Ange Postecoglou’s future in charge of Tottenham continues to be called into question after a picture going viral online hinted his fate may already be sealed.
A poor domestic campaign has seen the North London side drop to 14th place in the Premier League while they are eliminated from both local cup competitions, in what has been a campaign to forget for the Aussie manager.
The Europa League is currently Spurs’ only chance at silverware this campaign and it is widely believed he will be sacked if they fail to lift the trophy.
However, a recent photo circulating online has raised the question of whether Postecoglou could be headed out the door irrespective of whether or not Spurs go all the way in the European competition.
A picture circulating online suggests Ange Postecoglou could be set to be axed. Image: Getty/Football Classified on XSource: Supplied
A picture of Tottenham owner Daniel Levy sharing a coffee with former Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino has sent social media into a spin.
When the photo was taken remains unclear. It is yet to be verified whether it is a new photo or whether it was taken when Pochettino was in charge of Spurs.
What has thrust the image into the spotlight, regardless of timing, is recent comments from the Argentinian who said he hopes to return to the North London club in the future.
“When I left the club I always remember one interview I said I would like one day to come back to Tottenham,” he told Sky Sports last week.
“I am in the USA, so I am not going to talk about that now – but what I said then I still, after six years or five years, feel in my heart. Yes, I would like one day to come back.
“Not because of my ego, it’s because my feeling is I would like one day to win with Tottenham.”
Pochettino was in charge of Tottenham between 2014 and 2019 — the most stable reign for any Spurs manager in recent history.
Since leaving the club in 2019, Spurs went on to hire four full-time managers: Jose Mourinho, Nuno Espirito Santo, Antonio Conte and Postecoglou.
Mauricio Pochettino could be brought in to replace Ange Postecoglou at Tottenham. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images )Source: Getty Images
53-year-old Pochettino enjoyed a relatively successful time at the helm despite failing to bring the club any silverware. He led the team to the 2015 EFL Cup final, a 2019 Champions League final and a second-place finish in the 2016-17 Premier League season.
But while many fans are calling for Postecoglou to be removed and Pochettino to return, BBC Sports reports it would come at an almighty cost.
The news outlet reports if Levy were to sack Pochettino he would be required to pay the US “one of the biggest compensation fees in football history”, with the sum suggested to be close to $40 million.
Regardless of Pochettino’s availability, Postecoglou remains in a scrap to save his job with a crucial quarter final tie against Eintracht Frankfurt from April 11 crticial.
Former Spurs scout Mick Brown said Spurs simply must regain regular winning form fron now until May for Postecoglou to stand any chance.
“Tottenham, unless they put a run together from now to the end of the season, you would think that things might happen [to Postecoglou] there in terms of the sack for the manager,” he told Football Insider.
He added that Spurs sources have told him that Fulham boss Marco Silva is “top of the pops” to replace the Australian.
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.
Ange Postecoglou’s job is on the line, there’s no two ways about it — but his role in securing the signature of Mathys Tel proves to be a pivotal moment in his Tottenham tenure.
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The 19-year-old was desperate for game time after playing limited minutes for Bayern Munich this season and it was Spurs, alongside Manchester United and Chelsea vying for his signature.
Tottenham officials agreed a $120m AUD fee to sign Tel, but after chairman Daniel Levy flew to Munich to pitch his vision to the young gun, he baulked and declined the move.
That’s where Postecoglou stepped in.
The Australian picked up the phone and called Tel, offering his own view of the path forward and exactly where he saw the rising star fitting in his side.
Suddenly, Tel had a change of heart. Moving quickly, he travelled to London to initially sign on loan before he was convinced to insert a $90m AUD buy option in his contract, for a potential six-year deal.
His conversation with the former Celtic boss was a clear turning point, and that sequence of events sums up the situation Postecoglou finds himself precariously placed in.
“Remember on Friday, Spurs agreed a permanent deal with Bayern Munich but the player said he didn’t want the move and preferred a move to Arsenal, Aston Villa or Manchester United,” Sky Sports News’ Dharmesh Sheth said.
“They didn’t peruse the move. But Ange Postecoglou got on the phone, spoke to Tel personally and convinced him Spurs were the place to be.”
Multiple reports over Postecoglou’s future in north London have not been able to produce a consensus, with some putting the Australian on the brink, and others saying he’s safe for the foreseeable future.
Postecoglou himself admitted in January “I reckon there is probably a fair chunk that will say no” when asked if he will be Tottenham manager beyond the next three weeks.
However, Spurs’ Tel saga — specifically the way it ended — is suggestive of a slightly more secure future for Postecoglou than some have predicted.
Levy turned to Postecoglou in an attempt to try and finish the job he was unable to complete, while also allowing him to sign other players during his stint as manager.
Premier League legend Gary Neville said that Tel had made a good decision to join Spurs, with Postecoglou’s philosophy part of the reason.
“Tottenham are a huge draw, the stadium and the training ground – and the manager with his style of football. It’s a thrilling style that creates chances,” Sky Sports’ Neville said.
“I’m glad Tel is going there after flirting with a couple of other clubs. Tel will improve Spurs.
“They have a big couple of weeks coming up. Sometimes players like the idea of playing for a club but the important thing is to play football. That’s what Tottenham can provide him.
“They are an amazing football club with an amazing fanbase and they have some great games coming up that he can contribute in.”
Postecoglou being handed the keys to the Tel transfer, and personally speaking to the young gun in a bid to change his mind, hints at a manager who’s been backed by the club for its next phase — not one who is being sacked imminently.
Even so, managing under the rule of Levy comes with an ominous history that Postecoglou will hope his new signings can help him defy.
Sam Kerr’s criminal trial gets underway | 01:34
Levy has been in charge at Tottenham since ENIC’s takeover in 2001, winning one League Cup in 2008 during his tenure as the longest current serving chairman.
During his 24 years, he’s sacked and hired 16 managers.
Postecoglou is just the latest in a long line of mentors who have failed to deliver without the significant financial investment to compete with the Premier League’s heavyweights.
Yet he was still able to convince one of the world’s brightest talents to join him in North London, and the chairman was not.
But should Spurs’ struggles continue to close out the 2024/25 season, it will be Postecoglou who is thrown out the door — not Levy, who refuses to listen to fan’s criticisms.
Levy watched on as Postecoglou struggled to field a starting eleven in recent weeks, with injuries tallying almost every game.
