Ange Postecoglou has made a big call on two of his biggest stars as Tottenham host Manchester City and look to defeat Pep Guardiola’s side for a third time this season.
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The Australian has decided to bench captain Son Heung-min and Dejan Kulusevski, Tottenham’s two most reliable attacking options, in favour of giving them some rest as Brennan Johnson and Wilson Odobert start.
“It’s something (the opportunity to rest players) we’ve missed, obviously. I think they will benefit,” Postecoglou said pre-match.
“Those three have played a lot of football in recent times.
“It allows guys like Destiny (Udogie), Brennan and now Wilson to get up the match minutes after missing a fair bit of football, but without losing sight of the fact that we have a big challenge (ahead of us) tonight and we want a strong team out there.”
Spurs defeated City 4-0 at the Etihad earlier in the campaign, and also knocked them out of the Carabao Cup at the Round of 16 stage, and a win in the mid-week fixture would lift Tottenham back above Crystal Palace into 12th place on the table.
City were leapfrogged by Chelsea with their 4-0 rout of cellar dwellers Southampton yesterday, and a victory would put them back in the top four.
The chances of picking up a three points have been boosted by confirmation of Erling Haaland’s return to the start XI.
It is a crucial night of matches for the top four race with second-placed Arsenal visiting third-placed Nottingham Forest, while league leaders Liverpool host sixth-placed Newcastle who have been dealt a massive blow prior to the match.
Alexander Isak is behind only Mohamed Salah in the golden boot race but will sit out this clash at Anfield with a groin problem.
Mikel Arteta has slammed Arsenal for being ‘nowhere near the levels’ required to win the Premier League following his side’s 1-0 loss to West Ham.
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Meanwhile troubled Manchester United rallied from two goals down in a 2-2 draw at Everton.
Jarrod Bowen’s strike just before half-time at the Emirates proved to be the difference as the Gunners dropped to their third defeat of the season with their 15-game unbeaten streak coming to an end.
A red card to Myles Lewis-Skelly in the 73rd minute did little to help Arsenal’s cause as they missed out on the chance to cut Liverpool’s lead at the top to five points.
And Arteta was left bitterly frustrated as Arsenal created next to nothing as they lost at home to the Hammers for the second successive season.
Speaking in his post-match press conference, he said: “Very disappointed, obviously very angry as well.
“We didn’t hit the levels of today and I am very much responsible of that so I am very, very angry.” Arteta also refused to use the lack of attackers at his disposal as an excuse for his side’s toothless display up front.
Mikel Merino, a central midfielder, was named up top for the Gunners with Leandro Trossard and Ethan Nwaneri on the flanks.
In total, Arsenal took 20 shots, but just two of those landed on target. Yet Arteta bemoaned a lack of quality from his entire squad as the primary reason for the defeat.
“I refuse that completely because I am talking about the standards of the players and the team that we played today, me included,” he remarked.
“That was nowhere near the levels that we have to hit to have the opportunity to win a Premier League.
Arsenal’s Declan Rice is substituted by manager Mikel Arteta during the Premier League match at the Emirates Stadium, London. Picture date: Saturday February 22, 2025. (Photo by Mike Egerton/PA Images via Getty Images)Source: FOX SPORTS
Match Stats “We were very consistent, yes, but football is about what you do today and today, nowhere near.” The loss to West Ham now leaves the Gunners’ title hopes hanging by the thinnest of threads.
With Liverpool drawing to Everton and Aston Villa recently, Arsenal had the chance to keep the pressure on Arne Slot‘s men.
But the loss to West Ham leaves the margin at eight points with 12 games remaining ahead of Liverpool’s clash away at Manchester City on Sunday.
“I think you have to congratulate West Ham for the victory and the game that they played,” Arteta added.
“But as well I think a lot from our side that we never got right and they didn’t allow us to get enough momentum, enough sequence of play with positive action that could deliver into situations of threat for them.” Arteta and his troops must now quickly switch focus to Wednesday’s trip to high-flying Nottingham Forest.
He will also be without Lewis-Skelly as one of his defensive options. The teenager brought down Mohamed Kudus as the Ghanaian looked to break towards goal with no defensive cover nearby.
It was initially given a yellow card, but following a VAR review, it was upgraded to a straight red.
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Lewis-Skelly’s sending off was his second in his last four league fixtures, with the other coming in a 1-0 win over Wolves.However, it was later overturned upon appeal.
At Goodison Park, United were headed for a ninth defeat in their last 13 league games as goals from Beto and Abdoulaye Doucoure put Everton two up inside 33 minutes.
Ruben Amorim’s team had not mustered a shot on target until Fernandes’ free-kick pulled a goal back 18 minutes from time before Manuel Ugarte’s equaliser salvaged a point.
More late drama was to come as Everton were awarded a penalty deep into stoppage-time, only for referee Andy Madley to overturn his decision after a VAR review.
“We just played one half and we managed to draw the game. We didn’t exist in the first half,” Amorim said after his 15th-placed side’s dismal run extended to just four wins in 15 league games.
