Former manager Tim Sherwood attributes Tottenham’s dismal home form, highlighted by a 1-0 loss to Chelsea, to the immense pressure on players to entertain the home supporters.
Former Tottenham Hotspur manager Tim Sherwood believes he has identified the core tactical reason behind the club’s disappointing run of form at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this season, according to a report from TBR Football.
Spurs have struggled to translate their early-season momentum into consistent home victories, dropping crucial points against mid-table opposition in recent weeks.
Sherwood suggests this downturn is not due to a lack of quality, but rather a fatal flaw in the relentless, front-foot system deployed by current boss Ange Postecoglou, the style often affectionately termed “Ange-ball.”
Sherwood’s assessment centres on the physical and mental demands of the ultra-high press. The former Premier League winner argues that the intensity required for this approach is simply unsustainable for 90 minutes, leading to collective fatigue and, ultimately, critical lapses in concentration that opponents have been quick to punish.
This tactical vulnerability is magnified when playing at home, where the onus is consistently on Spurs to control the game and break down packed defences.
“I think what we’re seeing is a team running out of steam at the crucial moments because of the demands of the manager’s philosophy,” Sherwood reportedly stated.
“They look physically exhausted in the last twenty minutes, and that’s when concentration drops. They’re giving up sloppy goals, not because they’re poor defenders, but because they are physically and mentally burnt out by the intensity of the system. ‘Ange-ball’ is brilliant, but it’s becoming naive at home when teams sit deep, and that’s a real worry for them.”
The report concludes that Sherwood views the problem as solvable, but only if Postecoglou is prepared to introduce more nuanced, energy-conserving periods within matches to manage the squad’s output, especially during congested fixture periods.
This necessary tactical adjustment must be made quickly if they hope to secure a top-four finish this season.