Tottenham has snapped a seven-game Premier League winless run with a 2-0 victory at Brentford that eases pressure on Ange Postecoglou, who chose to depart from ‘Angeball’ tactics for the crucial win.
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Spurs banished fears of being dragged into a relegation battle and eased the pressure on Postecoglou’s job thanks to Vitaly Janelt’s own goal and a late Pape Sarr strike to move 10 points clear of the bottom three.
The Bees were left to rue a number of missed chances against an injury-ravaged Tottenham defence.
Yoane Wissa’s header came off the bar as Brentford pushed for an equaliser. But Spurs picked them off on the counter-attack when Pape Sarr prodded through Valdimarsson’s legs from Son’s pass.
Victory lifts Tottenham to 14th and 10 points clear of the relegation zone.
The win came with Postecoglou ditching his trademark ‘Angeball’ style with the Australian finally adopting a more defensive approach for his injury-ravaged, and fatigued squad.
“Difficult place to come, difficult place to win at and difficult place to keep them out,” Postecoglou said.
“The lads were brilliant. Our second goal was outstanding and we were always a threat when we had it.”
Speaking about what happened to Angeball, he added: “They’re human beings, not robots.
“People want to dismiss it. They want to talk about excuses but that’s the reality. I know the reality. These guys are giving everything.
Relief for Ange but more work ahead | 01:09
“We knew we couldn’t go out there and dominate. Brentford had a week to prepare. We had 50-something hours. With the same group of players. With that context, the performance was outstanding.”
Tottenham can now concentrate on a huge week in the domestic cup competitions. They travel to Liverpool defending a 1-0 lead in the second leg of their League Cup semi-final on Thursday, before a visit to Aston Villa in the FA Cup fourth round.
The club announced the signing of centre-back Kevin Danso from Lens before Sunday’s game and are expected to make further additions on the final day of the transfer window.
“It’s the same group of players who have to play Thursday and Sunday and you can’t get away from the fact that playing Thursday and Sunday consistently without being able to rotate takes a toll,” said Postecoglou.
“The Premier League is relentless and you’re meeting teams who’ve had seven days’ break and we’ve had 48 hours.
“From that perspective the pleasing thing is that we had Micky (Van de Ven) back on Thursday, Djed (Spence) in today and we’ve signed Kevin. The group now are getting encouragement and energy from getting some help and I have no doubt they’ll assist us in addressing our position in the league.”
Fowler scores double in City loss | 00:14
Spurs hijacked a deal Wolves had in place to sign Danso, who joins initially on loan with an obligation to buy at the end of the season for 25 million euros (£21 million, $42 million).
Postecoglou’s first-choice centre-backs Van de Ven and Cristian Romero have missed a large part of the season, while their backup Radu Dragusin is set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines with a serious knee injury.
Chelsea’s Axel Disasi is also reportedly on the verge of a move across London before Monday’s transfer deadline.
“It’s great to get Kevin in, we desperately needed a defender,” added Postecoglou.
“Getting him is great because he’s a great fit for us. He’s had a strong career and he’s at an age now (26) where he wants to kick on and he has all the attributes we look for. We’re really pleased and it will be a lift for the whole group.”
Reports out of the British press suggest that Tottenham are sticking with the Australian as they focus their energies on signing “at least one player” before the January transfer window is shut.
It appeared as if Postecoglou’s time may have been up after their 2-1 home defeat to relegation-threatened Leicester City, who had lost seven straight matches coming in, on Sunday.
Spurs sit a lowly 15th on the Premier League table, winless in their last seven matches and picking up just four points in their last ten league fixtures.
The faithful are growing restless with Postecoglou stopping to express his displeasure at one fan who repeatedly shouted “we’re going down with you” as he headed down the race with boos echoing after the full-time whistle.
Postecoglou then responded to a question about whether he thinks he will still be at the helm when Spurs’ plethora of injured stars return to the park, with “who knows”.
It was the first time the former Socceroos and Celtic boss and publicly showed the writing may be on the wall, especially given Tottenham’s history of discarding managers.
Chairman Daniel Levy has had 16 managers in his 24 years in charge.
But with Tottenham’s injury crisis showing few signs of improving, Levy is reportedly changing tack and giving Postecoglou more time than he afforded the likes of Jose Mourinho, Nuno Espirito Santo and Antonio Conte when things went pear shaped.
Tottenham’s injury list has been in double digits for several weeks with Postecoglou unable to fill his entire bench against Leicester as James Maddison joined the casualty ward.
Goal scorer Richarlison also should have come off at half time with a groin issue, while the manager admitted Pape Sarr should not have played after picking up an injury in their mid-week Europa League victory against German outfit Hoffenheim.
With the medical team working over time, the lack of activity in the current transfer window has been perplexing.
Goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky arrived from Slavia Prague for £12.5 million to cover for first-choice shot stopper Guglielmo Vicario who fractured his right ankle in Spurs’ 4-0 win at Manchester City in November.
But Kinsky is the only January signing so far, despite Postecoglou crying out for more outfield talent, especially in defence.
The most frustrating thing for Tottenham fans is that they have the money to chase new signings.
The Mirror’s Conor Mummery wrote that “Spurs have one of the lowest wages to turnover ratio in the league at 42 per cent. They have the biggest PSR [profit and sustainability rules] headroom in the league.
“And Daniel Levy and Co have sat on their hands all month and watched their club slide down the league table, picking up more injuries along the way with Dominic Solanke, Destiny Udogie and Yves Bissouma joining the likes of Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven and Guglielmo Vicario on the sidelines.”
Ange Postecoglou’s fiery fan interaction | 00:20
Those figures are why the fans have turned on Levy, and it appears he believes he would do further damage to his reputation by sacking another manager at this point in time.
Football.London’s Tottenham correspondent Alasdair Gold shed light on how strained the relationship has become between the owner and the fan base.
“It’s embarrassing no doubt for Levy to hear the loudest chants yet in the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium – his crowning glory – from thousands of supporters for him to leave his position at the helm of the club. The post-match music was cranked up loudly – Spurs fans have heard that before – but it could not drown out the chants during the match,” Gold wrote.
“It’s embarrassing that the club are currently in danger of repeating those two critical transfer-less windows that sucked the life out of the club and the manager in Mauricio Pochettino’s final full season, seemingly learning not a single lesson from a period that ended their hopes of building on what the Argentine had created and they’ve been flailing since. Recent reports detailing the far lower percentage Spurs spend on salaries compared to revenue in relation to all of their rivals, which will only have dropped further this season, have not exactly screamed ambition from the owners to the fanbase.
“It’s embarrassing for the club to see those couple of banners in the south stand. One read: “24 years, 16 managers, one trophy – time for change”. Another proclaimed: “Our game is about glory, Levy’s game is about greed”. That video footage appeared to show stewards trying to take down the first banner is equally embarrassing.”
In an attempt to ease some of the tension, Tottenham are reportedly showing heavy interest in a highly touted 18-year-old who has burst on the Premier League scene this season, and a 24-year-old Manchester United academy product who has found his way in France.
But neither deal may be done until the summer.
“Southampton winger Tyler Dibling and Lille midfielder Angel Gomes are two players Spurs have held talks over as they attempt to set up deals for the summer window, and they are also trying to secure at least one new outfield signing this month,” Matt Law, football news correspondent for The Telegraph, wrote.
