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Sports broadcaster Faye Carruthers believes Ange Postecoglou is getting ‘really spiky and a little bit disrespectful to reporters’ as pressure mounts on the Tottenham boss.

Postecoglou is under immense pressure at Spurs following a dismal run which has seen the north London club slip to 12th in the Premier League, 12 points outside the Champions League places.

Tottenham emerged as surprise title contenders at the start of last season but have suffered a major dip since then and lost half of their Premier League games so far this season.

Spurs’ latest defeat came at the hands of in-form Newcastle United on Saturday and Postecoglou gave a series of bizarre interviews after the 2-1 loss.

In one interview with BBC Sport, the Australian used a version of the phrase ‘if all things were equal’ nine times.

‘On the balance of play – any balance you want – with all things being equal, we would have won,’ the former Celtic manager said.

‘We were outstanding. I couldn’t be prouder of the players. I couldn’t ask any more. It is a game that we would have won if all things were equal.

‘If all things were equal and balanced, we would have won. Things weren’t equal and balanced.’

Carruthers believes Postecoglou is ‘starting to unravel’ in front of the media and has spoken out on her awkward exchange with the Tottenham boss in which he accused her of ‘putting words in his mouth’.

‘He’s started to unravel a bit in terms of his post-match [interviews],’ she told ex-Arsenal and England goalkeeper David Seaman on the Seaman Says podcast, sponsored by Betway.

‘Pre-match [before the Nottingham Forest game], I had a lovely chat with him and he’s so polite and really engaging, which everybody says. He was really lovely, very respectful, very nice.

‘But post-match, it started fine but he accused me of putting words in his mouth, which I hadn’t. I’d just interpreted what he’d said in terms of the energy levels.

‘It’s really difficult, I’m trying to give him an opportunity to explain the positives because actually I thought they’d played really well against Forest.

‘It was a much tighter game and they played better than they had done for a while. But ultimately they lost.

‘The post-match interviews that he gave to more than one outlet after the game against Newcastle were really spiky and a little bit disrespectful to reporters, which he has been on other occasions before as well.

‘It’s really difficult doing post-match interviews. It’s a skill because you’re listening to every word, you’re picking up on the context of things and you’re trying to be polite.

‘He just would not answer because in the past he has said he won’t criticise referees, but he’s clearly fuming.

‘But instead of just saying “we should have had a penalty”, he just kept repeating “it wasn’t an equal playing field”.

‘But he did it in all his interviews. He was pushed because people want to hear his opinion, not a reporter’s opinion. But he would not elaborate on it.

‘I think he wants to make sure he’s being respectful to referees, but then why say it wasn’t an equal playing field because it just opens it up for other people.

‘The reason I get annoyed with people calling him “Ange” or “Big Ange” is because he’s not your mate.

‘But having interviewed him once, I don’t think he is arrogant. I just think he’s under an incredible amount of pressure and that things aren’t going his way this season.’

During the pair’s tense exchange on Amazon Prime after Tottenham’s Boxing Day defeat to Forest, Postecoglou said: ‘It was a tight game, there was not much in it.

‘With the way Forest set up it was never going to be too open or too many chances. We had a couple of good chances to get our goal, they got theirs and there was not much between but they got on top.’

Carruthers then said: ‘When we spoke pre-match you mentioned energy and that the players were struggling with that and it felt it as chances went begging.’

But the Spurs boss snapped back: ‘I didn’t say we were struggling with energy, you’re putting words in my mouth. I said we needed energy. We weren’t struggling with it.

‘But it was a tight game, we had some good chances, they didn’t have too many themselves but they got the goal.

‘We tried hard to claw it back but we couldn’t. It was a tight game, but we lost so we’ve got to take the disappointment of that.’

Despite their dismal run, Tottenham have been determined to stick by Postecoglou and give him a chance to send the club into the Carabao Cup final.

Spurs face Liverpool in a two-legged semi-final, with the first match taking place in north London on Wednesday night.

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Ange Postecoglou faces another demoralising defeat when Tottenham entertain Liverpool in their Carabao Cup semi-final, first leg.

Spurs have just taken one point from their last four Premier League games which includes a hefty 6-3 defeat on home soil by the table-toppers from Anfield.

The pressure is on Big Ange to get results to move the fallen giants up the league ladder as they currently languish in 12th , but his job appears to be secure for the time being as Tottenham are still involved in the chase for Europa League silverware and Sunday’s FA Cup trip to non-league Tamworth is surely a routine exercise even for a squad blighted by injuries.

