News

Celtic caught up in pointed Jamie Carragher ‘falling short’ address to Ange Postecoglou

Add as preferred source on Google

Jamie Carragher has used Celtic as an example to prove a point about Tottenham Hotspur boss Ange Postecoglou.

Celtic fans grew familiar with Postecoglou’s swashbuckling style of play and were treated to some attacking football Parkhead had barely bore witness to before.

That delivered Postecouglou five major trophies with the Hoops, including a memorable Treble during the 2022/23 campaign.

Ange has stuck to the same principles at Tottenham in the Premier League as he aims to deliver the North London club their own success.

But Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher thinks that is backfiring for Postecoglou and is a reason for the overcrowded treatment room at Spurs.

The former Celtic manager has seen his Tottenham squad ravaged with injuries over the last couple of months, including his entire defensive backline.

That consists of Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven, as well as full-back Destiny Udogie and goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario.

Everton FC v Tottenham Hotspur FC - Premier League
Photo by Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images

Carragher uses Celtic in argument against Postecoglou

Carragher claims their is a clear link between Postecoglou’s physically demanding style of play and the number of injuries he’s had to deal with this season.

The Sky Sports pundit then brought Celtic into his argument by stating Postecoglou did not have these problems in Glasgow because of the quality difference between the Premier League and the Scottish Premiership.

Writing for his Daily Telegraph column, Carragher argued: “Postecoglou’s staunchest supporters will argue that to lose so many key players at the same time is bad luck, and their coach is a victim of circumstance.

“The number of absentees is obviously a mitigating factor, and explains why there are many who are standing by Postecoglou, including, most crucially, the Tottenham board. Not many coaches at top clubs would survive such a prolonged dip.

“But in this situation you cannot disassociate the injuries from the playing style. If you stick to the fast lane, you burn through tyres. The reality is this: if you insist on driving only in the fast lane, your tyres are going to wear quicker.

“When Postecoglou was appointed at Spurs, there is an irony that one of the coaches to whom he was compared was Marcelo Bielsa. He too has a history of making an immediate impact at clubs only for the physical demands to take their toll.

“It is valid and fair to ask whether Tottenham – or indeed any side – can be expected to adopt such a full-throttle approach without the physiotherapy department working overtime.

“And there is a reason why this is more apparent in the Premier League than at Postecoglou’s previous clubs. Postecoglou and his Manchester United opponent this weekend, Ruben Amorim, face the same issue because they built their reputation in a league where they can dominate the ball.

“I hate the idea of dismissing managers because they ‘only won the Scottish or Portuguese league’. If you excel in such countries, credit should be afforded.

Celtic v Motherwell - Cinch Scottish Premiership
Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images

“But with respect to Celtic and Sporting, they never have to deal with so many fixtures in which they will suffer out of possession, and have to ready their players for those longer periods where they must focus on winning it back, or stopping clever, world-class attackers.

“Reading a game does not mean abandoning principles. Postecoglou and Amorim are fine coaches who deserve to be where they are.

“The question is how much they can evolve and compromise to make their sides more solid. That is where they are currently falling short.”

Carragher claimed Postecoglou suffered same issue at Celtic

After Tottenham were beaten 2-1 by Leicester City at the end of January, Carragher claimed Ange had injury problems at Celtic because of the style of play adopted.Adam Idah admits still being in two Celtic minds over what happened to him vs Bayern Munich

But that did not affect him in Glasgow the way it has in London. Carragher told Sky Sports at the time: “I think they (other teams in the Premier League) are coping better.”

“I think we should also say that a lot of the injuries comes from the way the manager plays. It’s a really high-intensity game. He had similar problems at Celtic.

“It’s not just unlucky with injuries. That goes down to how you train and how your team play. It’s a bit of luck now and again.

“It’s not a real mitigating factor if you know you are going to get injured with the way a manager plays and he has a history of getting those injuries.”