“While Postecoglou has been relatively calm about Tottenham’s lack of business so far, it is understood there is frustration from staff behind the scenes that outfield players have not been brought in earlier to try to alleviate some of the Australian’s problems.
“Tottenham have been desperate to avoid rushing into a decision on Postecoglou’s future and the focus has been trying to support him, but pressure is growing following successive defeats by Everton and Leicester, and with his team stuck in 15th place, eight points above the relegation zone.
“It is understood that Spurs are understanding of the injury crisis Postecoglou has faced and believe that changing the manager again would leave the club in a difficult position as they attempt to build something lasting.
“Furthermore, the prospect of having to finish a third season with Ryan Mason in caretaker charge would be hugely embarrassing and provoke more criticism towards Levy.”
The allure of some much-needed silverware is seemingly also keeping Postecoglou safe in the short-term.
Mid-week fixtures are undeniably hurting Tottenham’s depleted squad’s ability to back up time and time again for league encounters, but they remain alive in the League Cup, FA Cup and Europa League.
In fact, they lead Liverpool 1-0 after the first leg of their League Cup semi-final with the second leg to be played at Anfield next month.
They are sixth on the Europa League with a win at home against Swedish side IF Elsborg on Friday morning Australian time in their final league phase match guaranteeing them automatic passage to the Round of 16.
Meanwhile, an FA Cup fourth round tie away at Aston Villa also awaits next week.
Three opportunities remain for Postecoglou to fulfill his proclamation that he always wins a trophy in his second year in charge of a team.
He did it in the A-League. He did it with the Socceroos. He did it in Japan with Yokohama F. Marinos. He did with Scottish giants Celtic and despite things looking so bleak in North London, he remains optimistic that he can do it again.
Around the world, he has trophies in the bank and is not interested in trying to assure others that he can manage a football team
“It doesn’t really come into my consciousness about trying to convince people. I have been around long enough to know that some will just judge on where we are at at the moment and rightly so in some respects. It’s not good enough,” Postecoglou explained after the loss to Leicester.
“If people want to put context to that, they can. If not, so be it. From my point of view, I’m still very much stuck on the fact that the players are just giving everything they can.
“Even one more player coming in, just in the short term, will give us an opportunity at least to navigate these last 10 days to two weeks of what’s been a really hard slog for this group of players.
“They did on Thursday night (against Hoffenheim), they did today. There are probably at least two who shouldn’t have been out there. They were just desperate to try to turn our fortunes around.
“Hopefully over the next 10 days to two weeks we should get some significant players back which I think will help this group a lot. It will give them the boost they need.
“We have still got some fantastic opportunities this year to make an impact in the second half of this year and I’m sure that will happen.”
Whenever Postecoglou’s time is up at Tottenham, things may look brighter.
The Mirror’s football writers identified Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna, Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola, Brentford’s Thomas Frank and Fulham’s Marco Silva as potential replacements for Postecoglou at Spurs, but they would just be getting themselves onto the same merry-go-round.
Moving on from Spurs has reaped rewards for previous managers with The Guardian’s Jonathan Wilson writing that Postecoglou may have more success elsewhere to look forward to.
“The good news for Ange Postecoglou is that it seems relatively straightforward to recover from being Tottenham manager: his two immediate predecessors, Antonio Conte and Nuno Espírito Santo, are top of Serie A with Napoli and third in the Premier League with Nottingham Forest respectively,” Wilson wrote.
“As the banner unveiled on Sunday by Spurs fans during the defeat by Leicester read: “24 years, 16 managers, one trophy”. Nobody really looks at Tottenham any more and thinks the problem is the manager.
Tottenham demolished Southampton 5-0 with a blistering first half to ease pressure on Ange Postecoglou, while Manchester United pulled off a stunning comeback win at the death to upset rivals Manchester City.
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Spurs scored all five of their goals before half time to taste victory for the first time in six starts in all competitions to sit tenth on the Premier League table with 23 points, five points behind fourth placed Nottingham Forest from 16 matches.
Postecoglou’s side were at their attacking best with star forward Son Heung-min playing a pivotal role in almost every goal, and now they have only found the back of the net on less occasions in the league than second-placed Chelsea.
They shared the goals around with James Maddison scoring a brace, Son, Dejan Kulusevski and Pape Sarr all getting their names on the scoresheet.
Maddison opened the scoring in the first minute after being put through by right back Djed Spence in his first Premier League start.
Son then fired one home from the back post in the 11th minute to give Tottenham their second, and the roughly two minutes later the Korean whipped a ball into the box for Dominic Solanke before Dejan Kulusevski barged through to slam it home and give Postecoglou’s side three goals inside 14 minutes.
Ange’s Spurs strike in under 37 seconds | 01:11
Son also assisted Pape Sarr’s goal, Tottenham’s fourth, as he picked out the midfielder at the top of the box who danced through the Saints’ defenders before finishing coolly in the 25th minute.
Before Sarr’s lovely finish, many Southampton fans had already departed the stadium, having seen enough from the side sitting at the bottom of the Premier League table on just five points.
Maddison then added further to their misery with his second goal, and Spurs’ fifth, in the fourth minute of added time courtesy of another beautiful ball into the box from Son, which he smashed into the far corner.
Southampton became the first team in Premier League history to go into half time losing by a five-goal deficit multiple times after also doing so against Leicester City in October 2019.
After the break, the game turned into quite a lacklustre affair.
With their injury crisis and workload issues clearly front of mind, Tottenham took the foot off the peddle and played out the game with the three points in the bag.
Man Utd heaps more pain on rivals City | 01:56
MAN UTD LATE SHOW DEEPENS MAN CITY CRISIS
Manchester United scored twice in the final three minutes to deepen Premier League champions Manchester City’s crisis with a 2-1 win at the Etihad on Sunday.
City have now won just once in their last 11 games, a run that includes eight defeats.
Josko Gvardiol’s first-half header had put Pep Guardiola’s men in front. But United hit back for just Ruben Amorim’s second win in five league matches since taking charge last month.
Bruno Fernandes’ penalty levelled before Amad Diallo squeezed home the winner from a narrow angle in the last minute of regular time.
Defeat leaves City still in fifth, nine point off leaders Liverpool, who have a game in hand.
United climb to 12th and within five points of their city rivals. The Red Devils will be hoping a dramatic victory can also be the starting point for Amorim to turn around the momentum of a rivalry that City have dominated over the past decade.
Amorim made a bold call before kick-off as both Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho were left out of the United squad with the Portuguese saying he “pays attention to everything”.
The United boss may have regretted that call as early as the 12th minute when Mason Mount limped off to continue his injury-ravaged spell since joining from Chelsea 18 months ago.
A shortage of confidence in both sides was clear to see in a cagey start. It took 20 minutes for Phil Foden to have the first attempt on goal with a volley that flew just wide of Andre Onana’s goal.
But United’s set-piece defending has been at the root of their poor start to life under new management.
For the third consecutive Premier League game they conceded from a corner as Kevin De Bruyne’s deflected cross looped perfectly into the path of Gvardiol to head in on 36 minutes.
A slow burn of a derby finally came to life seconds later when Kyle Walker and Rasmus Hojlund went head-to-head with both ending up getting booked.
Foden’s double win this fixture for City last season on their way to an unprecedented fourth consecutive league title.