Suggestions the Australian could be dismissed appear wide of the mark with a dozen first-team regulars receiving treatment for injuries meaning that even if he was replaced his successor would be handcuffed by the same lack of options.

New recruits to boost numbers have already started to arrive in N17 with goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky signed from Czech leaders Slavia Prague and if further additions are made to the squad and key personnel return from their absences then Postecoglou could still back up his bold boast of winning silverware in his second season in charge of every club he has managed.

To his credit, Tottenham have reached the semi-finals of this competition the hard way by beating both Manchester City and Manchester United, and they have reached the final of the League Cup in its various guises three times since winning it in 2008.

But Liverpool are a cut above the rest despite being held to a 2-2 draw at home to Manchester United on Sunday and they can make multiple changes and still field a strong side ahead of their FA Cup jolly against Accrington Stanley at the weekend.

Their only defeat of the season in all competitions was at home to surprise package Nottingham Forest, who they meet next week at the City Ground, and the Reds should prevail again at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium where Diogo Jota is likely to be given a start, making him interesting at 13/2 to break the deadlock with Paddy Power and 31/20 with Unibet to score at any time.

Tottenham will field as strong a side as possible and captain Heung-min Son is 5/2 with Sky Bet to score for the hosts.

Over 4.5 goals is 17/10 with Unibet and a 3-2 Liverpool win is 14/1 with William Hill, bet365 and BoyleSports.

• Nottingham Forest have fared well above expectations in the Premier League and could go a long way in the FA Cup if manager Nuno Espírito Santo shows ambition and a desire to win silverware.

Back Forest, who host Luton in the the third round, each-way at a whopping 40/1 with bet365, BoyleSports and Sky Bet to lift the trophy at Wembley in May.

• One Big Bang, second in heavy conditions at Newton Abbot at the end of October, will handle the equally testing conditions in the Pertemps Network Handicap Hurdle at Warwick on Saturday and is 6/1 with Paddy Power, Sky Bet and Betfair to be first past the post.

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Manchester United and Tottenham are at the front of the queue to wrap up a loan deal for Paris Saint-Germain forward Randal Kolo Muani.

Kolo Muani has struggled to nail down regular minutes under PSG boss Luis Enrique following a high-profile €80million (£66.5m) transfer from Bundesliga outfit Eintracht Frankfurt in 2023.

The 26-year-old is tied into a contract in the French capital under 2028, but speculation has been mounting that he could be on the move before the January deadline.

Elite clubs from around Europe have been alerted to Kolo Muani’s situation, with both Arsenal and Chelsea heavily linked with the France international in recent weeks.

But according to The Athletic’s David Ornstein, United, Spurs and Serie A giants Juventus have asserted themselves as the ‘leading contenders’ to wrap up a loan deal for Kolo Muani.

It’s suggested that a temporary move should benefit all parties this month, with PSG keen for Kolo Muani to regain his confidence by playing on a consistent basis elsewhere.

The likes of Ousmane Dembele, Bradley Barcola and Desire Doue are currently blocking Kolo Muani’s path to Enrique’s starting XI.

The report claims both Premier League clubs are ‘actively exploring’ a loan agreement and Kolo Muani’s camp are well aware of the interest.

Kolo Muani has been limited to only two starts in the French top flight this season, notching two goals and managing just one assist.

The out-of-favour PSG attacker has been a regular in Didier Deschamps’ France squads in recent years, featuring at both the 2022 World Cup and last year’s European Championship in Germany.

Speaking to Telefoot in November, Kolo Muani made it clear he was unhappy with his lack of playing time and vowed to fight for his place under Enrique.

‘You have to keep your mental strength up, it’s up to me to continue working so that the coach trusts me. It’s part of my history. I’ve always worked, I’ve never had things easy,’ he said.

‘I have to work harder, make an impression when he calls on me. It’s up to me to give my all so that he trusts me.’

Asked whether leaving PSG had crossed his mind, Kolo Muani replied: ‘No, I never tried to think about that

‘I have to continue to work, show what I can do and give my all. I must not give up. If you give up, it’s over, you sink.’

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Anthony Gordon has suffered no lasting problems after a ‘nasty-looking’ cut during Newcastle’s win at Tottenham on Saturday.

The England international was felled by Dejan Kulusevski in the Premier League clash at the weekend, with the Swede’s shoulder causing damage to his face.

Gordon managed to continue the game and Howe does not expect him to be out of action when Newcastle go to Arsenal on Tuesday night in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final.

