Football.London

Ange Postecoglou has made five changes to his Tottenham team to take on Manchester City in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup. Facing Pep Guardiola's side in the same round of the FA Cup back in January, Spurs are going to have to be at their very best on Wednesday evening if they are to progress to the round five and keep their silverware hopes alive.

Not only that, the Lilywhites need to deliver a big performance after such a disappointing showing in Sunday's 1-0 defeat away at Crystal Palace. Postecoglou has made wholesale changes in his two other Carabao Cup games as Spurs head coach and he has once again made some alterations, although not quite to the extent he did at Fulham in August 2023 or at Coventry City last month.

Guglielmo Vicario starts in goal, with Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven joined in the backline by Archie Gray and Radu Dragusin. With Destiny Udogie dropping to the bench, Van de Ven gets the nod at left-back.

In midfield, Pape Matar Sarr and Rodrigo Bentancur come in alongside Dejan Kulusevski in midfield. Brennan Johnson, Dominic Solanke and Timo Werner then make up the front three.

Speaking to the media in his pre-match press conference at Hotspur Way on Tuesday afternoon, Postecoglou knows his side are going to be in for a very tough game regardless of who Guardiola selects in his XI.

"I think it's fair to say most clubs rotate through the Carabao Cup, but you just have to look at Man City's record in this competition and and they are a fantastic football club," he said. "They have had success for a very long time and sometimes people take that for granted because it's City, but it's very difficult in this league and in this country to maintain that excellence over the time they have.

"They do that because irrespective of who they play, there is a level of performance they continually deliver whether they've rotated the team or not, or whatever the competition. And very few competitions they drop out of at an early stage."

Here is the Tottenham team Postecoglou has selected to take on Man City:

Tottenham XI: Vicario; Gray, Romero, Dragusin, Van de Ven; Sarr, Bentancur, Kulusevski; Johnson, Solanke, Werner.

Substitutes: Forster, Porro, Davies, Udogie, Bissouma, Bergvall, Maddison, Moore, Richarlison.

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The draw for the Carabao Cup quarter-final will take place on Wednesday evening and there are still plenty of top teams involved in the competition.

Arsenal, Chelsea, Man City, Man Utd, Liverpool and Tottenham are among the sides hoping to progress when they play their matches on Wednesday. On Tuesday, Southampton and Brentford booked their place into the next round after beating Stoke City and Sheffield Wednesday respectively.

It was a night to remember for Russell Martin as his Saints side scored three goals at St. Mary's Stadium, while the Bees had to rely on penalties to progress past their Championship opponents.

With there being no restrictions whatsoever in the quarter-final draw, we are sure to get some big ties when the draw is made right after Tottenham's clash with Manchester City. The quarter-final ties are scheduled to be played on the week commencing December 16, with the final pencilled in for Sunday, March 16.

The Carabao Cup fourth round concludes this evening with Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham, Manchester City and holders Liverpool among the teams battling it out for a quarter-final spot. All three London clubs beat lower league opposition in the previous round and now face varying tasks.

For the Gunners, a trip to Championship side Preston North End awaits while Chelsea are also on their travels as they take on Newcastle at St James' Park. Spurs meanwhile, face a significant challenge as they take on Manchester City, who have won the competition five times in the last nine years, at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Elsewhere, three all-Premier League ties are also scheduled with Aston Villa hosting Crystal Palace, Leicester making the trip to managerless Manchester United and Brighton welcoming Liverpool. Brentford and Southampton have both already earnt a spot in the quarter-final after winning their fourth round games on Tuesday.

The Bees needed penalties to beat Sheffield Wednesday as their clash ended 1-1 after Djeidi Gassama cancelled out Kevin Schade's opener. Southampton meanwhile, just avoided embarrassment after initially surrendering a two-goal lead to Stoke with James Bree netting the winner.

Had he missed that opportunity, a penalty shoot-out would have likely followed as it did just 72 miles away in west London. As is the case throughout the Carabao Cup, except in the semi-final and final, if a game ends level following the conclusion of 90 minutes, penalties will follow immediately.

In the first few round of the competition, extra time is not used but as evidenced by last season's final at Wembley, that is not always the case. Just before the 120th minute, Virgil van Dijk scored a bullet header to win the trophy for Liverpool against Chelsea at Wembley Stadium.

No Video Assistant Referee will be in operation during the Carabao Cup round of 16. Southampton and Brentford booked themselves in the quarter-finals on Tuesday evening, defeating Stoke City and Sheffield Wednesday, respectively.

On Wednesday night, Brighton host Liverpool in the early kick-off. Then, Arsenal face Preston North End, Manchester United play Leicester City, Chelsea clash Newcastle, Aston Villa battle Crystal Palace before, in the later tie, Tottenham Hotspur lock horns with Manchester City.