Fans have protested openly against the club’s ownership in recent weeks, even staging a mass event at the Tottenham club shop to try and enact change.
However, Levy has previously said that he doesn’t listen to criticism from the club’s faithful, with former Premier League striker Chris Sutton questioning the chairman.
“Daniel Levy is such a powerful figure – he wants to win trophies, but that’s not his primary objective, he wants to make money and that’s why Tottenham fans are angry,” he said on BBC.
“But, does Daniel Levy listen to anybody? He’s a stubborn so and so, we can talk as much as we like about it but he’s such a powerful figure – what is going to change?
“You can have your banners up, you can sing Levy out – but is he really going to listen to that?”
While Levy has been the focal point of fans’ woes, former Manchester United scout Mick Brown explained prior to deadline day that Postecoglou’s position was shaping as a familiar story.
“It’s mapping out at Tottenham as it often has done over the years,” he said to Football Insider.
Mathys Tel (R) will join Spurs.Source: Getty Images
“The manager of the time needs players, it gets to a point where the chairman is accused of keeping his hands in his pockets, he starts getting pressure from the fans, and he sacks the manager.
“He’s sacked 15 managers during his time there. It’s ‘watch this space’ at Tottenham at the moment.
“They’ve been down this road before.
“Chairmen, particularly Daniel Levy, don’t like pressure from the fans so they react and make a decision. That’s not my opinion, it’s a fact, it’s history.”
However, Tottenham’s pair of signings could be seen as a renewed show of faith in Postecoglou.
Last month, the club was in freefall with losses in the league piling up each week, while Levy’s pursestrings remained largely tightened.
But a pressure-relieving 0-2 away win over Brentford on the weekend, followed by two key coups late in the transfer window have offered new hope for Postecoglou’s future at the club.
Alongside Tel, Lens centre back Kevin Danso has also joined the club in a timely boost for the Australian’s injury-ravaged side.
Even so it wasn’t all good news in the market for Postecoglou, he was desperate to sign a second centre back, with Chelsea’s Axel Disasi snubbing Spurs in favour of Aston Villa.
AC Milan’s Fikayo Tomori also rejected the club’s approach, while Crystal Palace declined a $140m AUD bid for England representative Marc Guehi.
The Guehi move in particular highlighted the difference between Spurs and other heavyweights, refusing to up their offer to secure a player who has been a proven Premier League performer.
Spurs still sit in 14th in the Premier League, losing four-straight games before breaking that streak against Brentford.
It is therefore likely that results in a trio of cup competitions, the Europe League, Carabao Cup and the FA Cup, will be pivotal in Postecoglou surviving the 2024/25 season.
Kerr’s alleged racial harassment shown | 00:50
Spurs have a 1-0 lead after the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi finals, with the second clash with Liverpool scheduled for Friday morning.
The recent return of Micky van de Ven proves crucial for Spurs, but the likes of Christian Romero, Dominic Solanke, James Maddison and Guglielmo Vicario, among others, still sidelined.
Postecoglou will be desperate for Tel and Danso to hit the ground running in the hopes of helping Tottenham delve deeper into their cup campaigns.
The equation is simple for Postecoglou — win silverware and he will likely keep his job.
But the fact that he is still here to hold onto that hope represents an uptick in fortunes for a manager who, just last month, was struggling to field an XI in what some where billing as a relegation fight.
Tottenham winger Dejan Kulusevski is convinced Ange Postecoglou is the “right man” to salvage their troubled season despite a disastrous run of results.
Spurs slipped to a sixth loss from their last seven Premier League games against relegation-threatened Leicester on Sunday and are languishing in 15th place in the table.
Postecoglou said after the dismal 2-1 home defeat he was uncertain over his future as pressure mounts on the former Celtic boss.
The Australian has battled a severe injury crisis over the past two months and will be without 12 players for Thursday’s Europa League match against Swedish side Elfsborg.
But he has repeatedly stated his belief that Tottenham — who are still in three cup competitions — can enjoy a “special” season.
“Yeah, I agree with him,” said 24-year-old Kulusevski, who has scored nine goals in 35 games in the current campaign.
“It’s easy to focus on the league, but we’re doing really well in the cups.
“This is an important game (against Elfsborg) and if we win we go to the next round. I think we can do big things in these last four months.”
Spurs to be patient before ‘Ange call’ | 01:38
A win against Elfsborg in their final Europa League group fixture would guarantee Tottenham a place in the last 16.
They won the first leg of their League Cup semi-final against Liverpool 1-0 and are through to the FA Cup fourth round.
Asked why Postecoglou is the right man, Kulusevski told reporters on Wednesday: “Because we had games when we showed perfect football — football that not many teams can play in the world.
“We played beautiful games against (Manchester) United (wins in the Premier League and the League Cup), against (Manchester) City 4-0, so I think he is the right man.
Even Cup wins won’t save Ange? | 06:57
“We play for him. We want to win for him and to be honest we have similar ideas.
“I am very positive as a guy and I always want to play the football he wants. I have to fight for him because I believe in that football too. Yes, I think he’s the right man.”
Bosnich ‘Ange only has self to blame’ | 01:06
Kulusevski admitted Spurs had made mistakes but said they were suffering. “We are 10 to 11 fit players in four competitions and that’s not OK and that’s why the team is paying that price in the league especially,” he said.
“You can look at the manager and the players but it’s bigger than that, it’s everything involved.”
Ange Postecoglou has admitted that it is unlikely Tottenham will sign any more players in the January transfer window, despite Spurs’ glaring injury crisis.
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The Australian manager is under immense pressure, with Tottenham currently sitting in 15th after winning only one of their last 10 games.
Ahead of Spurs’ next fixture, a Europe League tie against Hoffenheim, Postecoglou is set to be without more than 10 players, with stars Christian Romero, Micky van de Ven and Rodrigo Bentancur all injured.
Tottenham have recruited 19-year-old Min-hyeok Yang and Czech goalkeeper Antonín Kinský, but it looms unlikely any other reinforcements will arrive in North London.
“Yeah, potentially (we won’t sign any players). The club is working hard to try to get some help for the players,” he said.