The England international’s lack of form and fitness has been one of the causes of City’s struggles this season.
However, Foden looked more like his old self as a jinking run and shot that deflected just wide came close to doubling City’s lead before half-time.
United did not manage a single shot on target in the first 45 minutes and Amorim was growing visibly frustrated at his side’s poor play on the ball as the second period started in a similar manner.
A vintage City side under Guardiola would have put their neighbours to the sword, but English champions created nothing of note in the second period.
Diallo finally forced Ederson into action with a header that the Brazilian clawed around the post on the hour mark.
Fernandes then missed a glorious chance to equalise 15 minutes from time when his dink over Ederson drifted wide with just the Brazilian to beat.
However, City were to be the architects of their own downfall. Matheus Nunes’ short backpass played in Diallo, who was then chopped down by the Portuguese midfielder in his desperation to atone for the original error.
Fernandes this time coolly sent Ederson the wrong way to level. City’s defence was then undone by one simple long ball over the top by Lisandro Martinez that Diallo raced onto, rounded Ederson and kept his composure to find the net.
– Amorim said he ‘believed’ after dramatic Man Utd win in derby –
Ruben Amorim said Manchester United “deserved” to beat Manchester City after his side produced a dramatic late finish to win 2-1 at the Etihad on Sunday.
City defender Josko Gvardiol opened the scoring with a first-half header but Fernandes levelled from the penalty spot in the 88th minute and Diallo struck two minutes later.
“It was incredible,” Amorim told the BBC. “I think we deserved it. It was a very tough match but we believe until the end. We managed to score, we needed that win, it was important for us and for our fans.
“We were in the game for 90 minutes and that is very good. We talk about the Arsenal game (a 2-0 defeat), we played well in the first half but they were not believing that we could win. Today was so much more different.
“I also believe. Then we have Fergie time and we put the things together and something magic happened. It was a good day for us.”
Liverpool escape with 10-man draw | 03:11
Amorim, who took over from the sacked Erik ten Hag last month, said the supporters needed the win — just his second victory in the Premier League since arriving at Old Trafford.
“They (the fans) need it,” he said. “Just like us, but you can see the way they celebrate is special.“But we need to continue. Our club needs to win these kinds of matches, I understand the happiness of our fans but we need to continue.
“With a victory for City, the performance was the same. We need to improve a lot of things but today the guys deserved the win. They were in it until the last minute and that is important for us.”
Speaking about match-winner Diallo, he said: “He can play different positions, he is very humble. We have to be very careful with Amad because sometimes in our club we put young players in a special place. Lets stay calm with Amad.”
– Fernandes hails Man Utd hero Diallo –
Bruno Fernandes hailed Amad Diallo as “unstoppable” after the winger scored a 90th-minute winner in Manchester United’s dramatic 2-1 victory at Manchester City on Sunday.
City defender Josko Gvardiol opened the scoring with a first-half header but Fernandes levelled from the penalty spot in the 88th minute and Diallo struck two minutes later.Diallo, 22, has been the standout player for United since new manager Ruben Amorim arrived at Old Trafford last month and he delivered in dramatic fashion at the Etihad.
“I think there’s still a lot to come from him because we really believe in his qualities, we know what he’s capable of doing,” United captain Fernandes told Sky Sports.
“He showed it today again. He’s always happy, he’s always alive, and this is why he gets the penalty, this is why he gets his goal.” He added: “We need him at this level, because when he’s like this, he’s unstoppable.”
‘What a save, incredible reactions!’ | 00:45
Diallo, named man of the match, said: “We wanted to win the game. We know it was not easy, obviously in the first half it was difficult, but in the second half I think we pressed good and we wanted to win.
“This is the derby, if you play this game you have to win, and we showed today we can win every game.”
Fernandes said the United players were still getting used to Amorim’s methods. “It’s a process,” he said. “We know what he demands, what he wants from us. We’ve been speaking always before games that it doesn’t matter what happens in the game, we stick to what we have to do, what we’ve been training to do — new routines, difficult, different positions.”
– Chelsea charge –
Enzo Maresca’s high-flying Chelsea beat Brentford 2-1 at Stamford Bridge to close to within two points of long-time leaders Liverpool, who have 36 points.
The home team dominated the first half and got the reward they deserved shortly before the break when Noni Madueke swung in a cross from the right and Marc Cucurella nodded it home.
Nicolas Jackson doubled Chelsea’s lead in the 80th minute and they held out for the win despite a late strike from prolific Brentford forward Bryan Mbeumo.
It is a fifth straight win for Chelsea, who look increasingly like being Liverpool’s main challengers this season, with Arsenal and City faltering.
The knives are coming out, the vultures are circling and judgment day is coming for Ange Postecoglou, according to some in the British press, after Tottenham’s latest Premier League loss, a 4-3 home defeat to second-place Chelsea.
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Thirteen months ago, the Australian manager was serenaded by Spurs’ fans after being dismantled 4-1 at home by the same side, because they loved the commitment to ‘Angeball’ despite having two players sent off for most of the second half.
Now, the attacking nature of Postecoglou’s tactics are not being so well-received.
Tottenham were 2-0 up inside 11 minutes, but conceded the next four goals of the game as things unravelled.
Centre back pairing Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven, who returned from a toe injury and a hamstring problem respectively, as well as winger Brennan Johnson, were forced off with injuries.
Yves Bissouma and Pape Sarr gave away penalties with unnecessary challenges, and Cole Palmer slotted both of them home, the second with a cheeky Panenka-style dink to lob it over the diving Fraser Forster and rub salt into the wound.
It was a comedy of errors, and Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher believes they are the sort of mistakes that could cost Postecoglou his job.
Speaking on Sky Sports, Carragher rejected the former Socceroos boss’ post-match comments praising his side, and said that if Postecoglou does not adapt, he will be shown the door.
“Ange said how well they played. I can’t imagine any Liverpool manager I played for and we conceded four in a game would say in the interview we played well,” Carragher said.
“If you play this way you’ll get the result like at Manchester City but you’d also get results like this one where you’re 2-0 up. I’ve never got my head around managers saying we play a ‘certain way and we will never change’ – I think it started with Pep Guardiola at Barcelona.
“This idea that wherever they play, they will play their way. But that was the best team I’ve ever seen. Pep Guardiola then had to change his Man City team who were winning the leagues every season, putting centre-backs at full-back.
“This idea that you can’t change is alien to me. The game-state dictates how you play, not all the time but if you go away to a tough away ground you shouldn’t play the same way as you do against a team at the bottom. There’s this idea of playing a pure game and the Tottenham fans signing ‘we’ve got our Tottenham back’ but you won’t win anything, you won’t challenge.
“I wake up every morning hoping the sun is shining, so I can put some shorts and a T-shirt on but if it’s raining, you put your coat on. You can’t have this idea about playing one way, it won’t work. If it doesn’t change, he won’t be here next season.”
Tottenham have won just once in their last seven games in all competitions, and that victory was a 4-0 romp of the reigning champions at the Etihad two weeks ago.
Adding to the bizarre nature of their recent run is that despite sitting 11th on the Premier League table, Spurs have the fourth best goal difference behind the top three of Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal, and only Chelsea have scored more goals than them this season.
Defensive frailties continually haunting them has meant that some are now turning their attention to what is going on in the minds of the club hierarchy.