Brennan Johnson put Tottenham ahead in the 18th minute with a tap-in from Son Heung-min’s cutback.
Johnson was on target again eight minutes later, netting with a clinical strike from another Son assist.
Omari Hutchinson pulled one back for Ipswich in the 36th minute. But Djed Spence’s deflected 77th minute shot and Dejan Kulusevski’s 84th minute finish wrapped up Tottenham’s second successive victory.
Wolves boosted their survival bid with a priceless 1-0 win at 10-man Bournemouth.
Bournemouth had Illia Zabarnyi sent off late in the first half when his foul by Rayan Ait-Nouri was upgraded from a yellow to red card after VAR intervened.
Nunez shocker leaves coach breathless | 00:25
Wolves took advantage in the 36th minute as Nelson Semedo’s cross was missed by Dean Huijsen and Matheus Cunha steered his shot past Kepa Arrizabalaga.
Vitor Pereira’s team are now five points clear of the relegation zone as fifth-placed Bournemouth’s top four hopes suffered a setback.
Joachim Andersen’s own goal put his former club Crystal Palace on course for a 2-0 win at Fulham.
Daniel Munoz’s 66th minute blast wrapped up Palace’s latest success on the road. Southampton slipped closer to relegation after a 4-0 defeat against south-coast rivals Brighton at St Mary’s.
Joao Pedro, Georginio Rutter, Kaoru Mitoma and Jack Hinshelwood’s 82nd minute effort condemned bottom of the table Southampton to a 21st defeat in 26 league games this season.
Southampton are 13 points from safety with 12 games left to avoid an immediate return to the Championship.
Chelsea travel to Aston Villa looking to bolster their top four push in Saturday’s late game.
Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou has dismissed talk of Spurs getting relegated before their recent return to form as “ridiculous” and “hysteria”.
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Postecoglou’s side have officially turned the corner after months of being ravaged by injuries, which led to them losing six out of seven league matches at once stage, with several of their big name stars returning to action and better results have come with them.
Tottenham’s 4-1 win away to relegation-threatened Ipswich Town on Saturday was their third straight Premier League victory, the first time they have achieved a hat-trick of wins in the league since the early days of Postecolgou’s tenure in December 2023.
Brennan Johnson scored a brace in his first start in more than a month due to a calf injury, while Djed Spence also hit the score sheet after a heavy knock kept him out for three games last month and Dejan Kulusevski, who has battled admirably all season, capped things off with the fourth and final goal.
The win pushed them to 12th on the table, on 33 points, somehow with the fourth best goal difference in the league.
Tottenham have won ten of their 26 matches, but are second only to league leaders Liverpool for goals scored this campaign, with 53.
Based on those numbers, it is clear to see why Postecoglou was displeased when asked post-match about the victory putting them 16 points clear of the drop zone, meanwhile they are 11 points out of the top four.
“It goes to show you how ridiculous a notion it was to start with,” Postecoglou said. “People saying we’re safe with 12 games to go, and people are actually talking about it. That’s the hysteria. And that’s all framed around putting pressure on me and the club. I get that, when you’re in that position you’ve got to accept that.
“For me, it was always about trying … We always had the [Aston] Villa FA Cup game as a marker for us. We’ve got to get to that space as best we could. We obviously didn’t get the outcomes we wanted during that time. But not through a lack of will or effort from the players.
“That was always my primary concern, to protect them and support them. Because they gave everything during that period. Now they’ve got some help, they’ve got some rest.
“Like I said, we’re not happy where we are in the league, obviously, it’s unacceptable. But we’ve got an opportunity to address that.”
To improve their position on the table, Tottenham will need to put in more performances like they did at Ipswich.
An undermanned defence has struggled massively for much of the season, but it was a far more assured performance from the back four of Destiny Udogie, loanee Kevin Danso, teenager Archie Gray and Spence with the support of first-choice goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario.
Postecoglou’s preferred centre back pairing of Cristian Romero and Micky Van de Ven were absent, but he was pleased to lean on some improved squad depth.
“I thought we did the hard things really well,” Postecoglou said. “A couple of times in the first half we lost a bit of concentration in terms of the second ball and duels.
“It was a disappointing goal we conceded, but aside from that I thought we handled that side of the game really well.
“I always felt we were a threat when we had the ball. Son Heung-min was unplayable in the first half and so good to get Brennan back in those areas where he’s always a threat.
“All four of our goals were quality goals. We had to do the hard things, but the fruits of that labour was that our front third play was super exciting and clinical,” he said.
“We’re certainly in a good space of using these two weeks as well as we could to re-energise the team and I think it has.
“We’ve still got some significant players out. We’ve got (Dominic) Solanke, Richarlison, (Cristian) Romero, (Micky) Van de Ven, Ben Davies, he’s out today. They’re all still to come back.”
Tottenham’s resurgence faces a stern test in the coming weeks, started by hosting Manchester City mid-week.
