Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou voiced his disappointment with the performance of his fringe players after a significantly altered lineup succumbed to a 2-0 defeat against Crystal Palace in their Premier League derby on Sunday. The loss marked Tottenham’s record 20th league defeat of the season, with Eberechi Eze scoring both goals for the hosts.
Postecoglou made eight changes to his starting eleven, with an eye on the upcoming Europa League final against Manchester United on May 21. However, he stated there was “no compelling evidence” from those who featured to suggest they were challenging for a place in the final.
“[They] had an opportunity to put their name forward and put some pressure on the guys who played [in Thursday’s Europa League semi-final],” Postecoglou said. “Fair to say there wasn’t any compelling evidence of that. I’m disappointed more didn’t step forward.”
Eze gave Crystal Palace the lead towards the end of a dominant first half for Oliver Glasner’s side and added his second shortly after the restart to seal the victory.3 The result sees Palace equal their Premier League record points tally of 49.
Tottenham’s afternoon was further complicated when Dejan Kulusevski, one of only three players to retain their starting place from the midweek European fixture, sustained a knee injury in his 50th appearance of the season. Postecoglou indicated the injury was “more of a knock than anything else” and that the “medical team are not too concerned with him.” Despite this, he described the overall team performance as “disappointing and nowhere near the level it should be.”
The defeat leaves Tottenham in 17th place in the Premier League. Addressing the club’s record number of league losses (their most since the 1991-92 season), Postecoglou pointed to the impact of numerous injuries throughout the campaign, with James Maddison, Lucas Bergvall, and Radu Dragusin among recent absentees. “If people don’t see there is a correlation between the two… it’s quite simple to understand,” he remarked.
Tottenham will now face Aston Villa on Friday, May 16, in a match brought forward to allow for additional preparation time ahead of the Europa League final, a contest that could define their season.
For Crystal Palace, the victory against Tottenham was an ideal warm-up for their FA Cup final against Manchester City on Saturday, May 17. The win ended a five-game winless streak in the league and secured their first league double over Tottenham. Palace had two goals disallowed before Eze eventually broke the deadlock. The club now stands on the verge of potentially winning their first FA Cup, though they face a summer where key players and manager Oliver Glasner, who has been linked with RB Leipzig, may attract interest from other clubs.
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