Chairman Daniel Levy declared three months into Postecolgou’s tenure that “we’ve got our Tottenham back” after dour years under the likes of Antonio Conte and Jose Mourinho, but that positivity now feels like a lifetime ago.
“In the directors’ box chairman Daniel Levy looked down and his face said it all. It was even more taught than Van de Ven’s hamstring,” the Telegraph’s chief football correspondent, Jason Burt, wrote.
“It is the manner of the defeats, and the ease with which they concede goals, that is killing them at present and surely putting Postecoglou’s job increasingly at risk.
“There is, unfortunately, a soft underbelly and a flakiness that opponents are seizing on. Spurs lost a two-goal lead for the 11th time in the Premier League, four times more than any other side.”
The problems at the back are also being compounded by issues in attack, particularly around their star goal-scorer Son Heung-min.
Postecoglou returned the Korean to the starting front three, which also featured Dominic Solanke up front and Johnson on the opposing flank, after bringing him off the bench in the 1-0 loss at Bournemouth mid-week.
Son has battled hamstring issues in recent months and has been out of sorts since coming back to the pitch.
His rut was exemplified by an uncharacteristic miss during the second half, that proved to be costly and symbolic of his manager’s struggles.
“At 2-2, Son Heung-min wasted a huge chance to lead, when the captain raced through on goal and steadied himself before whipping a shot wildly off target,” The Independent’s Lawrence Ostlere wrote.
“One of the most deadly finishers in the Premier League looked bereft of confidence, like his team, and his tap-in at the death was not enough to make amends as Spurs went down 4-3. Postecoglou rued a “big moment” that slipped by.
“Yet that sense of self-sabotage might also be levelled at the manager. Spurs played with typical abandon which produced moments of joyous football in the first half, but when the momentum of the game swung, Postecoglou failed to react. His midfield was inexplicably open, with the overrun Bissouma understandably drawn to Palmer, leaving the advancing Enzo Fernandez in wide-open space time and time again.
“’Tottenham Hotspur, it’s happened again,’ sang the Chelsea fans, and there was a devastating simplicity to that refrain. It was losing to Chelsea, the team who have enjoyed more success than any other visiting this stadium; it was letting another lead slip away in a clichéd collapse; it was how they seemed to melt in the middle.”
ESPN’s James Olley took a similar approach in saying that “this game is in danger of resembling a metaphor for Postecoglou’s time at Spurs”.
“Start well, generate dizzying excitement, lose players to injury, look increasingly one-dimensional and end up defeated,” Olley wrote.
Many Tottenham fans on social media are pointing the finger at Levy and other off-field figures, while calling for Postecoglou to be afforded more time.
Others want him gone, as is always the way with these things.
But Postecoglou made a key move pre-game, in a pointed response to the events of the south coast days earlier.
“Postecoglou had applauded the South Stand at length before kick-off, which felt significant after what had happened between him and the travelling Spurs fans at Bournemouth last Thursday. He needs them behind him,” The Guardian’s David Hytner wrote.
“His team would make the dream start, two up after 11 minutes, and yet it never looked like lasting. There would be boos at the full-time whistle but no fan mutiny.”
There is also no player revolt.
Romero spoke with glowing praise of Postecoglou post-match, and expressed his belief that those on the pitch should be shouldering the responsibility for Tottenham’s recent run of poor results.
“He’s a great coach. We saw it in the first season. In this second one we’ve suffered a lot of injuries,” Romero said.
“Players should be the first one to be criticised, then if we lose 10 games, the staff can be changed.
“We are very happy with this staff, me and my colleagues. We love how they work and the football they try to play.”
Regardless of what the players or sections of the fan base believe, if more poor results come, more people will be baying for blood.
Tottenham have four more matches before Christmas, and they could decide Postecoglou’s future.
The Australian has always won a trophy in his second season charge, and it feels somewhat forgotten that he still has two live chances to keep that impressive streak alive, and deliver Spurs their first piece of silverware since 2008.
On Friday morning Australian time, Postecoglou will travel north to Glasgow, to return to a scene of former glories.
Tottenham will face Rangers, the biggest rivals of Postecoglou’s former club Celtic, at Ibrox Stadium in a key Europa League contest.
Both sides sit on ten points after five matches, in eighth and ninth respectively, with the top eight after eight matches receiving a bye through to the Round of 16 in the new format.
A week later, Spurs take on Manchester United in a Carabao Cup quarter-final at home.
Either side of that clash is a trip to Southampton and a date with league leaders Liverpool.
It is crunch time for Postecoglou.
As the past fortnight since Tottenham’s demolition of Manchester City has shown, two weeks is a long time in football, and Postecoglou could be in the doghouse or the penthouse by Christmas Day.
As to be expected, it was another wild night for Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham as they picked up a 2-1 victory at Ferencvaros in Budapest, Hungary to go two from two to start their Europa League campaign.
It was also their fifth consecutive win in all competitions – the first time they have reached that mark since Jose Mourinho was in charge in 2021 – and it came off the back of Postecoglou blooding youth.
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The Australian made seven changes from the line-up that thumped Manchester United 3-0 at Old Trafford on Sunday which included starting four teenagers as 19-year-old Will Lankshear made his senior debut, while 17-year-old Mikey Moore started for the first time
The Hungarian champions have always welcomed their opponents with a hostile environment as Spurs became just the second English side in 11 attempts in European competition to leave Budapest with a victory.
Brennan Johnson celebrates after scoring the 2-0 goal.Source: AFP
The atmosphere was no less intimidating on Thursday night as the Ferencvaros fans went ballistic when an early goal to the home side was controversially ruled out for offside after a lengthy check.
Fans were livid as replays led many to believe Barnabas Verga was onside before heading home a lovely cross from Eldar Civic.
The confusion was clarified by TNT pundit Joe Cole at half-time who said the camera angle had created an “optical illusion” because it was not directly in line with the offside line.
Tottenham got on with business however as Pape Sarr opened the scoring 23 minutes into the first half when he pounced on a loose ball to score his second goal in two Europa League games.
Brennan Johnson later came off the bench to put the game to bed with an 86th minute left footed rocket which ricocheted off the post.
The Welshman is in sublime form having scored five goals in his last five games across all competitions, but Ferencvaros salvaged a late goal courtesy of Verga to prevent Spurs from keeping a clean sheet.
Postecoglou – who notched up his 50th match in charge of the north London club – was asked repeatedly post-game about the influence of his teenagers.
Lankshear played 66 minutes up front, 18-year-old midfielder Lucas Bergvall was substituted a minute earlier, while 18-year-old defender Archie Gray and winger Moore played out the entire match.
One reporter suggested that Manchester United have had the ‘Busby Babes’ and ‘Fergie’s Fledglings’ could this side by ‘Ange’s Angels’?
The Australian laughed it off saying “you’ve got to do better than that, mate”.
But of his teenage brigade, Postecoglou did engage with a question about them being “particularly special”.
“Yes, they are. They’re 18. What were you doing when you were 18?” he asked with a laugh.
“I mean how many 17-year-olds are playing in the Premier League?”
Postecoglou’s praise extended to Moore in particular.
The academy product and England age-group international was lively on the right-wing and showed no signs of being overawed by the occasion.