Spurs have had the wood on Pep Guardiola’s side this season, demolishing them 4-0 at the Etihad as well as knocking them out of the Carabao Cup.
But City have had a bounce back of their own, and they now sit fourth on the league table after winning three of their last four fixtures.
Also looming is the final pursuit of silverware for the season.
Spurs have been drawn to face Dutch side AZ Alkmaar, who they defeated 1-0 in the league phase, in the two-leg Round of 16 Europa League tie.
The first leg will take place on March 6, with return leg in London to be played the following week, and Postecoglou believes the lead-up is going to be crucial.
“I just feel like we’ve got a really good opportunity in these next 10 days to be well equipped for what’s ahead,” he said.
“What’s ahead is obviously Europe but also an opportunity to address our league position, which is obviously not good enough.”
Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou wants his side to build on back-to-back Premier League wins as Spurs’ injury crisis begins to ease.
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Victories over Brentford and Manchester United have lifted Postecoglou’s men to 12th in the table and eased any fears of being drawn into a relegation battle.
Prior to that, Spurs had won just once in 11 league games to tumble down the table as injuries piled up.
Goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario and match-winner James Maddison returned to the starting line-up against United last weekend, while Brennan Johnson, Wilson Odobert and Destiny Udogie made the bench.
Centre-backs Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero could return in time to face AZ Alkmaar in the last 16 of the Europa League next month.
Before then Postecoglou is keen to make more inroads into improving Spurs’ league position in games against Ipswich on Sunday before Manchester City visit north London on Thursday.
“Obviously our last two Premier League games, Brentford away and Man United at home, have been two important results for us to kind of try and arrest the form in the league,” Postecoglou told reporters. “But you need to keep backing that up.
“Tomorrow’s an opportunity to do that. It’s not easy when you’re playing away from home and in the Premier League, especially against a team that’s fighting like Ipswich are.
“But it is an opportunity for us now to get another strong performance, get another positive result, and like I said, hopefully provide a bit of a foundation for us to kick on.”
The former Australia boss hinted that the likes of Pedro Porro and Dejan Kulusevski could be rested for the trip to Portman Road after being loaded with a heavy burden during Tottenham’s injury crisis in recent months.
“Once Europe kicks in, we know we’ve got to play midweek and weekend again, so we want to make sure we’ve got enough in the tank and we don’t want to lose any players during this period either,” added Postecoglou.
“Pedro, Kulusevski, these kind of guys, we’ve got an opportunity with the players we’ve got back to still maintain good levels of performance, but also give them a little bit of a rest.”
Tottenham won the battle of the Premier League’s underachievers 1-0 on Sunday to inflict another dismal result on Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim.
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James Maddison scored the only goal on 13 minutes as Spurs moved above United in the table into 12th thanks to a third win over the Red Devils this season.
The Spurs midfielder delivered his trademark goal celebration before putting his fingers to his lips.
It appeared to be a response to stinging criticism from United legend Roy Keane who doubted Maddison’s return would do much to improve Spurs fortunes.
“People say, ‘Maddison’s the man’, but when is he going to step up to the plate? He got relegated with Leicester and [looks like] with Spurs. Maddison isn’t bad but if you think he’s going to come back and get Spurs top six, you’re in cuckoo land,” Keane said on the Stick to Football podcast this week.
LONDON, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 16: Ange Postecoglou, Manager of Tottenham Hotspur, celebrates after James Maddison of Tottenham Hotspur (not pictured) scores his team’s first goal during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur FC and Manchester United FC at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on February 16, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
“He’s a talented player, but if you’re a player in the Spurs dressing room and he’s back in the squad, you wouldn’t be looking and going, ‘James is back today – we’re going to be fine!’”
Speaking after the game Maddison hinted that his goal celebration may have been in response to Keane’s comments.
“It’s always difficult being out injured. You miss one game or 10, you are always champing at the bit to get back. I went into the game today knowing I can be the difference.
“I’m really proud of the boys, obviously it has been an up and down season, we are not where we want to be in the league table. I’m really happy for the lads and for the fans, we’re sending them home happy. I’ve always been a goalscoring midfielder.
“That’s why Spurs brought me to the club. I’m there to be that creative outlet and score goals. There was a little bit of outside noise this week. People will have their opinions. Nobody is more critical of me than myself.”
Victory eased the pressure on under-fire Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou after exiting both domestic cup competitions this month to go with their lowly league position.
EPL Wrap: Ange claims back-to-back wins | 02:53
United now find themselves down in 15th, but do enjoy a 12-point cushion over the bottom three.
Tottenham’s first home league win since November came amid a spirit of revolt among their support.
Before kick-off Spurs fans again vented their frustration towards owners ENIC and chairman Daniel Levy.
A huge banner read “24 years, 16 managers, 1 trophy – Time for change” as a sizeable contingent of the home crowd joined a protest calling for Levy to go.
However, the mood for Postecoglou was lifted even before kick-off as he was able to welcome back a host of first-team regulars who have been sidelined by injury.
Goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario made his first appearance since November along with Maddison in the starting line-up, while Destiny Udogie, Brennan Johnson and Wilson Odobert were on the bench.
United had their own injury troubles with Amad Diallo joining Lisandro Martinez on the sidelines for the rest of the season and Kobbie Mainoo ruled out for a month.
Amorim had to name eight teenagers among his nine substitutes, forcing Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee to start together up front after both were overlooked for United’s last league game, a 2-0 defeat to Crystal Palace.
LONDON, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 16: James Maddison of Tottenham Hotspur celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur FC and Manchester United FC at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on February 16, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
Hojlund had the first chance when he fired too close to Vicario before the Italian flew to his left to deny Alejandro Garnacho.
Instead it was Spurs who got the opener when Andre Onana could only parry Lucas Bergvall’s shot into the path of Maddison, who tapped into an empty net for his 10th goal of the season.
United should have been at least level by half-time as Garnacho blazed over a glorious opportunity with just Vicario to beat after being picked out by Bruno Fernandes.
Vicario continued to frustrate Garnacho with another fine save after the break. Zirkzee wasted a huge chance to equalise 20 minutes from time when the Dutch international headed Noussair Mazraoui’s cross wide with the goal gaping.
But United’s inability to put the ball in the net comes as little surprise. Only the bottom three plus Everton have scored fewer than United’s 28 goals in 25 league games this season.
At the other end, Onana kept the visitors in the game by parrying Dejan Kulusevski’s powerful effort.
But even Spurs’ makeshift backline could not be breached by Amorim’s men to allow Postecoglou to see some light at the end of the tunnel.
– ‘This one is big’: Slot salutes Liverpool spirit in win over Wolves –
Arne Slot hailed Liverpool’s fighting spirit as the “fatigued” Premier League leaders survived a tense 2-1 win against Wolves on Sunday.
Slot’s side moved seven points clear of second-placed Arsenal thanks to Luis Diaz’s early opener and a Mohamed Salah penalty before the interval at Anfield.
It wasn’t easy for Liverpool despite that strong start as fourth-bottom Wolves hit back impressively.
Matheus Cunha’s blast reduced the deficit and Liverpool had to hold on in the closing stages before they could celebrate a first win in three games in all competitions.
Indebted to Alisson Becker for some crucial saves, Liverpool boss Slot said: “This one is big. We needed to fight and we needed Alisson.
“Wolves took a lot of risks. In a season where you want to achieve something, you need to have wins like this as well.
“It’s never the game-plan never to create anything at all. They got better and better, we got worse and worse.
“We had to show a different mentality and got it over the line. If this is what it takes to win a game then I’m happy the players could do that again.”
Slot admitted Liverpool were running on fumes at times after Wednesday’s emotionally draining 2-2 draw at Merseyside rivals Everton, which featured a stoppage-time equaliser for the Toffees, and last weekend’s embarrassing FA Cup exit at second tier Plymouth.
“Fatigue comes from running a lot and a bit of mental fatigue a lot. We were mentally tested today. We thought we’d scored a third and then a penalty for the third but both were correct from the referee,” he said.
“Maybe it did lead to us being a bit tired. I did see for the first time this season that players were more tired than they have been.
“If you want to achieve something it is not only about bringing the ball out from the back or Mo scoring goals, it is also about defending.”
– ‘You can never breathe’ –
Liverpool’s ability to grind out a fourth win in their last five league matches kept Arsenal at bay in the title race.
Chasing a record-equalling 20th English title and their first since 2020, Liverpool are 13 games away from the trophy.
They face significant clashes with Aston Villa, Manchester City and Newcastle in their next three league games.
And Slot knows Arsenal — who have finished runners-up for the last two seasons — will do everything they can to take the race to a dramatic conclusion.
“If you look at the last few seasons it has mostly been a battle between two teams. As things stand now it mostly looks like between us and Arsenal,” he said.
“You can never breathe in this competition. I saw Arsenal’s 15-game unbeaten run and the gap has always been the same so that shows that we do.
“If you want to compete for something special then you have to win a lot of games in this league.” Slot was able to sit on the bench against Wolves despite being charged with abusive behaviour towards the match officials after being sent off at the end of the stormy Merseyside derby.
The Dutchman could eventually face a suspension and he said: “It is an ongoing process, it is not smart to talk about it.
“We’ve seen the comments from the referee and now we can say our part. It’s down to a panel to decide if I get a ban.”
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After months of being pillaged by injury, Postecoglou welcomed back first-choice Guglielmo Vicario, who made his presence known with several key saves, and James Maddison, who scored the only goal of the game when he pounced on a rebound from Lucas Bergvall’s shot, to the starting line-up.
Almost as importantly, Destiny Udogie, Brennan Johnson and Wilson Odobert returned to the list of substitutes, with the latter two coming on in the second half.
Tottenham started to look like the side who came agonisingly close to a Champions League berth last season again.
Meanwhile, Amorim had eight teenagers among United’s nine substitutes, and he only called upon one of them.
