Reuters

LONDON, April 9 (Reuters) - Embattled Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou accused the club's critics of a negative agenda on Wednesday as he prepared for a pivotal game of his second season in charge.

The Australian has come in for fierce criticism this season with Tottenham languishing in the lower reaches of the Premier League, but they could still find Europa League redemption.

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Tottenham host Eintracht Frankfurt in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final on Thursday with many suggesting Postecoglou's future at the club could depend on whether or not he can salvage a poor season by winning the trophy.

The London club prepared for the crucial clash with a 3-1 league victory over bottom club Southampton at the weekend but even after that win, Postecoglou was grilled about Brennan Johnson being denied a hat-trick.

Johnson was keen to take a late penalty with the score 2-1 but it was instead given to Mathys Tel.

"We scored, we won. Delighted. It's incredible. It's the one bit. Literally turning gold into crap when it's Tottenham. If we're 2-1 up and we get a penalty late on, I want our best penalty taker to take it," he told reporters on Wednesday.

"I just think we're in that position now where even the good stuff we do is going to be turned into a glass half-empty rhetoric. The one slight against this club is that it hasn't been a winner. The winners' mentality in the last minute is to score. We scored and somehow, in this alternate universe, everything Tottenham does is negative."

Bundesliga side Frankfurt won the Europa League in 2022, beating Rangers in the final on penalties, and they represent a tough obstacle for Tottenham over two legs.

Tottenham fans have not had much to shout about this season, but Postecoglou hopes the home crowd can help create a raucous atmosphere in their 60,000-seat arena on Thursday, similar to the one Arsenal fans produced against Real Madrid on Tuesday.

"It's hugely important," Postecoglou said. "With every European game, you are watching last night or watching tonight, the atmosphere makes a big impact.

"It's a big part of European football. A lot of teams that have success in Europe are on the back of a really strong home atmosphere. We hope it's the same for us tomorrow."

Tottenham have not won a trophy since the League Cup in 2008 and have not reached a European quarter-final since 2019 when they reached the Champions League final and lost to Liverpool.

Postecoglou said even if he does end that trophy drought, it might not be good enough for some people.

"I just think you can't win the argument of convincing people. Even if we win (the Europa League), I am gone anyway. That's just the general sentiment of the people," he said.

"If you try to use that as a motivation, you are not going to win anyway. It's got to be something more in it for us. For us, what's most important is that we have been through a tough time but we are still in a position to make an impact."

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The south-coast club, who earned promotion to the top-flight last season, have 10 points after 31 games to sit rock bottom and 22 points from the safety zone.

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Relegation has been on the cards for some time as a dire Southampton fell to their 25th league defeat this season.

But they still need two more points to avoid the ignominy of finishing as the worst team in Premier League history - a label that has stuck to the 2007-08 Derby County side who finished the campaign with 11 points.

"We want to get as many points as we can until the end of the season," Southampton goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale told Sky Sports.

"No one wants that record... but we will do what we can to get more points on the board."

Manager Ivan Juric, who took over in December and has overseen only two wins in all competitions, is desperate to ensure he does not go into the history books for the wrong reasons.

"We have to avoid that record, do our best. It cannot happen," the Croatian said.

"We know that we are in a bad situation and today was a certain thing. I cannot say anything bad about the players, it was a really tough year for everyone."

INEVITABLE RELEGATION

Southampton captain Jan Bednarek gave an honest assessment of the team.

"Today is just official but we knew for a few weeks that relegation was coming," he said.

"Hopefully, we can perform better in the last seven games. We want to get more points, I don't think 10 is enough."

Their run of games does not get any easier with Aston Villa, Manchester City and Arsenal to visit St Mary's Stadium before the end of the season.

Despite their abject performances, the travelling support were in full voice at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium, with the players and coach staying back on the pitch to acknowledge the fans.

"It's a difficult day, a tough day. But I see the fans, how they love their players and their team. It's something incredible," Juric added.

"This experience has to serve to create something stronger than this."