“I thought he was outstanding,” Postecoglou said. “It’s brilliant for a 17-year-old to play 90 plus minutes in a European away tie. He just handled it superbly, I kind of knew he would, and I think it’ll help his growth as a footballer once you get through a sort of experience like that.
“I think he’ll grow and evolve, and I didn’t feel like I needed to take him off. He still looked strong at the end and was still contributing.”
Tottenham’s next match is a Premier League contest at Brighton at 2.30am AEDT on Monday morning.
MAGUIRE SAVES MAN UTD FROM MORE PAIN IN PORTO
Harry Maguire’s injury-time equaliser saved Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag from another damaging defeat after the Red Devils blew a 2-0 lead in a 3-3 draw at Porto in the Europa League on Thursday.
Marcus Rashford and Rasmus Hojlund had given the visitors a dream start with two goals inside the first 20 minutes.
But a double from Samu Omorodion, after Pepe brought Porto back into the game, had the English giants heading for defeat.
United then had captain Bruno Fernandes sent off for the second consecutive game, but the 10 men salvaged a point when Maguire headed in a corner.
Ten Hag’s men have now begun their Europa League campaign with two draws after being held at home by FC Twente last week to sit 21st in the 36-team table.
Harry Maguire’s injury-time equaliser saved Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag from another damaging defeat.Source: AFP
And the manner of their capitulation after a fast start will do little to ease the pressure on their manager ahead of Sunday’s daunting Premier League trip to Aston Villa.
“We started the game very good, we dominated, scored two good goals but then we lost control,” said Ten Hag.”The middle part (of the match) was no good.” The former Ajax boss has defiantly defended his record after winning the League Cup and FA Cup in his first two seasons in charge at Old Trafford — ending United’s six-year trophy drought in the process.
And Ten Hag insisted he should be judged at the end of the season. “We will get there, don’t judge us in this moment,” he added. “Judge us in the end of the season. We will improve, we have two seasons where we achieved finals. Just wait, we will develop and progress this team.” Ten Hag could not have wished for a better start, even if Porto were architects of their own downfall.
– Rashford shines –
Rashford has shown flashes of a return to his best form after a disappointing 2023/24 campaign and opened the scoring with his fourth goal of the season.
The England international skipped between two Porto defenders before firing in a shot that Portugal number one Diogo Costa should have kept out.
Rashford then turned creator for the second as his pass fed Hojlund, who again beat Costa at his near post with a powerful strike.
But just as Ten Hag was beginning to breathe a sigh of relief on the touchline, United’s two-goal advantage was wiped out in seven minutes.
Pepe reduced the arrears by stooping to head in the rebound after Andre Onana had produced heroics to prevent Noussair Mazraoui’s header finding his own net.
Omorodian could have been lining up for Chelsea in the Premier League had the Spaniard not failed a medical that led to his move from Atletico Madrid collapsing.
But he has seven goals in his first six games for Porto and brought the home side level with a towering header.
Worse was to come for the visitors and their beleaguered boss after the break. Rashford’s promising display was cut short at half-time as he was replaced by Alejandro Garnacho with one eye on the trip to Villa.
The United defence was shredded once more by a sprightly Porto counter-attack on 50 minutes.
Pepe sprinted down the left beyond Lisandro Martinez and his low cross was blasted high past Onana by Omorodian, who had escaped the attentions of Matthijs de Ligt.
Fernandes then picked up a second yellow card on his return to Portugal. But it was the man who Ten Hag stripped of the captaincy that could have saved his job.
Maguire rose highest to power home Eriksen’s corner in the 91st minute to salvage a point.
After disappointing losses to Newcastle and arch rival Arsenal, the pressure was mounting on the Australian. But, in typical Postecoglou fashion, he has doubled down on his attacking style — affectionately dubbed ‘Angeball’ — which has yielded back-to-back Premier League wins amid four consecutive victories in all competitions.
Spurs now sit eighth on the Premier League table with ten points from six games after they humiliated Manchester United 3-0 at Old Trafford on Sunday.
The post-match coverage focused on growing calls for United manager Erik Ten Hag to be axed, but among the hysteria was high praise for Postecoglou’s aggressive tactics which delivered a win against a ‘big-six’ rival for the first time in a year.
So effective they were that the Red Devils would be somewhat thankful the damage was not worse.
Spurs were wasteful in front of goal at times – missing two one-on-ones with United goalkeeper Andre Onana – in the absence of injured star Son Heung-min.
Their inability to pile on more pain was reflected by the expected score statistic stating that Tottenham was expected to score 5.33 goals based on the chances they created.
Nevertheless, Postecoglou would have few complaints as the pressure on him starts to ease.
Spurs lead the Premier League for shots on targets, touches in the opposition’s box and expected goals as well as having the second most shots and the third most goals to affirm themselves as arguably the best team to watch in the competition.
One of the signature ‘Angeball’ ploys in Sunday’s statement victory was centre back Micky van de Ven strolling around the field gathering touches all over the pitch and providing an assist like a midfielder in a player of the match performance.
To The Telegraph’s chief football correspondent Jason Burt, it came as no surprise that Postecoglou’s side roamed more freely and pressed harder than they had earlier in the season.
“It is typical of Ange Postecoglou’s boldness that his response to questions being asked about how he has set Tottenham Hotspur up is to even more attacking,” Burt said.
“Maybe it would have been expected that under such pressure a coach would choose to be conservative and bring in another defensive-minded player such as Pape Sarr or Yves Bissouma. Not Postecoglou.”
On commentary for Sky Sports, Manchester United legend Gary Neville took time out from blasting his former side – he labelled them as playing “pub football” — to heap praise on Postecoglou and his players.
“Tottenham have been really good and have got the scoreline their performance deserved,” Neville said.
“A really good day for Ange Postecoglou, who has had a few questions asked of him in recent weeks.
“I love watching them. I have loved Ange Postecoglou since he came to England. He has had a rough patch, it has not been as good as he would have liked, but he is a massive asset to the Premier League.
“The style of football, his personality – he hasn’t had the backing of some of the other top clubs in Europe. He has been backed, but not to the level of others. But they are always a good watch. They won this game today. They dominated and absolutely deserved it.”
The love for Postecoglou continued from Neville’s Sky Sports colleague Chris Sutton.
The pundit, who also works for BBC Sport, posted on X his admiration for Postecoglou while spelling a warning for his counterpart.
“No finer sight in the Premier League than Angeball played at its best,” Sutton said.
“The pile-on earlier on this season was so over the top…”
For all the critique of Ten Hag and United,The Guardian’s Jonathan Liew insisted that the Red Devils’ insipid performance was just as much of Tottenham’s doing as it was their own.
United certainly did not help themselves as they played more than a half with ten men courtesy of captain Bruno Fernandes’ controversial red card, but Tottenham had 61% possession, took 24 shots – ten of which were on target – and passed the ball with an impressive accuracy of 88%.
“For Ange Postecoglou, this may well have been the most impressive win of his Spurs tenure,” Liew said.
“Not simply because of the magnitude of the opponent, the weight of history, the late withdrawal of Son Heung-min, but because this was a game they willed and bent into their own weird shape.
“United did not simply turn up dazed and disintegrated; in large part they were rendered that way by a dazzling first-half performance that forced them to doubt everything.
“Take the starting line-up, which on the face of things felt like a system inspired by the Garth Crooks ‘team of the week’ on the BBC website: heavy in forwards and almost entirely devoid of midfield cover, with Rodrigo Bentancur the sole shield behind James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski, and then a front three ahead of them.