Ange Postecoglou, Manager of Tottenham Hotspur, shows dejection after defeat in the Premier League match between Everton FC and Tottenham Hotspur FC at Goodison Park on January 19, 2025 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Matt McNulty/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
“But as far as I know, there’s nothing imminent. But things happen quickly in the last week of the window, so still hopeful.”
While they’ve fallen down the Premier League ladder, a win over Hoffenheim could see Spurs automatically qualify for the Europa League play-offs.
Meanwhile, they’re also still alive in the Carabao Cup and FA Cup, and Postecoglou refuted suggestions his players were focusing on Cup competitions.
“Nah mate. The players are giving everything every game. This has been a good solid two months of us relying on a small group of players,” he said.
“We’re in every competition which is a great thing but it adds a toll. We’ve been playing two games a week for this whole period. That’s why we’re picking up some injuries now.
“The players are giving everything every game. They’re trying their utmost in every fixture we have.
Late goal unable to separate top clash | 01:09
“We’re still in three cup competitions so there’s a fantastic opportunity there for us in the next couple of months.”
He also explained that it’s commonplace for teams that feature in European competitions to be hit with a raft of injuries.
“We’ve been hit the hardest but it is becoming more prevalent. If you look at the teams in Europe, even last year, Newcastle really suffered, and Villa to a certain extent this year,” he explained.
“You really need a strong squad of players and keep them healthy to cope with playing in Europe if you do well in the cup competitions like we have because it’s not manageable when you’ve got three games a week for the length of time we have.
“Some of it is because we’ve done well in the Carabao Cup and that’s added extra games to our fixturing, and in Europe this year two extra games… so all these things are taking its toll.”
Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou said it is his responsibility to turn around a miserable Premier League season after a 3-2 defeat to Everton on Sunday (Monday AEDT), which helped the Toffees pull clear of the relegation zone.
Previously goal-shy Everton tore through Spurs’ under-strength backline to net three times before the break through Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Iliman Ndiaye and an Archie Gray own goal.
A first win in seven league games takes David Moyes’ men four points clear of the bottom three.
Tottenham’s 12th Premier League defeat of the season leaves them just four points above Everton in 15th and ramps up the pressure on manager Postecoglou.
However, it was chairman Daniel Levy, not the Australian, who felt the fury of the travelling support as they chanted for change at the top of the club.
“This is not about me, but what is about me is I have a responsibility to the players I do have. For me to focus on anything else is abstaining from the responsibility I do have,” said Postecoglou, who was without 10 first-team regulars due to injury.
Everton did bite the bullet to sack Sean Dyche earlier this month and it was like the Goodison days of old for Moyes as he enjoyed a first win of his second spell in charge.
“Really pleased we could give everyone something to shout about,” said Moyes. “We played ever so well in the first half, scored three and could have scored more.”
Ange Postecoglou (R) consoles Archie Gray after defeat at Goodison Park.Source: AFP
Moyes’ homecoming fell flat in a 1-0 defeat to Aston Villa in midweek, after which the former Manchester United boss said he was aware of the task he faces to preserve Premier League status due to a lack of firepower.
Calvert-Lewin had not scored since September but did not look like a striker short on confidence as he turned Gray and Lucas Bergvall before firing in the opening goal on 13 minutes.
To compound the absence of first-choice goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario and three of Postecoglou’s preferred back four in Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven and Destiny Udogie, Tottenham were also without club record signing Dominic Solanke.
Captain Son Heung-min stepped in to start as a makeshift centre-forward and should have levelled when he shot too close to Jordan Pickford from Dejan Kulusevski’s cross.
But Tottenham looked likely to concede every time Everton sprang out on the counter-attack.
Calvert-Lewin should have had a second but for a heavy touch that allowed Antonin Kinsky to block before the Czech goalkeeper turned Orel Mangala’s effort onto the post.
David Moyes applauds Toffees fans after Everton beat Tottenham.Source: AFP
Everton had scored just 15 goals in 20 league games prior to kick-off, going goalless in nine of their last 11.
What little inspiration there has been from the Toffees this season has come from Ndiaye.
The Senegal international produced a moment of magic to double the lead as he skipped past the statuesque Radu Dragusin before slotting high past Kinsky.
Gray’s own goal compounded a terrible first 45 minutes for the visitors as their frailty from set-pieces was again exposed when the 18-year-old could only turn Calvert-Lewin’s flick into his own net.
Kulusevski’s classy chip over three scrambling Everton defenders pulled a goal back before Richarlison turned home at the back post in stoppage time.
Postecoglou’s men remain alive in three cup competitions, but Levy has a decision to make on whether the quest for a first trophy since 2008 would be better served by a change of manager.
“We’re still in all four competitions. Our league position is not great to say the least but eventually our players will come back. Significant talent will come back,” added Postecoglou.
“I’ve got great motivation to get through this so when we do get our players back we can get something significant out of our season.”
Ange Postecoglou is confident Tottenham will enter the post-season transfer window without being restricted in their spending like some of their Premier League rivals.
Spurs published their 2022/23 financial results on Wednesday showing total revenue had increased to £549.6 million ($AUD1.06 billion), up from £444 million.
A loss of £86.8 million ($AUD166 million) was attributed to “significant and continued investment in the playing squad”.
Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy also said Spurs are in discussions with prospective investors in a bid to “capitalise on our long-term potential”.
Postecoglou was continually asked questions regarding Tottenham’s finances throughout his pre-match press conference, stating earlier that “the detail of it is not my area of concern or expertise”.
However, a reporter questioned Postecoglou again on the club’s bank balance and asked whether Tottenham’s financial losses would have a big impact on transfer plans in the summer.
Postecoglou struggled to hide his frustration at being asked another question about finances but reiterated Tottenham would not be “as restricted as others”.
“See, now you’re getting into the detail … you’re dragging me down,” Postecoglou said.
“My discussions around those kinds of issues are not the minutiae of a balance sheet.
“It is about us planning to build a side that can potentially be successful. So that’s what we’re doing and nothing that is going to come out in the balance sheet is going to disrupt those plans.
“It is not like ‘oh we are going to wait for the financial results before we start thinking about who we’re going to sign.’ All this stuff is already in planning.”
Spurs are currently fifth in the table with eight games to play. Fourth place will guarantee entry into the Champions League next season and the team finishing fifth could also qualify, based on the record of Premier League clubs in European competitions this season.
Reaching for the Champions League would bolster the club’s finances, but Postecoglou said that was not his concern as manager.
