Former Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas is no fan of Ange Postecoglou’s tactics and believes Tottenham are too reactionary during matches. Postecoglou’s energetic high-pressing style has raised eyebrows since his move from Celtic last summer.
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Spurs are back on track to qualify for the Champions League after a mid-season wobble. The north Londoners are two points behind fourth-placed Aston Villa but have a game in hand, and thrashed Unai Emery’s side 4-0 last weekend.
But one man who is not keen on Postecoglou’s approach is former Spurs foe Fabregas, who enjoyed successful spells with rivals Arsenal and Chelsea during his career. The former Spain midfielder is climbing the coaching ladder and is currently assistant at Italian side Como - but it is unlikely that he will ever adopt Postecoglou’s preferred style after admitting he is not ‘a fan’ of the Australian’s team.
"It is brave and you need to trust your players a lot," Fabregas told Planet Premier League of Spurs’ high defensive line. "But for me you are not under control because you are basically reacting, you are not proactive.You are reacting to their movements, you are reacting to whatever the striker wants to do.
"If he comes deep, I come with him. If he goes attacking the space, I go with him. I'm not a big fan of this because as I said, you are not in control of the situation. He's dictating the play for you.
"I like to dictate my play and I like to take the defence. If the ball is covered, then I can press. If the ball is uncovered then my defenders need to drop a little bit."
Fabregas is not entirely negative about Spurs, though. The 36-year-old believes summer signing James Maddison is the “complete” midfielder and has enjoyed the England star’s relationship with Son Heung-min.
"Straight away you could feel he's got the confidence," Fabregas continued. "He's got the personality to demand the ball, to make things happen and to create situations. He's good at dribbling, he is good at assisting and he can score goals. So he's a really complete player in my opinion.
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"He has a good understanding with Son and the strikers and for me he's a fantastic player to have. And as a coach I'm sure that you need to adapt to the strengths of your players and the better quality they have, the easier it is. And definitely he is one of them you would always want in your team."
Postecoglou has previously insisted that he will never stray from his beliefs. After a difficult period in December, the 58-year-old said: "I really relish [tough times] because my belief gets tested on a daily basis, because even internally people will always ask those questions.
"When I lay my head at night, I just believe in it. I get up the next day thinking I feel strongly about it. Maybe I’ll end up in a heap, mate, I don’t know, because there are no guarantees. But my gut tells me that I won’t. I enjoy it."