Howe does think the collision should have resulted in a penalty kick for his side, not that it proved important as the Magpies won 2-1 at Spurs.

‘Anthony was in a bit of discomfort with the cut which was a nasty-looking one,’ Howe told a press conference on Monday. ‘Looking back at the decision, I thought it was a foul, a clear penalty.

‘He came away from the incident with blood on himself. We dusted him down, he went back on the pitch and performed really well for us, I thought he had a really good game.’

Sven Botman returned to the starting XI against Spurs after a lengthy period on the sidelines with a knee injury, not playing in the first team since March 2024.

Howe was impressed with the defender’s return and said tiredness was the only reaction to his return after such a long spell out.

‘He feels good,’ said the manager of the Dutchman. ‘Naturally a little bit of fatigue at the end of the game.

‘With Sven, yes it was a long absence but he’s trained for a long, long time for this moment. From the Aston Villa game onwards he was cleared to play but we wanted to give him longer to try and reach his best physical levels.

‘It’s not like he’s been rushed back, but straight into action, did very well, really pleased with him. I think regardless of how you train, the Premier League is very different from anything else, you can’t really prepare for that intensity but he handled it really well.’

Newcastle will be without Bruno Guimaraes and Fabian Schar against Arsenal on Tuesday, with the former a particular loss.

‘It’s a big blow,’ said Howe. ‘One of Bruno’s biggest strengths is that he is always there for you. His appearance record has been brilliant for us, especially when you consider the physical exertion he commits to us.

‘He’s going to be a big miss. We have big players who can fill his shoes.’

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Ibrahima Konate returned to the Liverpool starting XI against Manchester United on Sunday but Arne Slot does not expect him to be ready to play again on Wednesday.

The French defender had been out of action since late November with a knee injury but was back in the team for the visit of the Red Devils.

It was a surprisingly busy game for the centre-back as Manchester United impressed in a 2-2 draw at Anfield.

The Reds are back in action on Wednesday in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final against Tottenham in north London and Slot says Konate is unlikely to be risked so quickly after returning to fitness.

The Dutchman was asked why the 25-year-old was straight back in the starting line-up at the weekend and said: ‘Because he was fit.

‘If he wouldn’t [have been] then we wouldn’t have started him, then he doesn’t train with us. The moment he starts to train with the team he is fit again.

‘It is not to say that he can immediately play two games a week, but he can definitely play 90 minutes, like he showed today. Like you saw, except for the first game when I chose [Jarell] Quansah, all the other games when Ibou was fit he started, so that’s the answer I think to your question. The moment he is fit, he can start.

‘But if you have been out for such a long time it’s difficult to immediately play then two games a week, so it must not come as a surprise if he doesn’t play on Wednesday. But he played today for 90 minutes and I think he showed in that 90 minutes that he was ready to play.’

Liverpool are a bit short at centre-back with Konate still getting back up to pace and Joe Gomez out for a number of weeks with a hamstring injury he picked up against West Ham at the end of December.

The England international is Slot’s only serious fitness concern, though, as Dominik Szoboszlai missed the draw with Manchester United through illness but will not be sidelined for long.

The Reds have back-to-back cup matches as they got to Spurs on Wednesday and then host Accrington Stanley in the FA Cup on Saturday.

Slot’s side return to Premier League action when they host Nottingham Forest on Tuesday 14 January.

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Fans have spotted the moment Wolves star Hwang Hee-chan helped goalkeeper Jose Sa save a penalty from Tottenham’s Son Heung-min.

The incredible incident occurred during the 2-2 Premier League draw between the two sides at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday.

Hwang opened the scoring for Wolves – and after Spurs took the lead via Rodrigo Bentancur and Brennan Johnson – Jorgen Strand Larsen equalised in the 87th minute to secure Vitor Pereira’s side a valuable point.

The result could’ve turned out differently had Hwang not pointed out to Sa exactly which way Son was going to shoot from his 43rd-minute penalty.

Eagled-eyed football supporters saw Hwang, from a distance, pointing for Sa to dive to his right, despite Spurs defender Radu Dragusin trying to get in front of the South Korean to block him from the goalkeeper’s view.

Portuguese goalkeeper Sa took the advice and it paid off as he made a save to his right to deny Son, who plays with Hwang at international level.

The incident has gone viral on social media with one football fan, Reddit user @coldnorth11, joking that ‘Hwang can probably never step foot on Korean soil again’.