“We’re not banks, we’re football clubs,” he said.
“We’re not financial institutions. I don’t get measured by the balance sheet at the end of the year.
“What I’m saying is, Champions League, great. Money, great. Does that mean we’re going to finish third next year? No. In fact it is probably going to be more challenging.
“So my role in that is not to worry about the financial pressure of making the Champions League.
“It is to create a squad that hopefully can compete in the Champions League and keep improving in the Premier League and have success in the cup competitions. That’s where I differentiate.”
Just one win separates Ange Postecoglou from accomplishing a feat achieved only seven times in Celtic’s grand history.
The domestic treble — the Scottish Premiership, Scottish League Cup and Scottish FA Cup — is within touching distance for the Hoops.
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The League Cup has already been secured and so too has the league title, while a date with second-tier Inverness Caledonian Thistle looms in the Scottish FA Cup Final on June 4.
What makes this feat even sweeter is the fact Postecoglou’s side knocked out bitter rivals Rangers in both cup competitions and will finish ahead of them in the league standings.
Each trophy hoisted above Postecoglou’s head only strengthens a bond between manager, club and fan rarely seen in modern football.
But it also means the links for Postecoglou and Premier League clubs will not relent.
There’s a strong case for the former Socceroos boss to park up in Glasgow for the foreseeable future.
Guaranteed trophies, an adoring fan base and the opportunity to compete against Europe’s elite has an enormous pull.
But so too is the chance to test yourself in the biggest, most watched league on the planet with access to finances teams across the continent could only dream of.
It’s unlikely The Clash’s hit song ‘Should I Stay or Should I Go’ is played on repeat on Postecoglou’s Spotify account, but at some stage, he’ll be faced with such a predicament, if he isn’t already.
Postecoglou and Celtic claim Premiership | 02:33
EURO-SIZED ‘CARROT’ LEAVES ANGE BEGGING FOR MORE
Everywhere Postecoglou has stopped off on his managerial journey he has won a trophy and, in some cases, more than one.
But should Postecoglou match a feat Celtic managed just three times in a staggering 113 years before an unprecedented run of four trebles in a row from 2016 to 2010, it would be his most successful spell at a single destination.
Hamish Carton, the author of Never Stop: How Ange Postecoglou Brought the Fire Back to Celtic, conceded Celtic’s 2016/17 ‘invincibles’ treble “is never going to be beaten.”
But should Postecoglou complete the clean sweep, it would certainly come close.
“I think it would be the second best out of that recent run of five,” Carton told foxsports.com.au.
“Just given that the connection there is between the fans and the team and how relentless we’ve been.
“Also given we’ve beaten Rangers in all three competitions, I think that makes it special. We’ve beaten the second-best team in the country in every competition to hopefully win the treble.”
With the objective of retaining their status as kings of Scotland secured, it also means Postecoglou will get another crack at leading his troops in the lucrative UEFA Champions League.
Thanks to Scotland being ranked ninth in UEFA’s coefficient table at the conclusion of last season, the Scottish Premiership champions receive automatic entry into the group stage.
Postecoglou was handed a brutal reality check in terms of the ruthlessness of Europe’s elite in his debut Champions League campaign.
Despite creating plenty of chances, even against the likes of defending champions Real Madrid, Celtic shipped 15 goals across their five group games.
But the heartening fact Celtic more than held their own and played Postecoglou’s eye-catching brand of football should provide plenty of respite even if they didn’t win a game.
It’s why Socceroos legend Robbie Slater believes Postecoglou will want to stay in Glasgow to right those European wrongs.
“The only question mark over Celtic this season is the Champions League,” Slater said on the Fox Football Podcast.
Postecoglou is one trophy away from leading Celtic to yet another treble. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
“That’s one of the reasons I think he’ll stay. I think the Champions League carrot of going again.
“(He’s) experienced it with this group of players, there’s some new ones but this group of players largely have experienced that one (campaign), which might make them do even better in the next one.
“I think that makes him stay.”
Champions League aside, the mere fact Postecoglou is at a massive club cannot be understated.
Throughout his entire managerial career, the 58-year-old has yearned for a job that would reflect the passion he has for the game.
At Celtic, it’s a match made in heaven.
Granted, the success Postecoglou has had in Glasgow is aided by the deep pockets of the club, resources which blow almost every team in Scotland out of the water.
It inevitably led to Rangers boss Michael Beale’s infamous “lucky man” jibe due to the funds available to Postecoglou but, in typical Ange fashion, the Aussie had the perfect reply.
And it highlights just why he loves the job so much.
Postecoglou has developed an exceptional bond between himself, his players and Celtic fans. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
“I would never use that language about somebody in my position,” Postecoglou said.
“I’m not sure which bit is ‘lucky’. I think Michael at the time was referring to the fact I had money to spend but I didn’t get to this position out of luck.
“I worked 25 years of coaching to be entrusted at a club like this. This isn’t my first job.
“If it was my first job maybe I’d be lucky but it’s not, it’s 25 years of hard work.”
Trophies, constant participation in the Champions League and an adoring fanbase is a lifestyle Postecoglou could get used to.
But, as his managerial career has shown, he’s never been one to set up shop at one club for too long.
Which is why the noise surrounding a move south of the Scottish border is only going to ramp up the longer he stays at Celtic and the more trophies he wins.
If anything, it’s already started.
Postecoglou has caught the eye of Premier League teams. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
‘ONLY A MATTER OF TIME’ BEFORE PL SWITCH?
Scottish football fans know it’s very much a case of death, taxes and a successful Celtic or Rangers manager being linked with a Premier League move.
Brendan Rodgers and Steven Gerrard were the most recent managers of the famous rivals to make the switch down south to significantly varying degrees of success.
Rodgers joined Leicester City midway through the 2018/19 season from Celtic, a decision that left a bitter taste in the mouths of many Hoops fans.
The Northern Irishman went on to lead Leicester to consecutive fifth-place finishes from 2020 to 2022 while also winning the 2020/21 FA Cup, the first time the Foxes had won the prestigious trophy.
However, Rodgers’ Midas touch eventually ran out this season and was sacked by Leicester with the club hurtling towards the Championship.
As for Gerrard, he moved to Aston Villa in November 2021 to replace Dean Smith.
Despite four wins from his opening six games and ensuring the club’s safety, the wheels quickly fell off the Gerrard wagon and he was sacked less than a year into the role.