“It felt either like a monumental gamble or a monumental ruse, and in a way, it turned out to be both.”
Tottenham have an away trip to Brighton at 2:30am AEST on Monday 7 October as their next Premier League assignment, but before then they travel to Budapest, Hungary for a Europa League date with Ferencváros at 2.45am AEST on Friday.
Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham started their Europa League campaign with a 3-0 win against Qarabag despite playing more than 80 minutes with 10 men, but Son Heung-min gave the north Londoners an injury scare on Thursday.
Radu Dragusin’s early dismissal was no obstacle for the Australian’s side, who cruised to victory at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium thanks to goals from Brennan Johnson, Pape Sarr and Dominic Solanke.
However, the sight of South Korea forward Son being forced off in the 70th minute will be concerning for Postecoglou, who cannot afford to be without his talismanic captain for a long period.
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Tottenham Hotspur’s English striker #19 Dominic Solanke (L) celebrates scoring the team’s third goal with Tottenham Hotspur’s English midfielder #14 Archie Gray during the UEFA Europa League League stage football match between Tottenham Hotspur and at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, on September 26, 2024. (Photo by Glyn KIRK / AFP)Source: AFP
With a healthy Son, the Europa League could offer a path to silverware for Postecoglou, who boasts that he always enjoys success in his second season as he seeks to end a Tottenham trophy drought dating back to 2008.
Sterner tests await Tottenham but they delivered a confident opener, once the game — delayed for 37 minutes after Qarabag were caught in heavy traffic — finally got underway.
Tottenham weren’t fazed by being reduced to 10 men after just eight minutes when Romania defender Dragusin was sent off for pulling down Juninho as he raced through on goal.
They took the lead in the 12th minute through Johnson’s third goal in his last three games.
Qarabag conceded possession cheaply deep inside their own half and Solanke teed up Johnson for a composed finish from 10 yards.
The Wales forward had to delete his Instagram account after abuse from fans following a poor start to the season, but he has answered his critics in the perfect manner.
Sarr volleyed Tottenham’s second from six yards after Qarabag keeper Mateusz Kochalski made a hash of catching a 52nd-minute corner.
Yves Bissouma’s foul on Elvin Cafarguliyev gave Qarabag a penalty four minutes later, but Toral Bayramov blazed the spot-kick over.
Solanke wrapped up the win in the 68th minute, slotting home to claim his second goal since his club record move from Bournemouth in the close season.
ROMA DENIED
Troubled Roma were held to a 1-1 draw by Athletic Bilbao after conceding a late equaliser at the Stadio Olimpico.
Roma fans were furious with the club’s recent decision to sack boss Daniele De Rossi, an iconic figure during his time as a Giallorossi player, just four games into the season.
Given the unenviable task of replacing De Rossi, Ivan Juric inspired a 3-0 win against Udinese last weekend, but he was denied a second successive victory.
Artem Dovbyk put Roma in front after 32 minutes as the Ukrainian made it three goals in his last three games for his new club with a thumping header from Angelino’s cross.
But Aitor Paredes headed Bilbao’s equaliser after Unai Nunez nodded across goal in the 85th minute.
Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce beat Union Saint-Gilloise 2-1 as the Portuguese boss started his bid to win the tournament for the third time in his career.
Mourinho, who won the competition with Manchester United and Porto, watched as Caglar Soyuncu put Fenerbahce ahead in the 26th minute before Christian Burgess’s 82nd-minute own goal doubled the lead.
Ross Sykes’ stoppage-time reply for Union came after Franjo Ivanovic missed a penalty for the visitors, who had Kevin Mac Allister sent off.
Ajax thrashed Besiktas 4-0 thanks to Mika Godts’ brace and goals from Kian Fitz-Jim and Kenneth Taylor.
Olympiakos, UEFA Conference League winners last season, were beaten 2-0 at Lyon, whose second-half goals came from Rayan Cherki and Said Benrahma.
Eintracht Frankfurt blew a two-goal lead as Viktoria Plzen’s Vaclav Jemelka scored the stoppage-time equaliser.
Rangers won 2-0 at Malmo, with Nedim Bajrami scoring his maiden goal for the club in the first minute before Ross McCausland struck in the 76th minute
Pedro Porro’s sublime strike fired Tottenham to a hard-fought 1-0 win over stubborn Burnley in the FA Cup third round on Friday.
Porro bagged his first goal this season with just 12 minutes left in north London to spare Tottenham the prospect of an unwanted trip to Turf Moor for a replay.
Tottenham’s progress to the fourth round made it five wins from their last six games in all competitions as they continue to bounce back from their autumn slump.
Coach Ange Postecoglou said this week that it is Tottenham’s ambition to win a trophy like the FA Cup “every year”.
Without a major triumph since winning the 2008 League Cup, Tottenham fans would gladly take any silverware at present, no matter the competition.
They won the last of their eight FA Cups in 1991 and Postecoglou would dearly love to mark his first season in charge by ending that long wait for a ninth.
The road to Wembley started for Tottenham without Son Heung-min, who is on Asian Cup duty with South Korea, and Pape Sarr, who has departed to play for Senegal at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Postecoglou’s team were the dominant side even without Son and Sarr. Richarlison dragged his shot wide of the far post after slaloming through the Burnley defence in the early stages.
Porro scored a wonder goal for Tottenham to beat Burnley. (Photo by Glyn KIRK / AFP)Source: AFP
Brennan Johnson’s curler was pushed away by Burnley keeper Arijanet Muric, who also saved well from Richarlison.
Giovani Lo Celso opened the second half with a long-range shot that was repelled by the overworked Muric.
Tottenham pushed hard in the closing stages, with Muric saving again from Johnson before the breakthrough finally arrived.
Muric had been in such good form that it was going to take something special to beat him and Porro duly delivered in the 78th minute.
After winning back possession in the Burnley half, the Spanish defender took aim from the right-hand side of the area and unfurled a ferocious shot that bent into the far corner as Muric stood rooted to the spot.
Burnley’s exit leaves Vincent Kompany’s second bottom side free to focus on their fight for Premier League survival.
Ten-man Wolves rescued a 1-1 draw at Brentford thanks to Tommy Doyle’s stunning strike.
Wolves midfielder Joao Gomes was sent off after just nine minutes for an ugly studs-up challenge on Christian Norgaard.
Tommy Doyle’s second half strike ensured Wolves would get a replay against Brentford. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
Neal Maupay fired Brentford ahead when he rifled into the top corner after Wolves failed to clear a 41st minute free-kick.
But Doyle equalised for the four-time FA Cup winners in the 64th minute with a blistering drive from the edge of the area.
The draw ended Brentford’s run of five successive defeats and Wolves’ spell of three consecutive wins, which had included a 4-1 victory over the Bees in December.
Fulham ground out a 1-0 win against Championship strugglers Rotherham at Craven Cottage.
The Cottagers have a League Cup semi-final first leg against Liverpool on Wednesday, so Marco Silva prioritised the trip to Anfield as he made eight changes from the New Year’s Eve win over Arsenal.
Silva’s reserves were still strong enough to leave Rotherham without an away victory since November 2022 as Bobby De Cordova-Reid bagged the winner from the edge of the area in the 24th minute.