Ramsdale, who has suffered relegation before with Bournemouth and Sheffield United, said some Saints players were experiencing it for the first time.

"There will be a lot of emotions from them over the next few days. The lads who have been here before, we have to try and pick the young boys up," he said.

"This group did incredible things last season. Nobody will want to jump ship with seven games to go. We are tight and we have just got to pull each other through now."

LONDON, April 6 (Reuters) - Southampton suffered the earliest-ever relegation in Premier League history when they lost 3-1 at Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, confirming their demotion to the second tier despite having seven games left in the season.

Southampton had needed a victory to stay alive in their fight for survival after 17th-placed Wolverhampton Wanderers moved up to 32 points with Saturday's comeback win at Ipswich Town.

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The south-coast club, who earned promotion to the top flight only last season, have 10 points after 31 games to sit rock bottom and 22 points from the safety zone.

"We knew it was probably going to be inevitable at some point, we haven't been good enough all season... It is a sad day and one that this group of players will learn from," Southampton keeper Aaron Ramsdale told Sky Sports.

"We need wins, points, performances. It has to come to a point where the fans are happy and singing... We have to build some momentum going into the Championship season."

Southampton nearly took the lead 12 minutes in when Tyler Dibling's cross found Kamaldeen Sulemana at the far post but his shot was blocked as it rebounded off the woodwork.

If there was any hope of Saints taking a shock lead, Spurs put that notion to bed a minute later when they went down the other end where Djed Spence's cut-back found Brennan Johnson and he fired his shot into the roof of the net.

FIVE-MINUTE WAIT

Lucas Bergvall thought he had made it 2-0 with a stroke of luck from a set-piece when he stuck out his leg for a loose ball which ended up in the bottom corner, but VAR chalked off the goal for offside after a check that took nearly five minutes.

But Johnson doubled their lead minutes later when James Maddison headed the ball into the box where the Welsh forward slipped the ball past Ramsdale.

Ramsdale, however, denied Spurs several times, saving efforts from Spence and Dominic Solanke to limit the damage but Southampton did not have any luck at the other end until the 90th minute.

A cross from Sulemana found Mateus Fernandes, who expertly chested down the ball before fizzing a shot past Guglielmo Vicario to make it 2-1.

But there would be no late comeback after Welington brought down Johnson in the box, allowing Bayern Munich loanee Mathys Tel to step up and convert the penalty to score his first Premier League goal as Spurs sealed the three points.

The victory moved Spurs to 13th in the standings on 37 points, level with Manchester United who were hosting Manchester City later on Sunday.

"The first half was really good, really pleased. We were a bit sloppy with the ball in the second half," Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou said.

"Stuff to improve on but it is a victory with three goals, so (that is a) positive. We looked threatening every time we went forward in the first half."

Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Alexandra Hudson and Clare Fallon

April 4 (Reuters) - Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou said Sunday’s home game against bottom side Southampton could be the springboard needed for their Europa League quarter-final first leg against Eintracht Frankfurt four days later.

Spurs battered Saints 5-0 in the reverse fixture in December, but their inconsistency has had them slip up against lower-ranked sides, including a 3-2 defeat by Everton and a 2-1 home loss to Leicester City in January.

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With Spurs languishing in 14th in the Premier League standings and European qualification through the league looking unlikely, the Europa League has taken on added importance for the London club.

Winning the Europa League could also help under-pressure Postecoglou's relationship with Spurs supporters, some of whom booed his substitution decisions during their 1-0 loss at Chelsea on Thursday.

"Irrespective of people's feelings right now I don't think there will be a Tottenham supporter out there who doesn't want to win the Europa League. The home game in the Europa League is going to be important," the Australian told reporters on Friday.

"I thought our build-up play (at Stamford Bridge) was really good but final third play could have been cleaner and clinical. Wilson (Odobert) and Dom (Dominic Solanke) have missed a chunk of the season.

"I saw enough to build on that and Sunday is a good opportunity to do that and get to the levels we need for the Europa."