Perhaps both are a cautionary tale for Postecoglou, although the success of Rodgers should not be seen as a deterrent.
However, Carton’s bold claim on Postecoglou’s ability compared to Rodgers and Gerrard bodes well for any such Premier League switch.
Steven Gerrard’s failed spell at Aston Villa should serve as a cautionary tale for Posteecoglou. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
“I’d say for me, Ange is probably a better manager than those two,” Carton said.
“He’s doing possibly even more amazing things than those two. I know Rodgers won back-to-back trebles, but the competition now is much better.”
After his successful first season at the helm Postecoglou has gone from strength-to-strength in Glasgow and eviscerated the early scepticism that surrounded his appointment.
It’s why there has been links aplenty for Postecoglou and various Premier League vacancies.
The likes of Brighton, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Leeds United and Everton to name a few were all credited with some form of interest in the Celtic boss.
Carton notes it’s “become a bit of a laughing matter among the Celtic support” at just how frequently Postecoglou’s name pops up whenever there’s a new role to fill.
But the intrigue surrounding Postecoglou’s future stepped up a notch when he went from being linked to mid-table clubs to the likes of Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea.
Granted, it’s likely the London heavyweights go down a different route when it comes to their new man in their respective dugouts.
But the shift in calibre of teams Postecoglou was linked with reiterates a claim former Manchester City star Micah Richards made in his column for the Daily Mail.
“It was interesting to see Ange Postecoglou linked with the Chelsea job,” Richards wrote.
Former Manchester City star Micah Richards is a fan of Postecoglou. (Photo by Lewis Storey/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
“I spoke to Joe Hart shortly after he joined Celtic in August 2021 and he raved about his new manager, particularly about his character and outlook on life.
“He plays brave football and Joe said nothing flusters him. It is only a matter of time before a club here takes a plunge on him.”
There’s also the school of thought, fair or unfair, that there is a ceiling on what Postecoglou can do in Scotland.
With Celtic, Postecoglou is expected to hoover up trophies given the gap in quality between the Hoops and the rest of the Scottish top flight with the exception of Rangers.
“Postecoglou is a man who does things his own way but not even the 2015 Asian coach of the year can change how modern European football works,” Duerden wrote.
“There is a limit to what anyone can do in Scotland, even at a huge club like Celtic and even with top-class recruitment.
“If the ambition is to work at the highest level of world football, the Premier League offers the best opportunity with cashed-up clubs, elite fellow coaches and worldwide attention.”
Leicester fall back into relegation zone | 01:01
Although the bright lights of the Premier League are extremely enticing, it is one of, if not the most, cutthroat leagues in the world.
This season, 15 managers have come and gone in a bloodbath the likes of which we have never seen.
It highlights the ruthlessness in which owners are willing to dispose of managers in the pursuit of the big dollar signs the Premier League brings.
Slater believes the trigger-happy nature of Premier League owners will have Postecoglou wary of taking any job down south.
“What we’ve talked about in the unstable environment of the Premier League where basically it looks like if you take over and you don’t hit the ground running, you get sacked,” Slater said.
“That’s where Ange could (be concerned). If he does turn around and goes to, say, Chelsea, he knows that you’ve got to hit the ground running. You don’t get time. That’s not a question, just a fact.
“Can he deal with that? He did at Celtic. He had to hit the ground running. The first few weeks they were talking: ‘he’s not the right [man].’ Then he turned it around very quickly and obviously won the title and everything was sweet.”
Yet the flipside of the remarkable managerial turnover is that there’s likely to be more Premier League openings than ever before.
Could Chelsea owner Todd Boehly make a play for Postecoglou? (Photo by Alex Davidson/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
Going into next season, Crystal Palace, Leeds, Tottenham, Chelsea and Leicester City will all need new managers.
Granted, one of Leicester or Leeds are a high chance of dropping down to the Championship, something Postecoglou seems unlikely to do at this stage of his managerial career.
Chelsea also seem destined to appoint former Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino which takes them off the table.
But it still leaves a number of Premier League teams needing a fresh face in the dugout and some clubs not listed earlier may swing the axe at the end of the season.
The sheer amount of vacancies in the English top flight is something we’ve never seen and it may not come around again.
It presents a big dilemma for Postecoglou: could he choose to cash in on his stocks when they’re sky high, or does he roll the dice on a third season with Celtic and maintain his trajectory?
If, and it’s a big if, results begin to slip away a little, the naysayers will immediately latch on.
It will also only drive up the argument that Postecoglou may not be able to cut it in the Premier League if he can’t keep the momentum up for three seasons in Scotland where it is essentially a two-horse race.
Additionally, Postecoglou doesn’t have the immediate backing of media pundits in England who will happily namedrop former players as suitable candidates for managerial openings.
No matter how often they may have failed in previous roles, certain individuals (ahem, Frank Lampard) continue getting jobs in high positions.
Postecoglou almost certainly wouldn’t receive the same treatment by those pundits, especially if things turn a little sour up north.
Where will Ange end up next season? | 00:56
ANGE IS ‘THE KING’ OF GLASGOW … LONG MAY HE REIGN?
Despite being hailed as somewhat of a deity in the green and white half of Glasgow, The Guardian’s Ewan Murray knows there is a ceiling as to what Postecoglou can achieve with the club.
“There should, however, be no harm in speculating on or, in Celtic’s case, planning for the inevitable,” The Guardian’s Ewan Murray wrote.
“This is a consequence of success. Clubs who need a manager to reboot attitudes, a playing squad, tactics and a transfer vision will note Postecoglou’s body of work.
“Celtic should not be the end game for players or managers who aspire to be the best.”
What’s most clear when assessing the views of pundits everywhere is Postecoglou will eventually move on.
Modern football dictates as such.
Rarely do managers stay in one place for very long anymore, with Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp at Manchester City and Liverpool respectively the notable exceptions to the rule.
It remains to be seen whether Postecoglou would leave on his own terms or if he will be nudged aside, but all signs point to the former given his tight-knit connection with the fanbase.
Of course, the most critical element of this discussion, which has been largely ignored by all parties concerned, is that a club must make a concrete offer to Postecoglou.
At this stage, it is all paper talk and betting markets sending the rumour mill into overdrive.
And for all the glitz and glamour on offer in the Premier League, the grass isn’t always greener on the other side.