Due to competition rules, VAR will not be in operation in this round, throwing the on-field match officials under the spotlight. The technology was introduced ahead of the 2018/19 campaign as part of testing for its eventual introduction in the Premier League the following season.

In that term, it was used in every round of the tournament. But, from 2019/20, the English Football League decided to ditch VAR before the semi-final due to the system only being available at English top-flight venues, meaning no team had an unfair advantage.

So, the technology will only be made available during the Carabao Cup in the semi-finals, as well as the final at Wembley Stadium. Despite many Championship stadiums installing VAR since, the rules remains in place.

This has led to outbursts from Premier League managers, who have questioned its absence in ties between teams who have the system installed. In December 2022, Jurgen Klopp complained that VAR should have been used in Liverpool's defeat to Manchester City in the fourth-round.

"The first chance of Haaland, at the start of the game, was offside," Klopp said after the game. "You don't know? Yes it was. I tell you. That gives the game direction. It was like, bump, 'oh my god, they are through', it was offside, but no flag up, and it gives you a bad feeling.

"I would say if we had VAR, the referees are used to VAR, and all of a sudden you tell them not today. It looked like in a couple of situations they were waiting for it, or thinking there was still VAR.

"But there were a couple of offside decisions, where everyone in the stadium was convinced they were offside. We'll never know probably because we can't play them back.

"But it makes sense if you play a competition and everywhere is VAR [Premier League], why not, especially in a game like this. I understand in earlier rounds it's not possible on all levels, but this, City-Liverpool, all the technical things are here, so why shouldn't we use it?"

Then, earlier this season, Andoni Iraola claimed the absence of VAR cost Bournemouth a place in the third-round after West Ham's late winner appeared to come off Jarrod Bowen’s elbow. The Cherries boss said: "When you think it’s impossible something else happens, OK, but it has happened again.

"It’s even more clear. I don’t know what to say. We are not making these mistakes but we are suffering the consequences, and we are out of the competition because of a mistake.

"I don’t know what we have to do to change something but obviously it’s costing us a lot. We haven’t won on Sunday because of VAR and we are out of the cup because there is no VAR."

Antonio Conte has reflected on his time at Tottenham, insisting he got the "maximum possible" from the squad during his tenure.

The Italian tactician, who departed Spurs after a stint of nearly 18 months, highlighted the team's ascent to Champions League qualification under his guidance despite taking over when they were ninth in the table. He acknowledged the high expectations and the challenges he faced, including working with stars like Harry Kane and Son Heung-min, while also hinting at the limitations he encountered.

Conte, speaking to DAZN, said: "I realise there are expectations, but if you go where there are difficulties... I think Tottenham did incredibly well, because they were ninth when I arrived and we got into the Champions League.

"The two years after I left, which was for personal reasons, they did not qualify for the Champions League. I think I achieved a lot there too.

"If people ask me for miracles, then I can speed them up and get the best out of the squad, but that doesn't necessarily mean we can win. I think I got the maximum possible out of that Tottenham side."

In the dramatic final acts of his tenure, Conte’s frustrations boiled over as Tottenham Hotspur crashed out to Sheffield United in the FA Cup and squandered a two-goal cushion against Southampton in a 3-3 draw. Conte famously lashed out at the club's infrastructure, singling out chairman Daniel Levy and the prevailing culture at Spurs.

The Italian's fiery comments left the club with little choice but to part ways. He remarked: "They don't play for something important. They don't want to play under pressure, they don't want to play under stress.

"It is easy in this way. Tottenham's story is this, 20 years there is the owner and they never won something but why? The fault is only for the club, or for every manager that stay here. I have seen the managers that Tottenham had on the bench."

Now steering the ship at Napoli, who sit at the top of Serie A, Conte reflects on the team’s progress since their championship win two years ago followed by a dip to a 10th place finish last season, indicating that their current form may be exceeding expectations.

Tottenham versus Manchester City is one of the most exciting fixtures in the football calendar, and the two go head to head in the Carabao Cup Round of 16.

Spurs and Man City have produced some classics over the years, though results haven't fallen in Spurs' favour in recent times, with Ange Postecoglou's side winless in their last three meetings across all competitions. City put an end to their torrid record at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last season, but the Lilywhites will be looking to get back to winning ways and book their spot in the next round of the Carabao Cup later tonight.

A poor showing saw Spurs lose 1-0 to Crystal Palace on the weekend, leaving Postecoglou's side eighth in the Premier League table. Heung-Min Son is expected to miss out once again for the clash against City, though Pep Guardiola's side are dealing with a host of injury problems of their own.

So, can Spurs book their spot in the next round of the Carabao Cup? Let's take a look.

We simulated Tottenham vs Man City to get a score prediction

To complete this simulation, we used EA FC 25 and updated the squads with the latest injuries and suspensions.