The sole change he made was bringing on 17-year-old striker Chido Obi for his debut with three minutes remaining as they tried to snatch a point.
It was a predicament Postecoglou knows all too well.
But the Australian was not in the mood to feel sorry for his rival manager as his side defeated United for the second time this Premier League season, becoming the first Spurs outfit to do the league double against the Red Devils, and for the third time in all competitions.
“If I check my office, I don’t have any sympathy cards from other managers, so that hasn’t happened,” Postecoglou said.
“There’s definitely a few (injury issues). I could see Ruben there, players out of position, kids on the bench. Well, welcome to my world.
“But that’s for one game. Now do that for two months. Do that for two months. Any club. Do that for two months.
“I thought Man United were good today, considering all that, and we had our days when we were good, we beat Liverpool in this spell.”
The victory was Tottenham’s second straight in the league and lifted them to 12th on table, while United dropped to 15th, 12 points clear of the relegation places.
Amorim has officially had the worst start of any United manager since the great Sir Alex Ferguson with his side recording, four wins, two draws and eight losses in the league since the Portuguese manager took over.
The Red Devils have lost 12 of their 25 league games so far, and the last time they piled up that many losses was in 1973/74 when they were relegated from the top flight.
The former Sporting CP boss said post-match he has “a lot of problems” and that his “job is so, so hard here”.
But United great Gary Neville summed up how dire the situation is by saying on Sky Sports that the best part of Amorim’s tenure has been his work in front of the cameras.
“The best thing about it has been his press conferences, and I think even today after the game, the way in which he communicates his vision and his idea, and he wants to succeed at Manchester United, and he feels he’ll get it right,” Neville said.
“I don’t think there’s anything on the pitch that I’ve seen so far, either in results or performances, that tell me we’re watching a really good team.
“This is a really poor team, this United team.
“He has died in a ditch when he said very early on that I’m not going to change my ideas, and now he can’t, and I suppose that’s an issue in some ways.
“The concern is that the players aren’t demonstrating this system yet, in any of the 20 games Ruben Amorim’s had, apart from maybe Liverpool away.”
Like Tottenham, United are clinging to the hope of silverware in the Europa League despite their poor Premier League campaign.
Both teams gained automatic passage to the Round of 16 courtesy of finishing in the top eight of the league phase, but Neville believes things are trending upwardly only for Spurs as they emerge from their injury struggles.
Speaking on Sky Sports pre-match, he was full of praise for Postecoglou and even said he hoped the Australian wins the secondary European trophy, but with a caveat.
“He’s a massive asset to the Premier League,” Neville said of Postecoglou.
“I hope they can turn it around and do well in Europe as well.
“I’d like United to win the competition but if they didn’t I would want Spurs to win it as well.”
Post-match Neville again expressed his support for the former Celtic boss.
“I don’t buy into this that everyone wants Ange Postecoglou to be sacked, or to fail, because actually, I desperately don’t,” he said.
“I think he’s one of the best styles of play I’ve seen here for a long time.
“It’s brilliant how he’s got his team to play. They’re so exciting to watch. I love it when I get a Tottenham game given to me.
“Everyone wants him to succeed, but obviously results do have to improve.”
While many are feeling sympathy for under-fire Ange Postecoglou amid Tottenham’s ongoing injury crisis, Premier League legend Roy Keane clearly isn’t among them.
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Postecoglou and Spurs are enduring a nightmare with up to 10 first team players missing due to injury. They sit 14th in the Premier League and only last week were knocked out of two more competitions, the League Cup and FA Cup.
An FA Cup loss to Aston Villa was followed by Postecoglou delivering a passionate defence of his players, stressing how tough it has been on them to back up for two games a week with a depleted squad.
The Australian manager insisted he was not fussed what people thought of him or his job security — hinting at “agenda driven” criticism — but he clearly still has at least some belief from Spurs and their chairman Daniel Levy who have so far resisted loudinging calls to sack him.
Postecoglou and Spurs’ plight was discussed on Sky Sports’ Stick to Football podcast and while legends Gary Neville and Ian Wright empathised with the embattled manager and the situation, Keane delivered a blunt assessment.
“When Ange was manager of Celtic, he’s playing Dundee and Hibs every week and they’ve got the smallest squads ever. I don’t think Ange was feeling sorry for them,” Keane, who won 17 trophies with Manchester United, said.
“It’s Ange’s time now … you have to suffer now Ange, like lots of others managers.”
Spurs out of FA Cup with loss to Villa | 01:18
“Celtic have the biggest budget, the best players. Do you think he had sympathy at Dundee when he was winning 8, 9 nil? I didnt see him after the game going, ‘I feel for the other manager, they’ve got a small budget’.
“He didn’t care less, and managers are getting sacked all around him.”
Keane also questioned which of Spurs’ injured players would actually have an impact on lifting Spurs back up to a respectable Premier League position, however he believes remaining in the Europa League could be a key for Postecoglou’s job survival.
Keane said Postecoglou’s demeanor in recent weeks was a reflection of the prolonged poor results “beating up” the Australian.