Postecoglou added that his side are in good shape physically, and that defender Micky van de Ven - who was cramping after playing 88 minutes for the first time since returning from injury - should be fine to play on Sunday.

"We need to gain some momentum. We will make a couple of changes but not too many," Postecoglou said when asked if he would rotate the squad against Frankfurt.

The Australian conceded it was a mistake to cup his ear to Spurs fans after Pape Sarr's goal, later disallowed by VAR, having earlier downplayed suggestions he was showing frustration towards the supporters.

"My mistake was celebrating a goal, VAR defeated me, I won't be doing that again," he added.

Reporting by Shifa Jahan in Bengaluru Editing by Christian Radnedge

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LONDON, April 3 (Reuters) - Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca said he could have blown his side's chances of hanging on for a 1-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur on Thursday by making defensive changes for the dying moments, only to realise that a full 12 minutes had been added on.

"We created chances enough in the first half, and then, to be honest, it has been my mistake because I did the change before I saw the extra time," a relieved-looking Maresca told reporters.

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"When I saw 12 minutes, I saw that probably was too early to make that kind of change. But fortunately, we won the game, and we are happy."

With the clock ticking down, and Chelsea ahead through Enzo Fernandez's 50th-minute header, Maresca replaced attacker Cole Palmer and Fernandez with defender Tosin Adarabioyo and midfield anchor Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, packing his back line.

The change allowed Spurs to pour forward in their search for an equaliser during the long period of stoppage time, which came after two long VAR checks in the second half which ruled out goals for both sides.

Maresca was full of praise for the way his players soaked up the pressure to seal the win which gave Chelsea some fresh momentum in their hunt for a top four finish and a place in next season's Champions League.

"If you want to become a team, I think you need also to learn and to play in the way we played in the last 10 minutes: win a game in a dirty way," the Italian said.

Maresca said the return of Senegal striker Nicolas Jackson from injury had given his side more shape, thanks to his incessant pressing of the Spurs defence. "For sure, with Nico we are a different team," the manager added.

Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou said poor defending was to blame for Chelsea's goal and he was critical of how VAR ruled out what he thought was an equaliser when substitute Pape Sarr beat Robert Sanchez with a low drive, only for it to be ruled out for a foul by Sarr moments earlier.

The Australian downplayed suggestions from reporters that he had shown frustration at Spurs fans - some of whom had booed his substitution decisions - by cupping his ear to them when Sarr found the back of the net.

"It's incredible how things get interpreted. We'd just scored. I wanted to hear them cheer. We've been through a tough time and I thought it was a cracking goal. I wanted them to get really excited," he said.

"It doesn't bother me. It's not the first time that they've booed my substitutions. That's fine. They're allowed to do that," said Postecoglou, whose side sit a lowly 14th in the league standings.

LONDON, April 3 (Reuters) - Chelsea beat London rivals Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 on Thursday thanks to a goal by Argentina's Enzo Fernandez, boosting their hopes of a return to the Champions League as they climbed back into fourth place in the Premier League.

Fernandez was left unmarked to head home in the 50th minute from a perfect cross by Cole Palmer on the England forward's return from a brief injury absence, in front of England coach Thomas Tuchel who was at Stamford Bridge.

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Chelsea thought they had a second goal soon after but Moises Caicedo's volley was ruled out after a VAR check for offside.

It was the turn of Spurs to have their celebrations dashed when substitute Pape Sarr's 69th-minute shot from outside the box was ruled out for a foul in the build-up by the Senegalese midfielder.

The win restored Chelsea to the top four, one point clear of Manchester City in fifth and two ahead of Newcastle United in sixth - but with a game in hand - as the race for Champions League qualification heats up.

Spurs - whose miserable run at Stamford Bridge now stands at one win in the league in 40 attempts - stayed in 14th position with their hopes of European competition next season dependent on their ability to win the Europa League.

Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca roared to the heavens and hugged his coaching staff at the final whistle in a visible sign of relief after a patchy run which included a limp 1-0 defeat by Arsenal in his side's last league match.