Just ask Steven Gerrard.
Everton thrash Brighton in important win | 01:16
It’s why Slater believes the level-headed Postecoglou won’t even cast so much as a sideways glance at the Premier League.
“I’ve got a feeling he might stay at Celtic,” Slater said.
“He’s the king. They love him. And he’s got another crack at the Champions League.
“I think that’s the thing that grabs him. If you go to Chelsea he’s got no European football. If you go to the (other mid-table) teams we’re talking about there’s no European football. Even Spurs doesn’t look like (playing) European football. Do you give away the Champions League?
“If there’s a safe seat in football in the world, Ange is in one of them.”
Safe seats in football are extremely difficult to come by, as are constant opportunities to qualify for the Champions League.
And Carton, much like large portions of the adoring Celtic fanbase, cannot see why Postecoglou would give that up so soon into his Glasgow adventure.
“He’s waited so long for this kind of gig, the fans adore him,” Carton said.
“Wherever he goes for the rest of his career, he’ll never find another club where he’s loved as much as this, I’m confident in saying that.
“He’s got a group of players who are doing amazing and have so much more potential.
“It’s not as if he’s only got five to 10 years left in management, he could have another 20 years so he’s got plenty of time to enjoy and achieve at Celtic and then eventually move on.
Manchester United set up a FA Cup semi-final against Brighton in remarkable fashion as Fulham captain Aleksandar Mitrovic was sent off for pushing the referee in a 3-1 defeat at Old Trafford on Sunday.
Mitrovic was shown one of three Fulham red cards in a matter of seconds as he barged into Chris Kavanagh for awarding United a penalty after a VAR review for Willian’s handball on the line.
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The Brazilian was also dismissed, along with Fulham manager Marco Silva on the touchline.
United took advantage as two goals from Bruno Fernandes and Marcel Sabitzer’s first for the club kept Erik ten Hag’s men on course for a treble of cup competitions.
“Mitro should control his emotions a bit,” said Silva. “If he wants to give me the red card I have to accept it because he didn’t listen to me at all. As I left my area I have to accept it.” Fulham’s fury was partly born out of a penalty appeal for a foul on Mitrovic in the first half that VAR did not intervene to award.
“It is a shame the ref wasn’t shown VAR for the first-half moments,” added Silva. “It is difficult to be Fulham at Old Trafford, the VAR feels the pressure too.” The Cottagers had been on course to reach the last four for the first time in 21 years when Mitrovic fired them ahead early in the second half.
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – MARCH 19: Marcel Sabitzer of Manchester United celebrates after scoring the team’s second goal.Source: Getty Images
United needed goalkeeper David de Gea to make a remarkable save to deny the Serbian a second before the tie completely turned on one incident 18 minutes from time.
Willian used his hand to deflect Jadon Sancho’s shot behind, preventing a certain goal.
Kavanagh initially only gave a corner, but reversed his decision on seeing the replay to spark chaotic scenes.
Silva was first to be shown red for approaching the official near the VAR monitor.
Willian was then dismissed, but it is Mitrovic who faces the most severe ban after pushing the referee on the arm and then squaring up to Kavanagh.
Fernandes coolly sent Bernd Leno the wrong way from the penalty spot to level. United quickly made the most of the two-man advantage as Luke Shaw crossed for Sabitzer to flick home.
Fernandes inflicted the final blow as he blasted home in the sixth minute of added time to take United to Wembley on April 23.
“This team has great character,” said Ten Hag after his side shrugged off the fatigue of playing away to Real Betis in the Europa League on Thursday.
“We are mentally and physically fit, and I’m happy with our progress as a team.” –
Fulham’s Serbian striker Aleksandar Mitrovic (R) is shown a red card.Source: AFP
Brighton too good for Grimsby –
Earlier, Brighton dashed League Two Grimsby’s dreams of a trip to Wembley with a 5-0 thrashing.
Fourth-tier Grimsby had made history on their way to the quarter-finals by beating five sides from higher divisions.
But Paul Hirst’s men were caught out by the class of in-form Brighton, who are eyeing the club’s first ever major trophy.
The floodgates threatened to open when Deniz Undav scored for the Seagulls after just six minutes.
Grimsby held out to limit the damage before half-time, but ran out of steam in the second half.
Evan Ferguson scored twice and had another strike ruled out by VAR check for offside.
Brighton’s free-scoring wingers Solly March and Kaoru Mitoma then rubbed salt into Grimsby wounds by scoring in the final 10 minutes.
– Doyle stunner sets up City clash –
Sheffield United will face Manchester City in the other semi-final after a City loanee Tommy Doyle scored a stunning stoppage time winner to beat Blackburn 3-2.
Blackburn twice led at Bramall Lane through Ben Brereton Diaz’s penalty and Sam Szmodics.
Sam Gallagher’s own goal quickly levelled in the first half and Oli McBurnie equalised nine minutes from time before Doyle smashed home a long range effort into the top corner.
City booked their place in the semi-finals on Saturday as Erling Haaland scored his sixth hat-trick of the season in a 6-0 thrashing of Championship leaders Burnley 6-0.
When Ange Postecoglou was appointed Celtic manager in 2021, the Australian football community implored Hoops fans to buckle up for the emotional rollercoaster to come.
There would be bumps, yes, but boy, would it deliver some thrills.
After all, Aussies had seen it first hand with Postecoglou’s renowned ‘Roarcelona’ as well as his four-year stint as Socceroos boss.
Any scepticism from the Celtic faithful was washed away as Postecoglou’s side romped home to a Scottish Premiership title as well as a League Cup.
But, more importantly, the club booked a spot in the lucrative Champions League group stages for the first time since 2017.
With expectations for his first season well and truly smashed beyond oblivion, where would the bar be set for Postecoglou’s second season?
Well, the Australian set it himself in a rousing speech when celebrating the league title triumph at Celtic Park.
“I want everyone to enjoy today, enjoy the summer,” Postecoglou said.
“And we’ll come back bigger and better because we never stop.”
In many respects, Postecoglou’s second act has gone exactly as he described, with the Hoops still on track for the treble and a familiar Aussie face proving to be one of the signings of the season.
And although the European adventure went awry, it has not deterred envious eyes from south of the border glancing upwards.