“When you’re winning, you’re fresh as a daisy,” he said.
“When you see Ange at the moment, Ange looks like he’s not slept for a month because you’re not winning, of course.
“He’s got (Manchester) United on Sunday (Monday AEDT). I guarantee if they beat United you see him on Monday or Tuesday, he’ll have a spring in his step.
“That’s what the results do to you, they grind you down. When you’re losing, trust me, it beats you up.”
Ange passionately defends side post loss | 03:43
Tottenham have lost five of their last eight games in all competitions, dealing a big blow to Postecoglou’s boast earlier this season that he always wins a trophy in his second campaign.
But he wants “a better appreciation for what a very small group of players have been doing for the last two and a half months”.
“It can’t be that people think that’s an excuse. That’s just not anywhere near close to objective analysis. That’s just agenda-driven stuff,” Postecoglou said after the Villa defeat.
“If it’s to get rid of me that’s fine. Good on ya. Go for it a million times.
“But in terms of this group of players, what they’ve given over the past two and half months has been outstanding, it’s a credit to them, I can’t speak highly enough of them.”
Spurs are through to the Europa League last 16, but whether Postecoglou will still be in charge when they return to European action remains to be seen.
Denied the services of Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, James Maddison and Brennan Johnson among others due to injury, the former Celtic boss is adamant his players still back him.
Postecolgou was hopeful of welcoming back some players from injury against Manchester United, and the Australian may fancy his chances given Tottenham’s 3-0 win over the Red Devils at Old Trafford in September.
The tight rope Ange Postecoglou is walking is getting narrower.
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That is to be expected when a big six club like Tottenham sits 14th on the Premier League table almost two-thirds of the way through the season.
This time last week Spurs were still in the Carabao Cup, FA Cup and the Europa League.
Now, only the latter remains.
The results are not stacking up in the Australian’s favour, but there is an unshakeable feeling among his backers that if he was not an outsider in English football, he might be afforded more rope.
It has been highly publicised that Tottenham have been hit with an injury crisis in recent months.
“There’s got to be a better appreciation for what a very small group of players have been doing for the last two and a half months,” he said.
“It can’t be that people think that’s an excuse. That’s just not anywhere near close to objective analysis. That’s just agenda-driven stuff.
“If it’s to get rid of me that’s fine. Good on ya. Go for it a million times.
“But in terms of this group of players, what they’ve given over the past two and half months has been outstanding, it’s a credit to them, I can’t speak highly enough of them.”
Yet, the questions keep coming despite the most glaring issue being clear for all to see.
Postecoglou has been repeatedly forced to put out a makeshift defence with first choice goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, centre back pairing Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven, and left-back Destiny Udogie all spending extended periods on the sidelines.
Further afield, midfielders Rodrigo Bentancur and Yves Bissouma have been regularly unavailable, while their goal scoring stocks have suffered the blows of injuries to Dominic Solanke, Brennan Johnson and James Maddison at various times.
Logically, it is no surprise that the losses have mounted.
Liverpool sink Spurs in run to final | 02:05
Just as they did for Newcastle United last season.
The Magpies lost ten of their first 21 Premier League encounters last campaign.
Undeniably, not good enough for a club with a lot of financial power considering its 80% per cent ownership by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, well-known for funding LIV Golf and spreading their wealth throughout the sporting world in recent years.
But manager Eddie Howe faced nowhere near the level of scrutiny Postecoglou has received.
It was widely accepted that the Englishman, who made his name by taking Bournemouth to the Premier League for the first time, had his hands tied by an injury-riddled squad.
The added pressure of mid-week European competition, Newcastle played in the Champions League for the first time in 20 years, as well as cup fixtures and always demanding league schedule took its toll.
It sounds familiar to Postecoglou’s current predicament.
But unlike in Howe’s case, the English press, pundits, former players and fans have been baying for blood.
And despite sometimes justified criticism of Postecoglou’s polarising tactics, some of the reasons for doing so have not always been fair.
“Spurs’ Australian head coach is the latest target of the village idiots; the half-pint pundits and critics who prefer to laugh at the fact he finishes his sentences with ‘mate’ than listen to him contextualising his team’s problems,” football news correspondent for the UK Telegraph Matt Law wrote.
The mockery unfortunately goes hand-in-hand with the club Postecoglou is at.
Tottenham are repeatedly a laughing stock among rival fans courtesy of the well-documented absence of silverware in their trophy cabinet since 2008.
The regularity with which they sack managers, Postecoglou is their 12th permanent manager this century, is the bud of many jokes.
So too is the behaviour of their fans, who even wanted their own team to lose the penultimate game of last Premier League season at home to Manchester City, which they did 2-0, to deny arch enemies Arsenal the title.
Therefore, of course, when an Australian arrived in north London with tales of how he has won a trophy in his second season with Celtic, Yokohama F. Marinos, the Socceroos, Brisbane Roar and South Melbourne, the punch lines were being written.
