Tottenham have to remove a coach from their position after the draw at Newcastle, according to Danny Murphy.
Tottenham fought back for a 2-2 draw at Newcastle on Tuesday night thanks to a brace from captain Cristian Romero.
The second equaliser came in the 95th minute just as an Anthony Gordon penalty looked like securing the points, after Rodrigo Bentancur’s tangle with Dan Burn in the Spurs box.
As the ball came over from a corner with the scores level at 1-1 the Tottenham midfielder tried to block off the massive defender while keeping his back to where the ball was coming from and was penalised after a VAR review.
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Danny Murphy moots set-piece coach sack at Tottenham
Speaking live on talkSPORT on Wednesday former Spurs midfielder Danny Murphy admitted the award was harsh when similar offences are committed all the time.
But he was outraged at the style of defending from Bentancur in not looking for the ball and suggested that if that is what he has been taught to do on the training ground then the coach in charge has to be replaced.
That comes at a time when manager Thomas Frank is already facing questions around his job at Tottenham, after losing three times in a week prior to the point at St. James’ Park.
Murphy said: “Any set-piece coach who is allowing or working with his players on defending against anybody with your back to the ball, trying to block people and stop people while you’re not looking at the ball, should be replaced.
“Because, as soon as you do that, you are a) inviting the possibility of a penalty and b) you’re making it impossible to defend the ball in… it’s absolutely bizarre. You cannot defend properly when your back is to the ball. It’s impossible.”
After admitting he doesn’t know for certain that Spurs are actively coaching their players to defend in that way he later added: “I honestly don’t know if it’s a set-piece coach saying to one or two of them ‘look, stop them by any means necessary, if you have to turn your back [then] turn your back’.
“I can’t see it, but if it is they need replacing because that is the most ridiculous way to defend.”
Tottenham look like individuals under Frank
It is hard to believe that Bentancur would have been actively coached to defend how he did, and he is hardly the first player in Premier League history to focus solely on their man instead of the ball.
But the fact is it was needlessly risky when Romero had only just clawed Spurs level in spite of a toothless attack.
At the moment Frank is in trouble because, contrary to his admirable reputation at Brentford, his Tottenham side look like a team of individuals rather than a unit in terms of how they are playing.
Guglielmo Vicario’s gaffe in defeat to Fulham, Romero’s star turn at Newcastle, Richarlison being mocked for diving at St. James‘, and Bentancur’s bizarre defending all feel like players trying to hard in isolation rather than working coherently and it has largely backfired, so the Dane has a lot of work to do behind the scenes.