Ange Postecoglou admits “nothing magical” will happen in the January transfer window to help injury-hit Tottenham.
Postecoglou’s depleted side crashed to a 4-2 defeat at Brighton in the Premier League on Thursday.
Nine players were unavailable to the Tottenham boss and, after Sunday’s clash with Bournemouth, he will lose Yves Bissouma, Pape Sarr and Son Heung-min for January due to the Africa Cup of Nations and Asian Cup.
However, Postecoglou tried to quash assumptions he will herald the new year with a flurry of transfer activity.
“Nothing magical is going to happen in the January window,” Postecoglou said.
“What we need to do is just keep building. We’ve had one window with this team to change it around, to do things differently.
“The fact that we’re in the (fifth) position we are is a credit to the players. For all the challenges we’ve had, we just kept ploughing forward and that’s what we’ll do.
“We’ll see what we can do in January, but ultimately it’s about building a side that will get us to where we want to.”
Despite Postecoglou’s claims, The Telegraph reports the Australian has informed Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy of the three positions in the team he needs strengthening in.
Unsurprisingly one of those is at centre back, a position Tottenham have been decimated in through injuries and suspensions at various intervals this season.
Additionally, Postecoglou is hoping for some help in central midfield as well as a winger.
Tottenham have been linked with a move for Nice defender Jean-Clair Todibo, but the report claims the French club will look to hold onto him for the rest of the season.
Instead, The Telegraph reports Tottenham are eyeing up a move for Romanian centre back Radu Dragusin.
After spending last season on loan at Genoa, the 21-year-old made the permanent switch at the start of the 2023/24 campaign so he will not come cheap.
As for a new winger, Postecoglou appears likely to reunite with former Celtic winger Jota.
Jota moved from the Hoops to Saudi club Al-Ittihad in the summer but his move has not gone to plan and will be desperate for game time.
Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher is another name that could move to Tottenham in January amid the Blues’ need to balance the books to comply with FFP regulations.
However, The Telegraph claims Chelsea are unlikely to budge from their £50 million ($AUD93 million) valuation of Gallagher, a figure Tottenham are not keen to pay.
But that could change should defensive midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg depart Tottenham in January, with the Dane linked with a switch to Italian giants Juventus.
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Tottenham’s long list of absentees means Postecoglou has used 27 players in all competitions this season.
As a result, their early title bid has taken a blow, with the north Londoners presently in fifth place, six points behind leaders Liverpool.
“We’re still at the beginning. Within that context, we want to compete. We’ve got ourselves in a position where we can compete. That’s what we need to keep pushing forward for,” Postecoglou said.
“For us to sustain and maintain that and be a team, it’s no secret we need a strong squad.” Hugo Lloris’ departure from Tottenham is set to be finalised shortly, with the French goalkeeper close to agreeing a move to Los Angeles FC on a free transfer.
“Obviously there’s stuff happening but I’ve been focused on the game. I’m sure we’ll hear something in the next couple of days,” Postecoglou said.
Ange Postecoglou has enjoyed a sensational first six months at Tottenham Hotspur, but it hasn’t all been smooth sailing.
Injuries and suspensions have had devastating impact on Spurs in recent weeks, seeing the Australian’s side slide from the top of the Premier League after a five-game winless streak.
Spurs have since turned it around with back-to-back victories and are currently fifth, just one point off fourth spot. But to finish in the top four and secure Champions League qualification for next season, there’s no doubt that Ange Postecoglou will be desperately eyeing reinforcements in the January transfer window.
“I wrote my letter to Santa. Like my kids, now I’ve just got to see whether I’ve been naughty or nice and see what I get mate,” Postecoglou joked before the weekend.
A major transfer ‘risk’ taken at the start of the season has come back to bite Spurs, while a looming pair of major international tournaments will further weaken Postecoglou’s squad.
And with other teams also looking to poach some Spurs players, it could prove a very busy January for the Australian.
After taking over at White Hart Lane in June, Postecoglou made nine signings in his first transfer window (though two of those were turning two loan deals permanent). That reshaping of the squad was funded in large part by the sale of superstar striker Harry Kane to German giants Bayern Munich.
That included a new goalkeeper in Guglielmo Vicario, a proven playmaker in Leicester City’s James Maddison, and a host of young talents including midfielder Pape Matar Sarr (21), attacker Brennan Johnson (22), centre-back Micky van de Ven (22), and winger Manor Solomon (23).
Besides 26-year-old pair Vicario and Maddison, all of Spurs’ signings were aged 23 or younger – part of a clear long-term strategy to sign promising talents (that often come at a more affordable price point).
But while van de Ven slotted into the first-team immediately, the only other centre-back arrival was 18-year-old Ashley Phillips – viewed as one for the future, rather than being capable of taking on a regular starting role.
Davinson Sanchez left Tottenham for Galatasaray after the English transfer window ended – a ‘risk’ that backfired on Spurs.Source: AFP
And Spurs lost plenty of depth at the heart of defence. Clement Lenglet finished his loan deal and returned to Barcelona before being loaned to Aston Villa. Fringe player Joe Rodon, who had spent the last season on loan with French side Rennes, was sent out to Leeds United on another loan deal. Japhet Tanganga was loaned to FC Augsburg on deadline day (with a conditional purchase obligation next season) before Davinson Sanchez was allowed to leave to Turkish club Galatasaray after the English transfer window had closed.
That meant that Spurs did not have the ability to sign a replacement for the 207-appearance veteran, who had played twice under Postecoglou early in the season before his late departure.
Postecoglou had tried to sign another centre-back before the window closed. According to football.london, Perr Schuurs, Gleison Bremer and Tosin Adarabioyo were all centre-backs identified by Postecoglou – but a deal couldn’t be done.
So while Postecoglou needed to trim the bloated Spurs squad he inherited, selling Sanchez was a risk.
And when Spurs were cut down by a horrid smattering of injuries in the last couple of months, that risk backfired. Van de Ven was ruled out until January, Eric Dier and Ashley Phillips were also injured, and vice-captain Cristian Romero copped a three-game suspension.
Spurs were so short of centre-backs that they have been routinely forced to name a backline with four fullbacks.
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“When you think about it,” Postecoglou told Sky Sports this weekend, “we let Davinson Sanchez go after the window closed. We kind of knew we were taking a bit of a risk; we couldn’t get the extra centre-back that we were trying to get in, and for the early part of the year that was fine.
“But once we lost Micky [van de Ven], and Eric Dier’s had some issues as well, we don’t have another centre-back.
“Young Ash Phillips had just joined the club, so it’s fair to say that we can’t run the risk of that happening again, so that’s obviously a priority for us in January.
“But again, we’ve got to get the right person. It’s not just about bringing another body in, it’s about getting the right one in and hopefully that’ll happen.”
Van de Ven started the season in sensational fashion, making him an early contender for the league’s defensive signing of the season, before suffering an unfortunate hamstring injury. He is set to return in mid-January, but there’s no doubt that Spurs need more depth at the position.
“Ultimately, we still need to sign another centre-back because at the moment we are a little bit on tenterhooks because if something happens again we are short and we are already short,” Postecoglou said in a recent press conference.
As Postecoglou says, signing a centre-back is the ‘priority’ for Spurs this window.