Add to that the fact he had shown an unwavering commitment to attacking football, even when times are tough. That was until their last Premier League outing, a 2-0 victory away at Brentford, as a more defensive approach broke a seven-game winless streak in the league.
Spurs sat deeper and gritted their teeth for 90 minutes, showing that they can be more resolute in defence, but Postecoglou is still spoken of as a madman.
There are choruses of laughter in pubs and football clubs across England at Postecoglou’s and Tottenham’s expense, and they have only grown louder in recent days.
Ange denies Tel initially rejected Spurs | 01:11
In the past week, another dismantling by Liverpool, in the form of a 4-0 drubbing at Anfield in the second leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final after leading 1-0 following the first leg, was followed by a 2-1 defeat at Villa Park in the fourth round of the FA Cup.
There is little shame in losing to the Premier League leaders, or Aston Villa have qualified for the Champions League Round of 16, but that did not prevent the pile on.
Former Tottenham midfielder Jamie Redknapp was scathing on Sky Sports after the Liverpool loss, saying “I cannot remember a team in my lifetime go down with less of a fight with what Spurs did today”.
“Not having one shot on target in the semi-final of a second leg when you’re trying to change the course of your history?” he added.
Fellow former Spurs midfielder Jamie O’Hara, who has been a very vocal critic of Postecoglou, took to X to call for his sacking.
“It’s time to go now, Ange is out of his depth. [Unai] Emery is on a different planet compared to him and his players bopped us off the park. Should have been five, we’re like reserve team playing in academy games that don’t matter, it’s crazy,” O’Hara wrote.
It did not help things for Postecoglou either that Liverpool great Jamie Carragher opted to rub further salt into Spurs’ wounds.
“It’s Tottenham!” Carragher said on Sky Sports. “When do Tottenham ever win a big game? When do Tottenham ever go and surprise, win against the odds?”
The last few months it must have felt like Postecoglou was being forced to play game after game at a casino where the house always wins.
With the injury crisis, the odds have been massively skewed against them, but the cup competitions kept the hope alive.
Now, only the European dream remains to fulfil the Postecoglou prophecy of winning yet another trophy in his second season in charge of a team.
Spurs finished fourth in the new look league phase of the Europa League with five wins, two draws and a loss to automatically advance to the Round of 16.
Awaiting them will be one of Midtjylland, AZ Alkmaar, Real Sociedad or Galatasaray but arguably more important than the opponent they face, will be the respite Postecoglou’s injury hit squad receive.
Their next European clash is not until March 6 as they will enjoy some much-needed breathing space between matches this month after a manic December and January.
Tension eases as Spurs advance in Europa | 01:57
Spurs played 17 matches across all competitions in that stretch as the casualty ward overflowed.
It was reported by the UK Telegraph on Monday that Postecoglou has implemented a much-needed reset by affording the squad two days off this week to recharge the batteries before facing Manchester United at home in the league on Sunday.
“The boys who are coming back, we’ll get the opportunity to give them a whole week of training, which is great,” Postecoglou said.
“By the time we get to the back end of the week we should have something resembling a squad of players to prepare for a big game. That then folds into the following week when, again, we’ve got seven days and no midweek game to prepare for the next game.
“So that gives us a real good opportunity to get some work into the guys who have been out for quite a while and give some rest to the guys who have been going at it. So by the time we get back to being in Europe and having midweek games we’ll be in a much better shape.”
Postecoglou will be hoping the refresh, along with the possible returns of Vicario, Udogie, Maddison, Johnson and Wilson Odobert will be the morale booster the playing group desperately needs.
Their frustrations came to the fore during the Villa loss on Sunday.
“Spence ripped off his sock tape, threw it on the ground and headed straight down the tunnel with Yves Bissouma at full time,” The Athletic’s Jay Harris wrote.
“Pedro Porro jumped up after being nutmegged and left in a heap on the floor by Marcus Rashford. He then brought Villa’s new striker down with a wild kick on the edge of the box and somehow escaped punishment. The Spain international received a yellow card in the final 10 minutes for a tackle on Ramsey.
“Bentancur was booked for dragging down Rogers. Bergvall jumped into a tackle on Rogers and then clattered into him later on. He eventually picked up a booking for a foul on Ramsey, too.
“These are the moments when Postecoglou needs his senior players, including the captain Son and Dejan Kulusevski, to calm everyone down.”
Jovial Ange jokes before crucial goal | 00:57
If the players can reset, they may be able to claw their way back to the days of Postecoglou’s honeymoon period at Spurs.
The 59-year-old was a breath of fresh air when Tottenham amassed 26 points in his first ten games in charge, a Premier League record, when he took over last season.
Most promising for Postecoglou is that the formula is still there.
“The statistics still tell us this Tottenham team, for all their struggles this season, play a little differently to everyone else. The principles of play that had Postecoglou’s Spurs five points clear at the top of the table early last season remain in place,” Sky Sports’ Adam Bate wrote.
