08 December 2023 , 17:51
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Former Arsenal player Mesut Ozil has called Tottenham 'Bottle Job FC' in a brutal swipe at Ange Postecoglou's side.
The Australian guided Spurs to the top of the Premier League table after 10 games, winning eight and drawing two of their matches. Furthermore, the entertaining style of football implemented by 'Big Ange' had fans lauding their new side, following the acrimonious reign of predecessor Antonio Conte.
But in the last five games the wheels have come off. A chaotic 4-1 defeat to Chelsea was followed by throwing away leads and losing 2-1 to both Wolves and Aston Villa.
A thrilling 3-3 draw with Manchester City briefly stemmed the tide, but then on Thursday, London rivals West Ham prevailed 2-1 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium - again after the hosts had led. To compound their poor form, Spurs are also having to deal with key players James Maddison, Micky van de Wen, and Rodrigo Bentancur all being ruled out injured until 2024.
And the @OptaJoe social media account has laid bare the statistics around their recent decline, posting: "Tottenham are the first side in Premier League history to - fail to win five consecutive games despite going 1-0 up in each match - lose three consecutive home games despite going up 1-0 up in each match."
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And Ozil, who spent eight years at Arsenal before leaving for Turkey in 2021, couldn't resist responding with a dig. He reposted the stats and added: "Who else should be able to break that record? Bottle Job FC is back."
Mesut Ozil has aimed a brutal jibe at Tottenham Hotspur (Getty Images)HAVE YOUR SAY! What's gone wrong with Tottenham? Comment below.
The term refers to Tottenham's 21st century reputation for throwing away games and failing to land major trophies. Indeed, the club has landed just one League Cup in the past 24 seasons.
Ex-German international Ozil signed for £42.5million for Arsene Wenger from Real Madrid in 2013. He won three FA Cups with the club, but his latter years with the club were plagued with criticism over a perceived lack of effort.
The 35-year-old eventually joined Fenerbahce, but his contract was terminated just a year in by mutual consent. Ozil then joined Istanbul Basaksehir but after making only four league appearances, he retired in March citing frequent injuries.