Tottenham: Ange Postecoglou handed familiar problem after another statement Man City win | OneFootball

From sublime to ridiculous has been the story of Spurs’ season so far

Tottenham's 4-0 win at Manchester City on Saturday was both stunning and, somehow, entirely predictable.

The win at the Etihad was comfortably Spurs' most complete and mature performance under the Australian, but it was not their first big result of the campaign.

They had already won 3-0 in Manchester, beating Erik ten Hag's crumbling United, eliminated a much-changed City from the Carabao Cup and thumped Aston Villa 4-1.

The win over United, though, was followed up in the league by their remarkable collapse at Brighton and, after Villa, Spurs lost back-to-back games against Galatasaray and the Tractor Boys.

Ange Postecoglou has enjoyed statement wins and suffered landmark defeats

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Postecoglou's side were also beaten by previously-winless Crystal Palace in another irredeemable performance, immediately after thrashing West Ham 4-1.

These wild swings in form are the story of Spurs' season so far, and it is hard to remember another team with such a gaping chasm between their best and their worst – making it difficult to assess the progress of Postecoglou's project.

Saturday's result undeniably felt like a landmark for Spurs, a glimpse of their potential under Postecoglou and perhaps a statement to the league's other top clubs.

It will count for nothing, however, if Spurs do not beat Fulham at home next weekend, a point made forcefully at the Etihad by Dejan Kulusevski, who dismissed the suggestion that beating City could be 'a turning point' for Spurs.

"No, no because we have to be much more consistent," Kulusevski said. "It’s not a turning point.

"We have to be better in other games. This game suits us perfectly, but we have a lot of improvement to make in the other games, especially where we play the lower-ranked teams.

It’s not a turning point, we have to be better in other games

Dejan Kulusevski

"It’s up to us all to take responsibility because we’re very good players, and now we just have to do it every day.

“It’s always great to play great teams because they always want to play football. When you play lower teams, sometimes it’s not. There’s not much football played because there are a lot of fouls, a lot of injuries and it’s slow going."

Explaining Spurs' lurches from outstanding to atrocious is not easy but, as Kulusevski pointed out, one reason is that Postecoglou's front-foot side are better suited to fast-paced occasions against the more established clubs.

They were devastating in transition against City, who left acres of space for Kulusevski, Heung-min Son, James Maddison and, latterly, substitutes Timo Werner and Brennan Johnson to attack.

Spurs were also afforded the freedom of Old Trafford by Ten Hag's infamous 'doughnut', while Villa's high defensive line will usually present opportunities.

Marco Silva's Fulham, however, will aim to stay compact and disciplined in north London, particularly after they were beaten 4-1 at home by Wolves on Saturday.

Dejan Kulusevski has been Spurs’ best player this season

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The Cottagers will present an entirely different challenge to City and the question is whether Spurs can maintain the same levels of verve and intensity in what is likely to be a less open and more stop-start match?

There is an unwelcome precedent of sorts for Spurs. Last season, they beat top-four rivals Villa 4-0 away from home in March in what felt like a significant result at the time, a potential turning point after an injury-disrupted winter.

Instead, they followed it up by losing 3-0 at home to Fulham in one of their worst displays under Postecoglou, before limping over the finish line in a difficult end to the head coach's maiden season in charge.

Amid all the deserved post-City positivity, it is still easy to imagine another dismal result against Fulham is coming, given the way Spurs' season has unfolded.

The challenge for Postecoglou and his players is to ensure the performance at the Etihad was a springboard, paving the way for a period of greater consistency, rather than part of a familiar pattern of boom and bust.