“No team in the Premier League has won the ball high up the pitch more times than Tottenham. No team allows so few passes per defensive action. No team plays with more width than Tottenham. By design, it is supposed to be intense and expansive.”
The numbers are a promising sign that if the medical staff can get most of their stars back on the pitch, the performances may turn quickly.
Who knows what will happen in the Europa League knockouts, but for what it is worth, Howe’s Newcastle won nine and drew four of their final 17 Premier League games last season once the midweek grind subsided.
They finished seventh, and currently sit sixth, two points shy of fourth-placed Chelsea and one of the lucrative Champions League places.
Perhaps if Postecoglou is afforded the leniency of an Englishman, he may have the time to turn things around in a similar fashion.
Who knows, they still have one chance to fulfil his trophy prophecy.
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Spurs are languishing in 14th place in the Premier League and, having also been eliminated from the League Cup just three days ago, the side now only has the Europa League left to play for.
The side’s 2024/25 campaign has been tortured by an unusually brutal injury toll that has regularly sat in the double digits, with many of those players first-team regulars.
With the pressure mounting on his position, Postecoglou said in a lengthy monologue that he didn’t mind facing scrutiny personally, but was fed-up with criticism of the team given how weakened it has been.
He also strongly suggested that there has been a double standard in the coverage of Spurs’ season compared to other big clubs.
“I’m not talking about me. People can judge me. They can say I’ve done a bad job, I’m not up to it or whatever,” he said. “That’s fine. What I’m saying is you can’t be critical of players or players’ performances at this time.
“Because if you do, then do that with everyone else. Be as critical of other clubs when they’ve got nine or 10 or 11 players out. And none of them have. And have to play every week. And not for one game.”
“How did Liverpool go today?” he added, referencing the giant’s shock 1-0 loss to Plymouth Argyle, which sits bottom of the Championship table.
“And they just did that for one game. Do that for two and a half months. Any team. Do that for two and a half months in multiple competitions.”
Tottenham have lost five of their last eight games in all competitions, dealing a huge blow to Postecoglou’s boast earlier this season that he always wins a trophy in his second campaign.
He said he can wear the criticism, but continued to defend his players while suggesting that there is an “agenda” against his team.
“There’s got to be a better appreciation for what a very small group of players have been doing for the last two and a half months,” he said.
“It can’t be that people think that’s an excuse. That’s just not anywhere near close to objective analysis. That’s just agenda-driven stuff.
Plymouth defeats Liverpool in huge upset | 01:21
“If it’s to get rid of me that’s fine. Good on ya. Go for it a million times.
“But in terms of this group of players, what they’ve given over the past two and half months has been outstanding, it’s a credit to them, I can’t speak highly enough of them.”
Spurs are through to the Europa League last 16, but whether Postecoglou will still be in charge when they return to European action remains to be seen.
Denied the services of Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, James Maddison and Brennan Johnson among others due to injury, the former Celtic boss is adamant his players still back him.
“They’ll get the chance to reset now and finish the season strong,” he said.
“Europe is still very important to us, we’re still in a great spot there, and we’ll hope to get some players back over the next two weeks.”
Under-fire Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou defended his injury-hit squad after stinging criticism for their meek League Cup semi-final exit to Liverpool.
Former Spurs midfielder Jamie Redknapp claimed he had never seen a side “in my lifetime go down with less of a fight”.
Defeat ramped up the pressure on Postecoglou, whose future is uncertain with Tottenham languishing in 14th in the Premier League.
The Australian promised earlier in the campaign to maintain his record of winning a trophy in his second season at multiple clubs.
However, Spurs have not lifted any silverware since 2008.
Next up they face a tough trip to Aston Villa in the FA Cup fourth round.
“I get the pile-on at the moment, it’s really easy for people to stick their boots in and question the players but I don’t question,” said Postecoglou.
“We were disappointed last night didn’t go the way we wanted and we didn’t perform at the levels – but that doesn’t define this group of players in my eyes.
“We’ll go out there on Sunday and put out more of a performance that reflects where we’re at. I have a great deal of belief in these players and what they’re going through and how they’re dealing with it.”
New footage emerges from Kerr arrest | 01:55
Postecoglou’s mitigation for a dreadful run of results has been a lengthy injury list that has deprived him of a number of key players.
Guglielmo Vicario, Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Destiny Udogie, James Maddison, Brennan Johnson and Dominic Solanke were among those to miss the defeat to Liverpool, while Richarlison hobbled off in the first half at Anfield.
Postecoglou confirmed that none of those will return for the tie at Villa Park, but is hopeful the injury situation will improve for their next Premier League game against Manchester United in nine days’ time.
“Every time I’ve seen the light at the end of the tunnel, it’s usually been an oncoming train,” added Postecoglou.
“We’re still hopeful we’ll get two or three back for the Manchester United game.
“We’ve got two full weeks of training and we should get the majority of these players back with a bit of luck, providing we don’t lose anyone else.”
Villa could unleash new signings Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio for their debuts on Sunday after securing loan moves from United and Paris Saint-Germain respectively in the final days of the transfer window.
