Liverpool will win the Premier League title this weekend unless Spurs can win at Anfield for the first time since 2011. And Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou has insisted that he is no longer a fan of the team he is aiming to stop.
"I'm an almost-60-year-old adult. I've gone past my boyhood crushes," he said during his pre-match press conference. "It's got no impact whatsoever. I have great admiration for the football club, and yes, I supported them when I was younger, but that was 50-odd years ago, and I have well and truly moved on since then."
In truth, while Liverpool will be keen to wrap up the league title on its own terms, Tottenham has other priorities. Next Thursday, it will play the first leg of its Europa League semi-final against Bodo/Glimt — the one tournament that could save Spurs' season.
Languishing in the bottom half of the Premier League table above only the bottom three clubs and West Ham, Tottenham has already lost 18 times in 2024-25. Postecoglou could be fired even if he brings home a European trophy.
But the Australian has been impressed with how Liverpool has performed. The Reds have already beaten Spurs twice this season, including knocking them out of the Carabao Cup at the semi-final stage.
"I wouldn't have discounted the possibility [of Liverpool winning the league this year]," Postecoglou said. "[Arne Slot] is an outstanding manager, and he picked up an outstanding team. They've been brilliant in the league this year; really consistent and at a really high level.
"They've had their best players playing all the time and at a really high level, and that's a credit to Arne, his coaching group, and the players themselves. They've been close in the last few years, and the fact that they are on the cusp of winning another title is a credit to everyone involved."
Slot could have been Tottenham boss in another universe. He was approached by Daniel Levy before moving to Liverpool, rejecting the opportunity and remaining with Feyenoord for another season. Postecoglou started quite well with Spurs but things have unraveled somewhat since.