Rob Guest fears Tottenham have made a decision that could prove ‘disastrous’

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The positive atmosphere around Tottenham Hotspur in wake of their superb win has completely dissipated going into the international break.

There was optimism that Spurs could finally go on to end their poor run of results at Newcastle United, but instead they once again left Tyneside without a point.

Sunday’s Premier League trip to St James’ Park saw Tottenham lose 2-1 to the hosts, with Harvey Barnes and Alexander Isak cancelling out Dan Burn’s own goal.

In his post-match assessment on football.london, Rob Guest said he fears a decision Tottenham made in August – one that Ange Postecoglou firmly stood by – risks becoming “disastrous”.

READ MORE: Four things we learned in Tottenham’s frustrating loss to Newcastle

Tottenham short of central defenders as Micky van de Ven out injured

There were calls for Spurs to bring in some more defensive reinforcements in the transfer window, as they don’t have much strength in depth there.

However, Postecoglou stressed that he is happy with the defenders at his disposal, and also said he didn’t want to block the pathways of Ashley Phillips and Luka Vuskovic.

Tottenham found themselves without Micky van de Ven against Newcastle, which meant Radu Dragusin got a rare start, partnering Cristian Romero at centre-half.

Admittedly, Dragusin did really well. However, Romero struggled. He was out of position for Newcastle’s opener and was caught static for their winner.

Ben Davies was the only recognised centre-back option on the bench, while Postecoglou suggested in his pre-match presser that Archie Gray could also cover there.

However, the prospect of an 18-year-old midfielder – in his first season in the Premier League – playing at centre-back wouldn’t exactly fill fans with confidence.

Guest wrote on football.london: “Many supporters had called for Tottenham to strengthen at centre-back in the summer window but the Lilywhites opted against doing so.

“They do look dangerously low in numbers in the position as things stand due to Van de Ven missing out and the hope will be that no more injuries or suspensions hit the team in the weeks ahead as that could prove disastrous.”

Naive for Tottenham to play high line without VDV

At the same time, it can be argued that it’s not necessarily a case of who is available at centre-back as much as how the available players are being deployed.

With Van de Ven missing, Spurs’ high line was particularly prone to being caught out, but there was no adjustment in tactics from the dugout.

With the international break now under way, Postecoglou needs to think about how best to adapt his defence depending on personnel or opposition.

Otherwise, the likes of Gabriel Martinelli and Raheem Sterling will enjoy playing against such a high line in the NLD.