The club could even look to land two centre-halves if Eric Dier is sold. Dier is entering the final six months of his contract and reportedly plans to depart at the end of the season. But The Mirror claims Tottenham boss Daniel Levy intends to sell him in January rather than lose him on a free transfer in six months’ time.
Micky van de Ven’s injury was a major blow to Spurs.Source: Getty Images
Football Insider claims that Bournemouth’s Lloyd Kelly, Fulham’s Tosin Adarabioyo and Bayer Leverkusen’s Edmond Tapsoba are on the Tottenham shortlist, after Spurs were linked to all three in the off-season transfer window.
Tapsoba has recently signed a new long-term contract until June 2028 and would therefore be an expensive acquisition, but both Kelly and Adarabioyo are out of contract at the end of this season. That should make signing them easier, with those clubs likely open to selling rather than losing them for free at the end of the season.
Liverpool and Newcastle are both in the race for Kelly (rated at around 25 million pounds), but Bournemouth have reportedly handed the 25-year-old a club-record contract offer in an attempt to convince him to stay.
Spurs sent a scout to watch Benfica’s 3-1 Champions League win over RB Salzburg last week, reportedly to watch Brazilian centre-back Morato.
The Sun claims Spurs scouts have watched the Benfica star four times in a month and will be Spurs’ top target, though the North London club will be unwilling to pay the 22-year-old’s release clause of £68m (A$127m).
Galatasaray’s Victor Nelsson has also been linked to the club, as well as Genoa centre-back Ragu Dragsusin. Ben Godfrey of Everton is also reportedly on their shortlist.
Sky Sports claims that Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite, Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi and Nice’s Jean-Clair Todibo are also defensive targets for Spurs.
All three are 23 or younger, meaning they fit into Spurs’ long-term squad-building approach.
Postecoglou told Sky Sports his focus is on signing and hungry players: “Yeah, because that’s what we’re trying to build at the moment.
“Even Vic [Guglielmo Vicario], he’s only 26 [which is young] for a goalkeeper, and the only one we’ve kind of signed who isn’t in that bracket but I still think he’s got the best in front of him is Madders [James Maddison], but all the rest are all young.
“Guys like Pape Sarr, Destiny [Udogie], Pedro [Porro] and [Dejan] Kulusevski – who both [Porro and Kulusevski] became permanent – they’re all in their early 20s, so we’re in the first phase of building something.
“I think when you’ve got young guys and you start building something and they grow together, I think it gives you more chance of having sustained success down the road.”
Ange Postecoglou speaks to young midfielder Pape Matar Sarr, who has become a regular contributor for Spurs this season.Source: AFP
THE KEY ISSUE THAT WILL FORCE SPURS TO ACT
While a centre-back is a clear priority, Postecoglou is also facing a significant hurdle in January that will almost certainly push him into the market for other signings.
The Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) and Asian Cup both take place in January – meaning three Spurs stars will be missing for lengthy periods. Midfielders Yves Bissouma (Mali) and Pape Matar Sarr (Senegal) will be at AFCON which starts January 13, while captain Son Heung-Min (South Korea) will be in Qatar for the Asia Cup from January 12. Both tournaments last just under a month and players will likely depart a few days before the tournaments begin. If those three teams make a deep run in their respective competitions, Spurs could be significantly weakened. Senegal, as the reigning champions, are expected to again contend for the title.
Postecoglou said recently: “All of those three players will be a big loss to us but that’s kind of been the story of our season – we’ve had to cope without significant players so far and as I said that’s kind of what we’ve been dealt and we have to deal with it as we have.”
Bissouma on the weekend received his second red card of the season and will serve a four-game ban, which means he likely won’t be available to play until after AFCON and could miss up to ten fixtures!
Yves Bissouma was shown his second red card of the season. (Photo by Oli SCARFF / AFP)Source: AFP
The absences of Bissouma and Sarr mean that Postecoglou could look to bolster his midfield stocks. Spurs came close to signing Chelsea’s Conor Gallagher in the off-season, and The Daily Mail reports that the Blues are now willing to sell the England international.
Chelsea coach Mauricio Pochettino appeared to hint that the club wouldn’t sell Gallagher, saying on the weekend: “At the moment, Conor should be an important player who is still with us so that is the feeling now between the club and the player.”
But Chelsea need to balance their books after a year of big spending, while Pochettino is desperate to clear funds to sign a striker.
Spurs star Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg has also been linked with an exit – Manchester United and Atletico Madrid were interested in the off-season – and the Telegraph claims that Manchester City’s virtually-in-exile star Kalvin Phillips will be on Spurs’ radar if Hojbjerg does depart. Meanwhile, reports out of Turkey in October said that Postecoglou personally recommended the signing of Fenerbahce defensive midfielder Ismail Yuksek.
A little further forward in the midfield, James Maddison’s injury has revived the Tottenham career of Giovani Lo Celso in recent weeks, with his creativity and playmaking filling a crucial gap in Postecoglou’s team. But Spurs will have to fend off offers for the technically-gifted Argentine, with recent reports that Barcelona are interested in bringing him to the Camp Nou.
But Spurs could look to Barcelona’s biggest rival for reinforcements. El Nacional in Spain claimed that Spurs are interested in signing Dani Ceballos from Real Madrid, with the former Arsenal loanee having tumbled down the pecking order and hardly being spotted in the team this season.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg could be sold.Source: Getty Images
Son’s absence could be the most damaging of the lot, given the South Korean is very much a talisman in the Tottenham attacking line. Spurs’ forward stocks have been savaged by injuries this campaign. According to multiple reports, Spurs are still looking for another number nine to replace Harry Kane, while a winger has also been touted.
Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano added weight to claims that Feyenoord’s 22-year-old Mexican striker Santiago Gimenez is Spurs’ number one target up front.
Romano told The Debrief: “For January a really interesting proposal is needed. I think it could be around €45m guaranteed package to Feyenoord, I’m not sure it will be easy at the moment.
“He is for sure a player monitored by Tottenham because they are following the Dutch League with big interest after they wanted Arne Slot last summer.
“The relationship with Tottenham and Feyenoord after what happened with Arne Slot last summer has some problems, some small issues, nothing big and serious, but that is also a point to consider.”
Chelsea and Atletico Madrid have also been linked to the player, but TodoFichajes reports that Spurs are in advanced negotiations for his signature.
Postecoglou with Son.Source: AFP
And Sky Sports also claims that Juventus’s Samuel Iling-Junior is Tottenham’s primary target when it comes to a winger.
It could be a busy transfer window for Spurs – but it is always a tricky one, too, with clubs unwilling to lose important players midway through the season.
Postecoglou said it is a ‘challenge’, but he is hoping to bring players through the door as quickly as possible.
He said: “Obviously with where we’re at injury-wise, the players we’re going to miss, we’ve got some significant games in January and signing somebody late in January could mean they haven’t been able to make an impact in those other games.
“We’re pushing hard but you need all parties to agree to that … It is a challenge, I get that, but everyone at the club is working hard to get the best outcomes for us and we’ll see how it goes.”
Given Spurs still have eight players injured plus another two suspended, and with AFCON and the Asian Cup on the horizon, the transfer window can’t come soon enough.
The real question will be just how much Spurs’ thrifty hierarchy backs the Australian manager. After missing out on some key targets in the last transfer window, the Tottenham bigwigs have the chance to make amends – and it could make or break their top-four hopes in the second half of the season.
