Jamie Redknapp has criticized Tottenham for arriving at Fulham with ‘arrogant’ attitude after their embarrassing loss at Craven Cottage.
Spurs came into Saturday night’s game after a convincing 4-0 victory over Aston Villa – with only two points separating the teams positioned in fifth and fourth places respectively in the Premier League.
With the top five teams increasingly likely to qualify for the Champions League next season, a victory tonight in west London would have allowed Ange Postecoglou’s team to strengthen their hold on one of those positions.
IInstead, the visitors were overwhelmed by Fulham with Brazilian player Muniz scoring twice before and after Sasa Lukic’s first goal for the club.
Defeat saw Spurs miss the opportunity to move into fourth place with Manchester United five points behind them in sixth.
Former Spurs midfielder Redknapp was surprised by the lack of energy displayed by Tottenham, mentioning Destiny Udogie, James Maddison, and Yves Bissouma as among those responsible for not winning their battles on the pitch.
Considering their dominance against Villa last time, Redknapp accused his former team of showing up expecting another easy win.
‘When I’ve seen Tottenham play this season, there has been a lot of enjoyment in their game,’ Redknapp told Sky Sports.
‘I thought those kind of performances were a thing of the past; I didn’t think we would see them again under Ange Postecoglou.
‘They were not at their best from the start. I’m looking for excuses. Yes, van de Ven not playing is a big one because he is such an important player but there are other games when he hasn’t played and they have been fine.
‘There was a lethargy in their play, there was no energy. There were players who have had great performances, Destiny Udogie, today he was so off it. Yves Bissouma in midfield, James Maddison, they never got to grips with it and won their individual battles.
‘I almost want the manager to say there was a flu in the camp or something because I can’t understand what I saw in terms of their energy. After last week, the way they played against Villa, they overwhelmed them in the second half.
‘But they came into this game with an arrogance. That we will turn up, play and win comfortably. The Premier League isn’t like that. This might be the warning he needs.
‘Ange never criticizes his players but If I were him, I would be furious, pointing fingers in that dressing room saying, “if you think that’s good enough to make top four, we might not even make top five”. They have to get themselves going again. It was so uncharacteristic.’
