Is Tottenham asking for trouble or is there a method to the madness? Our experts MARTIN KEOWN and CHRIS SUTTON give their opinion on Ange Postecoglou’s amazing high line

Ange Postecoglou insisted he will never change his attacking mentality and philosophy at Tottenham after his bold tactics were questioned following the heavy defeat to rivals Chelsea.

In a hectic affair, Spurs were reduced to nine men after red cards for Cristian Romero and Destiny Udogie against London rivals Chelsea.

But despite their two-man disadvantage, Postecoglou instructed his players to maintain a noticeably high line, often with eight outfield players on the halfway line.

Indeed, Chelsea emerged victors 4-1 after two late goals from Nicolas Jackson in stoppage time, raising questions about whether the Australian should have approached the match differently.

Mail Sport’s Chris Sutton and Martin Keown give their verdict on the daring tactic.

MARTIN KEOWN: I just couldn’t believe what I saw. It was asking for trouble

The only reason why Tottenham stayed in the game for so long and didn’t concede six, seven or maybe even more was a series of bad decisions from Chelsea.

It was punishable that Mauricio Pochettino’s men did not break through Ange Postecoglou’s high line until the 75th minute, because that was asking for trouble.

Although we saw an incredibly spirited performance, Tottenham’s position left them up for grabs. Postecoglou had his players stand on the halfway line, trying to play an offside trap and still apply pressure. All it took from Chelsea was a well-weighted pass and a perfectly timed run behind the backline, where Spurs had Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Eric Dier, neither of whom are the fastest.

They offered inspired defense at times and we saw some excellent goalkeeping from Guglielmo Vicario. But it would only be a matter of time before they relented. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing, but the focus was on Chelsea to take advantage and they were struggling.

Pochettino beamed on the touchline. He wanted the right pass and the right timing of the run, so he moved Cole Palmer into a more central position to try and deliver that great ball, while Tottenham’s high line made it even easier for them by not letting off at any point to fall to pick up. those runners.

Chelsea worked hard to get this win against a depleted Tottenham team that was begging to be broken down.

Chris Sutton: There is a method to this madness. You may think it’s crazy, but I’m addicted!

I’ve never seen anything like that, not from a nine-man team. But there is a method to this madness.

Ange Postecoglou has an unwavering belief in the way he wants his teams to play.

I remember Celtic being 5-0 down at the Bernabéu against Real Madrid, but still sending seven bodies into the penalty area to try to score – and eventually they did.

It’s all about the bigger picture, keeping a positive mindset, and that’s what we saw on Monday. Tottenham may have been two players short of Chelsea, but they lasted until the end.

Tottenham had two options when they were down to nine men: sit deep in their own half and invite Chelsea to gnaw at them, or push forward and go for the attack themselves.

They had chances to score and that was down to the bravery of their high line.

They wanted to set offside traps and whenever Chelsea played an overhit pass behind Tottenham’s defense, goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario was ready to act as a sweeper.

Ange Postecoglou insisted he will never change his attacking mentality and philosophy

Maybe this isn’t what you’re traditionally supposed to do in football, but I still enjoyed it and so did the Tottenham fans.

It’s not often that a team receives a standing ovation after a 4-1 home defeat to their rivals.

But those supporters appreciated the courage shown, knowing that Mauricio Pochettino’s Chelsea only managed to confirm victory in injury time.

You may think it’s crazy, but I admit that I’m addicted, even if I’m not.