‘Greatest betrayal since Judas,’ a second football fan, @Affectionate-Car-145, posted on Reddit.

‘Hwang will be invited to the next real life Squid Game,’ @Big-Bad-5405 added, making reference to the popular Korean TV show on Netflix.

@Visual_Fox5292 said: ‘I’m guessing Son won’t be letting Hwang take a penalty for South Korea anymore.

‘If I remember correctly, Hwang asked Son to take the penalty goal kick in the semi final of the Asian games not long ago.’

A fifth football supporter, @justk4y, pointed out that the ‘next national team training is gonna be interesting’.

Wolves are back in action on Monday when they host Nottingham Forest at Molineux.

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Wolves manager Vitor Pereira is hopeful that Matheus Cunha’s injury is not serious after the forward was subbed off at half-time against Tottenham.

Jorgen Strand Larsen scored a late equaliser as Wolves rescued a 2-2 away draw against Spurs to continue their impressive start under Pereira.

The Midlands club are now unbeaten in their last three games and and two points clear of the bottom three.

But there was some concern for Wolves on Sunday when Cunha was withdrawn at half-time in north London having picked up a knock in the first half.

The Brazillian has been the club’s shining light so far this season having nothched up ten goals and four assists in 19 Premier League games.

Wolves face a tricky fixture at home to in-form Nottingham Forest next Monday, but Pereira was hopeful that Cunha will have recovered physically to play his part having requested to come off at the weekend.

‘Cunha at half-time spoke with me and told me, ‘Coach I felt something during the first half and now I’m afraid to speed up. When I need to speed up or I need to make a sprint, I don’t feel confident for this. It’s better to stay out of the game’,’ the Wolves boss said after the game on Sunday.

‘He told me, and I respect that. I think it’s not serious.’

While the injury may not be too serious, the 25-year-old still faces the threat of a ban after he was charged with misconduct by the Football Association last week for his part in the bust-up after Wolves’ 2-1 defeat at home to Ipswich on December 14.

The incident occurred shortly after the full-time whistle as Cunha was seen pushing the Ipswich Town staff member in the face, which knocked off his glasses.

Despite being charged, Cunha has still been eligible to play in Wolves’ last three games while an outcome is considered by the FA.

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Speaking before their clash with Tottenham Pereira indicated that the club are expecting Cunha to receive a suspension.

‘We are trying to prepare other players because when it happens we must be ready with other players,’ the Wolves boss said.

‘They are working, they are doing good work, they are trying to understand the idea, the intention of what we want, with and without the ball, waiting for an opportunity.’

Wolves also face the possibility of losing Cunha in the transfer window, with Arsenal and Manchester United two clubs credited with interest in the in-form striker.

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James Maddison has clapped back at a fan who criticised him for attending the World Darts Championship just hours after Tottenham’s frustrating draw with Wolves.

Maddison was a second-half substitute in north London on Sunday as Jorgen Strand Larsen’s late equaliser saw Wolves hold Spurs to a 2-2 draw.

The result stretches Tottenham’s winless run to three games and piles further pressure on Ange Postecoglou who are bereft of confidence and fit players.

Spurs fans booed their team off at full-time, and Maddison caught the ire of some again later that evening when he and teammate Brennan Johnson were spotted at Ally Pally watching the darts.

The English midfielder is known for his love of the sport, often performing a darts-themed celebration when he scores, but some fans were clearly not pleased at seeing their players out and smiling after a disappointing result.

Replying under a post of the England midfielder on the PDC’s Instagram account, one fan wrote: ‘U taking the p***? The form were(sic) in and U go to the darts?? Unacceptable.’

But Maddison was not a fan of the criticism and hit back at the fan, responding: ‘Shut up u wally’, along with a laughing emoji.

After a hectic Christmas period, Maddison and his Spurs teammates are set to be given a few days off to reset ahead of more key fixtures.

‘This is the first week where we don’t have a midweek game, so I think the whole group probably needs a couple of days just to get away from everything and recover,’ Postecoglou confirmed after Sunday’s draw.

‘It’ll do them good to have a couple of days to themselves with their families and give them a chance to recover mentally as much as physically.

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Tottenham host Newcastle first up in the New Year before their Carabao Cup semi-final first leg against Liverpool.

Spurs continue to struggle with plenty of injuries as the likes of Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero, Gugliemo Vicario, Ben Davies and Richarlison all missed the clash with Wolves.

And their issues worsened on Sunday when Destiny Udogie appeared to pick up a hamstring injury and was forced out of the game early in the second half.

