Tottenham Hotspur boss Ange Postecoglou has had his say on Arsenal star Ben White after some of his antics in the North London derby last weekend.
Spurs didn’t look bad at all against the Premier League leaders on Sunday, but Arsenal’s ruthlessness in front of goal helped them pick up a 3-2 win.
A Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg own goal opened the scoring and Bukayo Saka doubled the visitors’ lead. Kai Havertz then made it 3-0 for the Gunners before half-time.
The common theme about the first and third goals is that they both came from corners.
Arsenal defender White, who is a menace inside the box, played a big part, and he has been the talk of the town since.
Postecoglou has now delivered his verdict.
Ange Postecoglou shares what he would say to Ben White if he was a Tottenham player
Arsenal fans absolutely love Ben White.
The Englishman has been one of the best defenders in the Premier League since the start of last season. He rarely ever has a bad game for the Gunners.
However, what makes him more of a fan favourite is some of his antics on the pitch.
White has been a real problem for opposition goalkeepers during corners.
The former Brighton man doesn’t give them a moment’s rest, and what he does really distracts goalkeepers, to the point that they make mistakes.
In the North London derby on Sunday, White got the better of Guglielmo Vicario on two occasions, and Arsenal scored twice as a result.
There has been a lot of talk about White’s antics inside the box since, and Ange Postecoglou has now had his say on the incident.
He claimed that if White was his player at Tottenham, he would instruct him to focus on the ball and stop everything else he does.
Postecoglou said, as per Football London: “It’s a strategy. You can label it, but it’s a strategy. I don’t take a lot of interest in that stuff, never have. I’m not casting judgement, but I just don’t really care.
“If people are going to think that’s going to give them an advantage or whatever, I just don’t worry about that stuff. I just try to focus on building teams that win things.”
When asked if White’s antics distracted Vicario, the Spurs boss added: “You know what? If it’s not going to be that then it’s going to be something else. Who cares? I know it’s great theatre. Whether he’s trying to undo his glove, tickle his armpit, or whatever, I don’t care. I try to get my players not to worry about that stuff, not focus on that stuff.
“It’s not important and if you want to go down that avenue, what’s he supposed to do? Turn around and throw a punch and knock him out or say ‘please don’t touch me’. What does that do? Seriously, we’re not in the school yard. It’s never been where my focus lies.
“To be honest, if I saw one of my players do it, I’d be saying ‘Mate, seriously? Get the ball and play some football’. That doesn’t mean it’s not a strategy that can’t be used, but I just don’t care about it. Makes no impact on me.”
Chelsea could take advantage of worrying Tottenham weakness tonight
Tottenham have been a great side to watch, but even though they have top-quality defenders now, they are still leaking a lot of goals.
Spurs’ defending in set-pieces has become a real concern off-late.
Guglielmo Vicario has been a terrific signing for Tottenham, but if there’s one weakness to his game, it’s his inability to command his box.
Everton and Manchester City have previously taken advantage of this, and Arsenal did the same again on Sunday to pick up the win.
Mauricio Pochettino would’ve surely seen that, and when he goes up against his former side tonight, we won’t be surprised at all to see him instruct his players to distract Vicario in set-pieces.
Postecoglou really needs to address this issue.