CELTIC ‘AT THEIR BEST UNDER ANGE’ IN STUNNING SIX WIN, 25-GOAL START
With the carrot of guaranteed Champions League football to offer, Celtic worked smartly in the summer transfer window.
Cameron Carter-Vickers and Jota, two vital players who were with the Hoops on a temporary basis last season, were snapped up on permanent deals for a combined figure of approximately $AUD21.9 million.
German centre-back Moritz Jenz was brought in on loan from FC Lorient to provide extra depth at the back, while left-back Alexandro Bernabei and winger Sead Haksabanovic also joined on a full-time basis.
But the deal that piqued the interest of Celtic fans and Australians was the signing of Socceroos star Aaron Mooy.
The 32-year-old moved to Celtic Park on a two-year deal after cancelling his contract with Chinese side Shanghai Port.
Despite a bit-part role to begin his time in Glasgow, Mooy has slowly emerged as a vital cog in the Celtic midfield machine and has won over the doubters with his performances since.
Hamish Carton, author of Never Stop: How Ange Postecoglou Brought the Fire Back to Celtic (released on March 13), hailed the silky midfielder and ranked him as one of Postecoglou’s most important signings to date.
“Aaron Mooy has been a complete revelation,” Carton told foxsports.com.au.
“This may be controversial, but I think arguably Ange’s best signing at Celtic, given the expectations and how well he’s performed.”
After a slow start, Aaron Mooy has found his feet at Celtic. (Photo by Steve Welsh/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
Although it took Mooy some time to find his feet in the famous green and white shirt, Celtic wasted no time finding theirs to begin the Scottish Premiership season.
After all, they entered the campaign unbeaten in their last 32 league fixtures.
The Hoops scored 12, conceded just one and won all four of their opening games to extend the streak to 36 unbeaten league games, but it was the next two games that highlighted how absurdly dominant Celtic had become.
A trip to Dundee United, who had lost three of their opening four games, was first.
90 minutes soon passed and so too did nine goals into the back of the Tangerines’ net in an absolute mauling for Postecoglou’s side.
“They [Dundee United] were struggling like mad at that stage, but it was Celtic at their best under Ange,” Carton said.
“Three, four, five, six-nil up and still looking for more goals.”
Despite the goalfest at Tannadice, there would be no time for Celtic to stand back and marvel at their work as the first Old Firm derby was just around the corner.
It was a Rangers side who, only a few months before, came agonisingly close to winning the Europa League final.
But that same team was sliced open with surgical precision time and time again by a rampant Celtic outfit.
“We just completely battered Rangers,” Carton said.
Celtic put Rangers to the sword in a 4-0 humiliation. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
“Four-nil against Rangers is the kind of result we were getting under Brendan Rodgers when Rangers were in a real state.
“For Celtic under Ange to beat them four-nil, I think it was his most impressive result so far at the club.”
With all the momentum of a thundering locomotive behind them, it quickly became time — three days, to be precise — for Celtic’s attention to shift once again.
But this time, it wouldn’t be for a domestic rival.
It would be for the defending champions of Europe.
‘PERFECT DRAW’ ENDS IN UCL DISASTER … BUT MAJOR SILVER LINING EMERGES
Although Celtic came flying out of the gates on the domestic front, Hoops fans had one eye on the announcement of their Champions League group.
And on August 25, the Glasgow outfit learned its fate.
Joining them in Group F was European giants Real Madrid, RB Leipzig and Shakhtar Donetsk, a group Carton described as “the perfect draw in many ways.”
But a perfect draw on paper failed to materialise into results.
Celtic failed to win any of their six Champions League matches, with four losses and two draws — both one-all results against Shakhtar Donetsk — all they had to show for their efforts.
Carton recalls “the vast majority of fans felt really, really disappointed after some of the games”, but it wasn’t down to the fact Celtic failed to win.
No, it was down to just how close they took the games despite the notable differences in the quality of players.
Postecoglou got to test his tactical nous against Carlo Ancelotti. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
There was perhaps no greater example of that than the opening game against Madrid at Celtic Park, when Los Blancos took the three points in a game where the Hoops never took a backward step before eventually being overrun.
“I remember watching him after the defeat to Real Madrid,” Carton said.
“The best team in Europe had ten of the 11 players who had beaten Liverpool in the final 100 days earlier start against us.
“For the first 50, 55 minutes, Celtic gave as good as they got and were probably the better team. Then they just fell away in the final half-an-hour and lost 3-0.
“I remember Ange walking around after the game and he looked genuinely gutted at losing a match like that.
“I think he would feel the frustration as well because he wants Celtic to not just compete at that level, but to really compete and win games at that level.”
Although a disappointed Postecoglou was left to pick up the pieces after the failed Champions League campaign, Carton believes the Aussie boss and the Celtic fanbase could see the silver linings from the losses.
And it serves as evidence for why next year’s Champions League campaign, should they qualify, will be even better.
“It showed to me that Ange’s style can work at the top level,” Carton said.
“In five out of the six matches, we were in those matches at halftime. I think we scored in the vast majority of games and could have scored far more.
Celtic’s European adventure ended at the first hurdle. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
“There’s always a massive debate about whether Ange will change his game style when he comes up against these teams. It’s clearly not going to happen, but equally it’s not a case of two ways to play in terms of going all out and then having 11 men behind the ball.”
Carton also pointed out the value in Celtic’s squad gaining crucial Champions League experience given only a handful of them had ever played in the group stages before.
“I think the team will be much more used to the level and hopefully Ange will be as well,” Carton said.
“I don’t think Ange was the issue, I think the team just wasn’t quite ready. But I think we’ll see an improvement next year.”
‘STICKY PATCH’ SURVIVED AS QUEST FOR ALL-TIME FEAT REMAINS ON
Although a 2-0 defeat to St Mirren on September 18 brought an end to Celtic’s remarkable 38-game unbeaten run, which eclipsed the 36-game streak he achieved with the Brisbane Roar, Postecoglou’s side has marched on and won 18 from 19 games.
Despite the mind-boggling win rate, Carton conceded the team had somewhat of a “sticky patch” by Celtic’s lofty standards.
In the eight games between the St Mirren loss and the beginning of the World Cup break, Celtic kept just one clean sheet.
The Hoops also had to come from behind against Hearts to secure a crucial three points at Tynecastle.
But it’s the victories over St Johnstone and Dundee United Carton points to as evidence of why Postecoglou’s side are just so good.
