the 4-1 defeat to Chelsea to the 2-1 loss to West Ham. 

Critics will point to Postecoglou’s approach as the reasoning behind this trend with various pundits, including Gary Neville, labelling him “naive” at points. While the Australian is stubborn and unwilling to compromise due to his unwavering belief that his approach will reap rewards, Postecoglou deserves some leeway as he’s less than a year into the job and still shaping his squad in his vision. The 58-year-old deserves tremendous credit for his impact at Tottenham and solving their susceptibility to conceding late goals would leave Spurs in an incredibly strong position to return to the Champions League.

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