‘Gutted’ pundits critical of Mikey Moore treatment in Tottenham loss as Postecoglou questioned

Rob McCarthy 10 Feb 2025 12:30 PM

Mikey Moore taken off at half-time again by Postecoglou

Pundits appear to have criticised Ange Postecoglou over his handling of exciting Tottenham attacking talent Mikey Moore in recent outings after reacting to the FA Cup defeat at Aston Villa.

Spurs crashed out of their second cup competition in the space of just four days after going down to a 2-1 loss at Villa Park, a game in which Moore was handed another start but hauled off at half-time.

It’s the second time that has happened to Moore in his last two starts, having also been taken off in the much-needed Premier League win at Brentford. But in the case of the Villa loss, it was down to Postecoglou getting his midfield set-up wrong again and being forced into a change.

The home side had so much room to play in the opening period of the cup contest as Tottenham‘s three-man midfield of Rodrigo Bentancur, Lucas Bergvall and Dejan Kulusevski failed to have any impact on the game.

That forced Postecoglou to turn to turn to Yves Bissouma off the bench, with Moore hooked having arguably been one of the team’s better players in a poor opening period.

And Sky Sports and BBC Sport pundit Micah Richards was not particularly impressed with how the 17-year-old talent was treated.

Speaking alongside Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer on The Rest Is Football podcast following another early substitution, Richards has explained why Moore had been thriving in Europe but hadn’t quite found his comfort zone against Premier League sides just yet.

He said: “Mikey Moore, unfortunately, I think he’s been taking off at half time in his two last games. He’s doing really well in Europe, but he’s finding it difficult.

Lineker replied: “He did hit a great cross for Son’s chance, though. That was a really good ball in his, you know. And he’s only 17, isn’t he?”

Richards: “But he’s really good, but because Spurs have been struggling, he’s not been able to show his best self.

“And when you’re playing in sometimes a lesser team in Europe, he looks really good. So I was gutted when he got brought off at half time.”

Shearer critical of Tottenham midfield set-up

Former Newcastle and England striker Shearer was particularly critical of Tottenham’s midfield balance at Villa Park, something that has been a major issue for much of the season.

Central midfield has been the least affected of all the injury issues that Spurs have endured this season, but it’s arguably been the biggest problem for Postecoglou – given his side’s failure to control games at all in the middle of the park.

The Tottenham boss has tried numerous different combinations in his engine room but nothing has really worked, a clear indication that he probably doesn’t have the right personnel on board to implement what he wants from his midfield.

And Shearer added, when speaking abot that particular issue: “You’re right about the midfield. I made the point in core comms about how easy it was for Villa to just play right through the middle of Tottenham, because there was no bite in there.

“So he had to do something at half time and change that.

“And it was a bit harsh on young Mikey Moore, but someone had to come off, because they had to stiffen up in the midfield, because it was too easy for Aston Villa.”

One answer could eventually be Archie Gray playing as a No.6 but defensive woes mean he continues to operate at the back. Indeed, it’s very likely that Tottenham address their midfield in the summer, whether Postecoglou is in charge or not.

An option to buy Real Betis Johnny Cardoso remains in play early in the summer, with a deal being struck for the USA international as part of Giovani Lo Celso’s return to Spain.