Celtic held a one-nil lead over St Johnstone through an own-goal before the hosts thought they’d secured a draw through a 93rd-minute equaliser.
However, the Hoops would have the last laugh when Giorgos Giakoumakis, who left for Atlanta United in January, scored the winner two minutes later.
Giorgos Giakoumakis may have moved on, but he saved Celtic’s bacon against St Johnstone. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
Against the Tangerines, Celtic led 2-1 but conceded in the 87th minute, a complete contrast from the nine-nil destruction earlier in the season.
But once again, Postecoglou’s mentality of never stopping proved key as Celtic scored twice to secure a 4-2 victory and leave Dundee United shell-shocked.
“It’s almost as if the team was coasting at one stage, then the minute they know the result is in a bit of doubt, they’d turn it on and go and score,” Carton said.
“If that’s your sticky patch and you’re still finding a way to win games, you’re not doing too bad at all.
“I think people talk about the free-flowing football under Ange and the big results in terms of scorelines, but I think it sometimes it’s finding a way to win, even when things aren’t going your way, that is what Ange’s teams are all about.”
After the World Cup break, it’s been very much business as usual for Celtic.
They’ve won every league game aside from a 2-2 draw against Rangers at Ibrox, who have a new manager at the helm in the form of Michael Beale.
Celtic have also cruised in the two cup competitions and will face Hearts in the quarterfinals of the Scottish Cup while a salivating date with Rangers in the Scottish League Cup on Monday awaits.
Rangers boss Michael Beale will be out to spoil Postecoglou’s treble ambitions. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
With a nine-point lead in the league, Postecoglou’s side remain well in contention for the treble, something Carton believes is “almost expected” nowadays but knows it “only takes one off-day” for those aspirations to come crashing down.
Should Postecoglou pull off the feat, Carton isn’t quite sure it would be as special as the Hoops’ 16/17 treble season given Brendan Rodgers’ side didn’t lose a single game in the three competitions that season.
But, given Rangers’ resurgence since then, a treble this season “would be right up there.”
And if that transpires, Premier League clubs will be falling over themselves in their efforts to prise the 57-year-old away from Glasgow.
WHY ANGE COULD CHASE PL DREAM … AND WHY HE’LL STAY PUT IN GLASGOW
It’s almost become like clockwork: a Premier League manager loses their job and within minutes the high-flying Celtic or Rangers manager is linked with the vacancy.
In fact, it was only November 2021 when an Old Firm boss last moved down south as Steven Gerrard moved from Rangers to Aston Villa.
Brendan Rodgers was the last Celtic manager to make the same passage, albeit the Northern Irishman left the Hoops in the lurch having moved to Leicester City in February 2019.
Postecoglou has not been safe from the tenuous links, with his name popping up in the conversation for vacancies at Brighton, Everton, Leeds and Wolverhampton Wanderers throughout the season.
Although Carton and the vast majority of the Celtic fanbase are aware that such rumours have become “pretty predictable at this stage”, it is undeniably a “good thing.”
“If he wasn’t doing a good job with Celtic then he wouldn’t be getting linked to these jobs,” Carton said.
“So I’m more than happy with it.”
Postecoglou has been linked with a number of Premier League jobs this season. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
Any such talk of a departure brings up two questions, the first of which is when Postecoglou could go.
Openings emerge in the middle of the campaign more than they do during the off-season, yet Carton remains convinced Postecoglou would keep his legacy intact in the way he departs unlike a certain former Celtic boss.
“When Brendan Rodgers left midway through the season, it really left a bitter taste in the mouth of Celtic fans and he isn’t really remembered as fondly because of that,” Carton said.
“I’d hate for that to happen with Ange. I think Ange would be aware of that and I think he wants to leave a good legacy whenever he leaves the club, and he tends to do that.”
When the time comes, Carton believes Postecoglou would bid farewell at the end of a season, allowing Celtic plenty of time to scout for his successor.
Even though there’s only a handful of months left before this season is done and dusted, Carton holds out hope the Australian boss will stick around for a little while longer.
“Maybe I’m just naive, but I don’t really feel like I’m too worried and I’m not worried about him leaving this summer,” Carton said.
“I think he really wants to achieve something with Celtic in Europe and everything he’s doing has been geared towards that.
“I think he’ll take us next season as well. After that, who knows. That might depend on how well he does next season or what job comes up.”
The other big question dominating a potential Postecoglou exit would be the location of his next team.
Gerrard and Rodgers departed to mid-table teams and had significantly varied degrees of success.
Brendan Rodgers has won an FA Cup with Leicester since leaving Celtic. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
The former was sacked less than a year into the role while Rodgers has led the Foxes to two fifth-placed finishes and an FA Cup in 2021.
Yet Carton firmly believes Postecoglou is in line for bigger and better, boldly declaring the Aussie could succeed one of the greatest managers of all time.
“I would like to think that when Ange leaves Celtic, it’s to one of the bigger clubs in England,” Carton said.
“Maybe that’s unrealistic. I think he’d probably have to do something special with Celtic in Europe, potentially take us to the last 16 or even the quarterfinals of the Champions League, or a final or win the Europa League, that would get the bigger clubs down south to notice.
“But I think if he was to do that, and how highly he is rated by so many in the City Football Group for example, it might sound daft but I really wouldn’t write off him succeeding [Pep] Guardiola down the line if he does something special with us in Europe.
“I genuinely think he’s that good of a manager.
Carton added that he truly believes “Ange is on par with people like [Erik] Ten Hag and [Mikel] Arteta” purely based on “the way he comes across and the way his teams play.”
“I could see him managing virtually any of the big teams,” Carton said.
“I don’t think any of these jobs would phase Ange. I honestly think he’s going right to the very top of the game and I think Celtic are blessed to have him at the moment, I think he’s just been amazing.”
There’s still several months left in the Scottish domestic season, which means more time for classic Postecoglou sound bites and resounding Celtic victories.
But it also means more time for the Hoops boss to build a bulletproof case as to why he could — or, as Celtic fans might say, will — be a success in the Premier League.
Win the treble, with victories against a resurgent Rangers side along the way, and the managerial whispers will turn to shouting at the top of the lungs.
Until then, Celtic fans will continue to enjoy the Postecoglou rollercoaster with the seatbelt firmly fastened.
