Tottenham Hotspur’s home form under Ange Postecoglou had generally been reliable, even when results were not ideal. However, this trend started to shift recently, with their last three home games against Ipswich, Roma, and Fulham proving to be challenging. In the game against Fulham, Spurs were fortunate to come away with a point. Marco Silva’s side looked more dangerous throughout most of the match, and it wasn’t until Fulham’s late red card that the balance tipped in Tottenham’s favor. Despite the overall disappointing team performance, Postecoglou singled out one player for praise after the match. Currently, Tottenham is sitting seventh in the Premier League, far from the Champions League spots.
Ange Postecoglou particularly commended Fraser Forster for his impact in the game. Tottenham fans were likely more at ease with Guglielmo Vicario’s injury after seeing Forster’s strong performances in recent matches against Roma and Fulham. The 36-year-old English goalkeeper, who joined Tottenham from Southampton in the 2021/22 season, had only made 21 appearances for the club, keeping seven clean sheets. However, he stepped up big in the match against Fulham, making five crucial saves that helped keep Spurs in the game. Without Forster’s key interventions, Tottenham could have suffered a second consecutive Premier League defeat at home.
In the previous game against Roma, Forster had also bailed out his defense multiple times, and Postecoglou was equally impressed with his performance. The manager acknowledged that losing a key player like Vicario was a challenge but praised Forster for rising to the occasion when the team needed him the most. Postecoglou emphasized the importance of having an experienced goalkeeper who wouldn’t be overwhelmed by stepping into such a big role. He also spoke highly of Forster’s work ethic, noting that the goalkeeper’s dedication to his craft was evident to everyone at the club.
In a post-game interview, Postecoglou said, “He was good. We needed him in some big moments today. When you lose someone as important as Vic, you need someone experienced who isn’t going to be overawed by stepping in. We see Fraser every day and we know his really strong work ethic.”
Aside from Forster and veteran Ben Davies, nearly every other Tottenham player had struggled to reach their usual level in the past two games. Signs of fatigue were becoming clear across the squad, which raised significant concerns for Postecoglou, especially given Tottenham’s growing injury list. With the next match against Bournemouth on the horizon, it’s clear that Spurs cannot always rely on Forster to bail them out. If the team doesn’t step up, they could face more challenges ahead. The growing fatigue and injury concerns are likely to continue being an issue, and Tottenham will need to find a way to overcome these obstacles if they want to remain competitive in the Premier League.
For Tottenham, the upcoming games will test the depth and resilience of the squad. The pressure is mounting on Postecoglou and his players to find solutions to these problems, as they can’t afford to keep relying on individual brilliance to secure points.
