Martin Keown reveals what Ange Postecoglou must now do as Tottenham boss following Ipswich defeat

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After notching wins against the likes of Manchester City and Aston Villa, Spurs came crashing back down to life against Ipswich Town.

Tottenham headed into the game with the opportunity to leapfrog the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea and move into the third – but it would ultimately be the Tractor Boys, who would come away with the three points.

Ange Postecoglou took responsibility for Tottenham’s defeat against Ipswich, but questions are starting to be asked of the Spurs manager.

Sat 10th heading into the international break, Martin Keown believes the Aussie must do more to rectify his side’s patchy form.

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Martin Keown gives verdict on Tottenham’s defeat against Ipswich

Spurs have unsurprisingly been no stranger to criticism since their latest defeat.

Ian Wright has criticised Tottenham’s inconsistency, meanwhile, former Spurs midfielder Jamie O’Hara claimed Cristian Romero was ‘all over the place’ against Ipswich.

Another pundit who has honed in Tottenham’s struggles, is ex-Arsenal defender Martin Keown.

After listening to Postecoglou’s post-match interview, in which he took responsibility for the loss – Keown gave his verdict on what the Spurs manager needs to do to prevent defeats like that in the future.

“He (Postecoglou) needs to be more demanding of the group. They have gone into that game and they’re not 100%, they’re not at boiling point and that’s down to him,” Keown told Talksport.

The former England defender later added: “He’s got to be a little more on it, a bit more 100%. They play a high-line, van de Ven has not been available and they’ve had some difficulties there bedding in the new defender, who hasn’t necessarily been at the level, he’s had a little bit of a nightmare. But they aren’t a million miles away.”

Simon Jordon on Tottenham’s ‘mental block’

Both Alan Shearer and Gary Lineker insist the pressure isn’t on Ange Postecoglou yet, but if this run of results doesn’t improve quickly, that pressure will no doubt rise.

Fellow TalkSport pundit Simon Jordan echoes those thoughts, stating the Lilywhites must rectify their inconsistent form if they are to finish in the Champions League spots.

“It depends on what Tottenham want to be. If Tottenham are happy and to some extent, I can imagine they will be if they win something whether it be the League Cup or the Europa League, it will get that monkey off people’s backs. But if they want to be a top-four side, they can’t then get beat at home by Ipswich and they can’t get beat by Crystal Palace.

“There is enough talent and capability in that Spurs side which is why the disappointment comes in, there is a mentality block.”

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
1	LiverpoolLiverpool	11	9	1	1	21	6	15	28
2	Man CityManchester City	11	7	2	2	22	13	9	23
3	ChelseaChelsea	11	5	4	2	21	13	8	19
4	ArsenalArsenal	11	5	4	2	18	12	6	19
5	Nottm ForestNottingham Forest	11	5	4	2	15	10	5	19
6	BrightonBrighton	11	5	4	2	19	15	4	19
7	FulhamFulham	11	5	3	3	16	13	3	18
8	NewcastleNewcastle	11	5	3	3	13	11	2	18
9	Aston VillaAston Villa	11	5	3	3	17	17	0	18
10	TottenhamTottenham	11	5	1	5	23	13	10	16
11	BrentfordBrentford	11	5	1	5	22	22	0	16
12	B’mouthBournemouth	11	4	3	4	15	15	0	15
13	Man UtdManchester United	11	4	3	4	12	12	0	15

Having missed the opportunity to move up to third against Ipswich, Tottenham will be thankful for how tight the Premier League table currently looks.

With only three points separating 11th-placed Brentford and 3rd-placed Chelsea, Spurs will hope they can stay in the hunting pack for European football come 2025.