Journalist Alasdair Gold was left stunned by what he saw from one of Arsenal’s coaches during the North London Derby on Sunday.
Tottenham went into the game knowing three points was going to be vital if they were to hold any hope of closing the gap on Aston Villa.
Now, Champions League qualification can almost be put to bed with defeat on the weekend needing an awful lot to happen in their favour for Spurs to finish fourth.
Ange Postecoglou‘s men saw any hope of three points all but vanish within the opening 45 minutes of the game at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
It was a first half which will have caused a lot of frustration among the Spurs fans who saw their side concede from a further two set pieces.
Arsenal are one of a number of Premier League clubs who now employ a dedicated set piece coach and his influence is proving huge.
And Gold was left amazed with what he saw from the Arsenal coach when watching on from the press box on Sunday.
Arsenal coach shows the contrast between Tottenham and the Gunners
Going into the game on Sunday, there was already a 17 point gap between the two north London sides.
Both teams are at a very different point in their respective projects under their managers but the first half showed a big contrast.
Arsenal scoring twice from corners only emphasised the glaring issue Spurs are now having with defending set pieces.
It is now 12 goals conceded from set pieces fors Spurs this season, but Postecoglou does not hire a specific specialist to coach from dead ball situations.
“If I thought fixing defensive set pieces was the answer to us bridging the gap then I’d put all of my time and effort into that. But that’s not where we’re at,” he said after the game.
Having seen former attacking set piece coach Gianni Vio depart over the summer at the end of his contract, Postecoglou has left the coaching up to Ryan Mason (attacking) and Mile Jedinak (defending).
But the Gunners have employed Nicolas Jover who is leading them to being the Premier League’s best from set pieces.
And journalist Gold spoke on his YouTube channel about what he noticed the coach doing throughout the game.
“The thing I noticed which was a really interesting contrast as well, yesterday was that we had Arsenal set piece coach Nicolas Jover.
“He was constantly right at the edge technical area, or beyond it standing on almost where the touchline meets the halfway line. He was so far forward and you can see him bellowing at the Arsenal team what to do on set pieces.”
Does Ange Postecoglou need to change his tactics at Tottenham?
There has certainly been a lot made of Tottenham’s defensive struggles over recent weeks with the game against Newcastle United showing some real issues.
However, it has not even been a year under Postecoglou yet and fans have to remember there will be teething issues in the early stages.
The players will still be adapting to a new style of play and the summer will not only provide them with an opportunity to continue their development, but also for new players to be signed.
However, the slight concern may lie with Postecoglou’s comments after the game on not feeling change is needed with set pieces.
That could be a very easy problem to solve with the relevant coach brought in to the club and it could save Spurs a lot of goals next season.
But the Australian looks set in his ways and that may be something Daniel Levy may have to keep an eye on.
