Ange Postecoglou has been warned he could only have one game left to spare himself from the sack with one former Tottenham star fearing Daniel Levy could hold a meeting to sack the struggling Aussie as soon as next week.
The 59-year-old was somewhat unfortunate not to lead Tottenham back into the Champions League after they finished fifth and narrowly missed out to Aston Villa. This season, though, has been a thoroughly different situation and a dour run of results has seen Spurs lose seven of their last 13 matches in all competitions – including Thursday’s humiliating 4-0 routing to Liverpool in the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg.
That defeat, which saw Spurs fail to register a single shot on target on the opposition’s goal, has seen the pressure piled back on Postecoglou, who has faced of questions over his future this season.
And with the club way out of this season’s UCL race – Tottenham are currently 14th in the Premier League and nearer the bottom three (10 points clear) than they are the top four (16 points adrift) – pressure has been firmly placed on their ability to win a cup instead.
However, with the League Cup avenue having been shut down, extra emphasis will now be placed on the FA Cup, though a tricky trip to take on Aston Villa in the fourth round on Sunday is far from the easiest of assignments.
Should Spurs lose, former player Paul Robinson fears the club will meet to discuss the Aussie’s future.
“I think they’ll be having that conversation on Monday,” Robinson told Tottenham News. “Spurs have a very difficult game against Aston Villa and a week is a long time in football. How they played against Liverpool was extremely disappointing – they were tactically inept again.
“It was one of the poorest performances I’ve seen. It’s disappointing in a semi-final not to have a shot on target, which a lot was made from. But I didn’t expect them to get a result against Liverpool.
“I’ve always said that the thing keeping Ange in the job was the first 10 games at the start of last season, which a lot of people are hanging their hats on, the fact they’re in all the cups and how well they’re doing in the Europa League.
“But this week, they’re out of the EFL Cup, and they could be out of the FA Cup on Sunday if they play like they did against Liverpool. The conversation about Ange’s future really starts to heat up next week. They’ve got no chance of getting Champions League football.”
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Robinson feels it is only their decent run of form in the Europa League that has kept Postecoglou in his job so far and feels this season has been nothing short of a disaster.
“If they get knocked out of the FA Cup, take away the Europa League, and this season has been terrible. A week is a long time in football so I hope the conversation is different after a resounding win against Aston Villa.
“It’s not only season-defining but the pressure is going to mount on Postecoglou even more.”
Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher has also been critical of Postecoglou, though feels he was let down by his players on Thursday night as they once again failed to perform in big games.
The Liverpool legend said: “Ange Postecoglou is a manager who is just trying to find something – and what he’s trying is not working.
“It was never in doubt before the game. It’s Tottenham. When did Tottenham ever win a big game? When did Tottenham ever go anywhere and surprise you and win against the odds?
“Whenever Tottenham go into a big game they never believe that they are going to win. Not one of those Tottenham fans tonight would have believed.
“When I look at those three Spurs midfield players, I thought they were a disgrace no matter who the manager is.”
Despite the growing criticism, our sources have previously insisted that no decision on the former Celtic boss’ future will be made mid-season, though a review of his performances will be held once the current campaign is over.
Having chopped and changed several managers on a frequent basis since dispensing of Mauricio Pochettino’s services in the autumn of 2019, Levy knows he cannot afford to axe another manager mid-season, fearing such an act would reflect badly on him and his judgement.
There is also a strong element of sympathy from the Spurs board at the injury crisis Postecoglou has faced this season, feeling it is unfair to judge the manager against the lack of options he has had at his disposal over the majority of the season.
Whether that stance has changed in the wake of Thursday’s loss – or could do if they suffered the same fate at Villa Park – remains to be seen.
But either way, Postecoglou needs some positive results – and probably a trophy win – to keep the wolves from his door.
Latest Tottenham news: Kevin Danso’s response; Mathys Tel claims
Despite the pressure building on the manager, one of his most recent signings, defender Kevin Danso, has offered some words of encouragement for the Tottenham faithful, offering a 64-word response to their Carabao Cup mauling and in response to strong criticism from former midfielder Jamie O’Hara.
Meanwhile, the loss on Thursday has also provoked some worrying reports to emerge over the future of Mathys Tel.
Spurs won the race to sign the Bayern Munich forward before the transfer window closed earlier this week, the player handed an immediate debut in that loss at Anfield.
Now, though, it is claimed that Tel wants to use his short time with Spurs as a platform to help him secure a move to one of their Premier League rivals.
Elsewhere, our Tottenham expert has run the rule over SEVEN players fighting for their futures at N17 in the wake of the frenzied sack speculation mounting on Postecoglou’s head.