‘Yeah, I think it was a hamstring,’ said the manager. ‘Again like I said, we’ve been relying on a core group of players because we just haven’t had the ability to rotate so at some point it was going to catch up with us. Unfortunately it caught up with Destiny.’

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Ange Postecoglou says he will ‘look for help’ to improve Tottenham’s form after a disappointing 2-2 draw at home to Wolves on Sunday afternoon.

The visitors had taken the lead but Spurs bounced back and looked to be heading for a much-needed win after back-to-back league defeats.

However, Jorgen Strand-Larsen scored a late equaliser to delight the travelling fans and infuriate the Tottenham faithful in north London.

Spurs sit 11th in the Premier League table after the draw, with just seven wins from 19 games and the pressure is starting to really build on Postecoglou.

The Australian is currently the favourite to be the next Premier League manager to lose their job, with a two-legged Carabao Cup semi-final with Liverpool reportedly crucial to his prospects.

He reiterated after the draw with Wolves that he is dealing with a number of injury concerns and thinks a short break over New Year will help his players.

However, he also says he must seek help to turn things around, although it is not clear how he intends to do that.

‘We’re asking a lot of a small core group of players,’ said the Spurs boss. ‘The whole group probably needs a couple of days to get away and recover.

‘It has been really intense for a core group of players. It will do them good to go away with their families to recover with their families mentally as much as physically.

‘I’ll just keep going, mate. We’ve got work to do and try to get some help for these players and our role is to try and give them everything we can, the support we can to perform at their best.’

It was an especially frustrating day out as Son Heung-min missed from the penalty spot, with Postecoglou adding: ‘It’s a disappointing outcome. Obviously we went a goal down but after that I felt we controlled the game. It wasn’t easy always to get openings but we did look pretty threatening every time we did get forward.

‘We scored a couple of goals, we obviously missed the penalty and then second half, I just thought we had some really big moments to kill the game off.’

Spurs are indeed struggling with plenty of injuries as the likes of Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero, Gugliemo Vicario, Ben Davies and Richarlison all missed the clash with Wolves.

Concerningly, Destiny Udogie also appeared to pick up a hamstring injury and was forced out of the game early in the second half.

‘Yeah, I think it was a hamstring,’ said the manager. ‘Again like I said, we’ve been relying on a core group of players because we just haven’t had the ability to rotate so at some point it was going to catch up with us. Unfortunately it caught up with Destiny.’

Tottenham are back in action at home to Newcastle on 4 January before the first leg against Liverpool four days later in north London.

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Ange Postecoglou’s position at Tottenham is no longer secure with the club to consider his future if they lose the Carabao Cup semi-final against Liverpool.

Spurs have failed to build on their good first season under Postecoglou, struggling to turn their entertaining performances into positive results.

Though only Liverpool have scored more goals in the Premier League, Tottenham currently sit 12th in the table, 11 points off the top-four.

They’ve won just three of their last 12 games across all competitions and lost four of their last five league matches, including 6-3 to Liverpool and 4-3 to Chelsea, both at home.

As such, Postecoglou now leads the Premier League sack race ahead of West Ham’s Julen Lopetegui and Everton boss Sean Dyche.

It was previously said that Tottenham’s hierarchy were fully backing the Australian manager, and the Daily Mail now report that his position is still safe for now, in part because of the performances in other competitions.

Spurs are through to the Carabao Cup semi-finals, where they’ll take on the Reds over two legs and are well-placed to qualify for the Europa League last-16 providing they beat Hoffenheim and Elfsborg next month.

Additionally, the Lilywhites will begin their FA Cup campaign with a highly favourable draw against Non-League side Tamworth.

Postecoglou has a reputation for winning silverware in his second season with a team, and Tottenham chiefs are hopeful that streak continues as the club look to end their trophy drought which stretches back to 2008.

As such, the Mail’s report adds that failure to reach the Carabao Cup final could severely impact the 59-year-old’s future in north London, especially if their league form does not improve.

It is acknowledged that injuries are contributing massively to Tottenham’s poor form, with no centre-back’s available for Sunday’s game against Wolves.

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‘We’re in a tough spot and have been for a while,’ Postecoglou said in his pre-match press conference.

‘We’ve been getting through it for quite a while now and keeping fingers crossed that we don’t get more issues but the nature of football and fixture scheduling we’ve had means we’ve always been on a fine line of being able to get through.

‘It’s another test for us but whatever we need to deal with, we’ll deal with and get ready for Sunday.’

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