Spurs, who failed to register a shot on target in the first half for a second match in a row, could have stolen a point in the 89th minute but Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez flung himself across his goal to deny Son Heung-min at the far post.

Spurs supporters voiced their frustration at the club's ownership and at coach Ange Postecoglou who appeared to mock their protests when he cupped his hand to his ear when it seemed Sarr had drawn his side level.

When asked about the negative reaction from the fans to his substitutions, Postecoglou told Talksport: "It’s not the first time. Fans I guess express their opinions. That’s fine and I have to accept it."

Chelsea defender Levi Colwill said the Blues had to dig in to secure the win.

"We need to win games at the end of the day. We're fighting for Champions League. To win games we have to change style sometimes," he told Sky Sports.

April 2 (Reuters) - Tottenham Hotspur's form under Ange Postecoglou has triggered discussions on potential replacements with the club 14th in the Premier League, but the Australian coach said on Wednesday that he is not bothered by discussions about his future.

Spurs have only 34 points after 29 league games and are set to miss out on European football if they do not win the Europa League, where they face Eintracht Frankfurt in the quarter-finals.

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"I don't deal with it, mate. I know what my responsibilities are. I'm sure if the club decide to go in a different direction there's some outstanding candidates out there for it," Postecoglou told reporters ahead of Thursday's game at Chelsea.

"And you know what, maybe someone will think, 'Ah, Ange Postecoglou's not a bad coach, maybe we'll take a punt on him'. So it doesn't rock my world, it doesn't consume me.

"I'm here, I'm passionate about what we're doing. I was brought in to change the way the club plays, rejuvenate the squad, bring success, I'm focussed on that. That's what I'll keep doing."

Spurs have been winless in their last three games and the pressure even led to a heated confrontation between Postecoglou and a fan after they lost their last game before the international break at Fulham.

Chelsea are fourth in the standings and Postecoglou said they are tough to beat at Stamford Bridge, where Enzo Maresca's side have won their last four games.

"They're a talented squad, a good manager. I still think they've had a positive season in terms of what they're trying to build. They've got some real talent, particularly in that attacking third," he said.

"They obviously got hit by injuries as well. They've got some key players who have been missing which affects all clubs and that affected their consistency. But... at their place they're still a tough team to beat."

Postecoglou was also glad to see key defender Cristian Romero play two full games with Argentina in wins over Uruguay and Brazil, a positive sign after the centre back missed three months of action due to injury.

"Delighted if he can get through two games with his international team. It's great for us as he's not played a lot of football," Postecoglou said, adding that it was good to have him and defensive partner Micky van de Ven back together.

"Footballers need to play. Rather than him sitting around for two weeks, he needed games... Especially the Fulham game, by the 70th minute he (Romero) was pretty much cooked in terms of his physical fitness."

LONDON, March 4 (Reuters) - Tottenham Hotspur already have a players' hotel on their training ground but are now installing bat houses and bug hotels at their state-of-the-art complex north of London as part of a commitment to the UN-backed Sports for Nature Framework.

The club is the first in the Premier League to join the scheme which promotes protecting and regenerating nature.

Hundreds of new and semi-mature trees have already been planted at the training complex and wildflower meadows and ponds have been installed. As well, more than 500 bat houses, 25 bug hotels have also been placed around the grounds.

Organic fruit and vegetables, grown at the training ground near Enfield, already end up in the staff canteen.

Last year, Spurs earned the Biodiversity Project of the Year award at the BASIS Sustainable Sport Awards for a Biodiversity Monitoring system -- a first in sport -- which records pollination and bird activity.

"We have long been recognised as the Premier League's greenest club for the work we have done to minimise carbon emissions across our operations - it is now time for us to make a firm commitment to nature and protecting the ecosystems we cannot live without," Donna-Maria Cullen, Tottenham's Executive Director, said in a statement.

"Becoming the first signatory in the Premier League of the Sports for Nature Framework means we can now demonstrate clear action across all three pillars of the UN's definition of sustainability set out at COP29 -- People, Climate and Nature."

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