Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou expressed his frustration over the persistent narrative that he doesn’t prioritize set-pieces, following his side’s 1-0 defeat to Arsenal in the north London derby. The loss came after Bukayo Saka delivered an inch-perfect corner that allowed Gabriel Magalhães to head in the only goal of the game at White Hart Lane.
In the critical moment, Gabriel was left completely unmarked just five yards from goal, seizing the opportunity to nod the ball home. Tottenham defender Cristian Romero had been assigned to mark the Arsenal center-back but failed to stay with his man after being nudged out of position. This goal brought renewed scrutiny to Spurs’ vulnerability from set-pieces, an area that has been a recurring issue for the team in recent times.
Postecoglou, clearly agitated by the criticism, addressed the ongoing concerns during his post-match interview. “I know, I know, for some reason people think I don’t care about set-pieces, and it’s become this narrative that just won’t go away,” he remarked, frustration evident in his tone. “I get it. But we work on them, just like we do on every other aspect of the game. Arsenal are a real threat in that department, and for the most part, we handled it well today. But we switched off for one moment, and we paid the price. That’s football—you learn from it and move on.”
The Spurs boss made it clear that while set-piece defending is crucial, there is a bigger vision he is working toward. “It’s my burden to carry, and I’m happy to do that,” he added. “But for me, there’s a bigger picture. We are working to build something meaningful here, and that means focusing on more than just the finer details. Our ultimate goal is to play a style of football that not only entertains but gets us where we want to be.”
When pressed about what went wrong during the match-defining moment, Postecoglou explained, “It wasn’t just Romero. A couple of others switched off too, and in games like this, you can’t afford that. It’s disappointing, especially in such an important game for us and our fans. We let them down, and we have to take that on the chin.”
Despite the setback, Postecoglou highlighted Spurs’ overall performance and the ongoing challenge they face this season. “It’s been the story of our season so far. We’re dominating possession, creating chances, but we’re lacking belief in the final third. That’s the area we need to fix. This was always going to be a game decided by moments, and Arsenal capitalized on theirs.”
He acknowledged that as the manager, it’s his responsibility to lead the team through this challenging period. “It’s on me to show the lads the way forward,” he said. “They’re trying, there’s no lack of effort. But we’re in a phase right now where we’re playing well without getting the results we deserve. It’s frustrating, but we’ll keep pushing forward.”
Tottenham captain Son Heung-min echoed his manager’s sentiments, expressing his frustration over the defensive lapse that led to the goal. “We dominated the game, the football was good, but once again, we conceded from a set-piece. It’s the same as last season, and it’s really frustrating. I’m sure the fans are disappointed too,” Son explained.
He stressed the importance of improvement and resilience moving forward. “We need to get better, 100%. It’s a tough moment, but we have to stick together as a team. We’re getting into the final third, but the responsibility is on us as players to finish the chances we create. Scoring is the hardest part of football—it’s about making the right decisions and being clinical.”
Despite the disappointment, Son remained optimistic about Tottenham’s ability to bounce back. “We will come back stronger from this. There’s still a long way to go in the season,” he concluded.
This defeat leaves Tottenham with much to ponder, but both Postecoglou and Son emphasized the importance of learning from the mistakes and moving forward. For Spurs, the challenge remains turning their promising play into tangible results, and that will be the focus as they look ahead to the rest of the campaign.