We predict that Tottenham could line up in a 4-3-3 formation, with their starting XI as follows: Vicario; Porro, Dragusin, Van de Ven, Spence; Bentancur, Sarr, Kulusevski; Johnson, Solanke, Werner.

We predict that City could set up in a 4-1-4-1 formation, with their line-up as follows: Ortega; Lewis, Stones, Akanji, Ake; O'Reilly; Savio, McAtee, Gundogan, Nunes; Foden.

Spurs thought they had taken the lead after seven minutes when Timo Werner's driven shot rebounded off the near post and into the net off the back of Stefan Ortega, but the flag was raised, with the German being called offside. Moments later, City also had the ball in the back of the net when Phil Foden flicked the ball home from a few yards out, but once again, the goal was ruled out for offside.

After the frantic start, the game calmed down, with City starting to dominate possession as they looked to break down the Spurs defence. But, just before the break, it was the hosts who went ahead, despite a lack of possession.

Dejan Kulusevski was taken out by Nathan Ake on the edge of the box, resulting in a free-kick being awarded in a dangerous position. With no James Maddison on the pitch, Pedro Porro stepped up to take, and the Spaniard curled a wonderful strike over the wall and into the top corner to make it 1-0.

With 25 minutes to go, Radu Dragusin tripped Phil Foden in the box to give away a penalty, and Ilkay Gundogan made it 1-1 as he chipped his spot kick down the middle of the goal. Nothing split the sides after 90 minutes, and the game went to penalties.

After 10 penalties were taken, it was City who emerged victorious, winning 4-3 in the shootout. Savio missed City's fourth penalty to keep the tie alive for Spurs, but Porro's and Werner's earlier misses proved costly as the Lilywhites' Carabao Cup run came to an end.

The Carabao Cup is on the agenda for Tottenham on Wednesday evening as they welcome Manchester City to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Ange Postecoglou's side really couldn't have asked for a tougher fourth round draw as Spurs look to end their long wait without a trophy.

Drawn to face the Premier League champions in the fourth round of last season's FA Cup, the two teams will meet in the capital once again but this time in the Carabao Cup. City have enjoyed great success in this competition in the past but it may not be a trophy on Pep Guardiola's radar this time.

The Spaniard admitted in September that his side will not "waste energy" on the competition this year and there is the prospect of Guardiola giving opportunities to his academy players. Regardless of whichever side he opts for, Postecoglou and Tottenham have to find a way of getting past their opponents.

"Obviously City played on Saturday so we've got to make sure the players we put out there tomorrow are able to compete physically with what's going to be on the other side of the pitch from us," said the Australian in his pre-match press conference. "The good thing is just about the whole squad's had some kind of football so that means whatever changes we make the players coming in are at a good physical level."

Ange Postecoglou believes his Tottenham team are "struggling in difficult moments" because they "lack some maturity and leadership". A big season for Postecoglou and Spurs as they look to build on finishing fifth last term and hopefully bring some much-needed silverware to the club, the north London side have endured a mixed time of it in the league so far.

From their first nine games of the 2024/25 Premier League campaign, Spurs have won four, lost four and drawn one of their fixtures. Tottenham really should be much higher than eighth in the standings right now after not achieving maximum points in a number of games, notably Leicester City and Brighton & Hove Albion, when the opportunity was there for them to do so.

Spurs were far from their best last Sunday after falling to a 1-0 defeat at Crystal Palace, which was undoubtedly their worst performance of the season. Time is going to be required for Postecoglou to achieve his goals at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and he is well aware that there will be some bumps in the road along the way.

“You need to separate the emotion of what people feel and the way that people respond externally" he explained. "You need to be clear in what your objective is and stick to that process. If anyone can show me where things can turn around in 15 months or in two years, any club, apart from maybe City where it took Pep [Guardiola] a year, which is like an eternity to be fair for Pep. It doesn't exist.

“There is a formula there. If you want to look at recent history, there's Liverpool, there's Arsenal. There are plenty of others who have not stuck to a process, big clubs and small clubs, and haven't got any progress. There's evidence on both sides. It's not easy. It's because invariably scrutiny comes and criticism comes when things don't run smoothly because people want them to run smoothly.

"How you react through that process is really important. All I can do is stay really clear-headed about what my role in that is and the club to stay aligned with that. That's what I feel. We're aligned in what we're trying to achieve here and we know it's not going to be easy. That does not mean, though, that this is going to take five years. I'm not saying that, but you can't fast-track experience. You can't fast-track maturity. All these things need time and you've just got to stay true.

"Like I said, at the same time, you can't just do that with just cheerleading either. You can't expect that everyone's going to say, I'd say failure lost because you're on this path. That's not healthy either. You need the criticism. You need the scrutiny from outside. How you deal with it is much more important than trying to alleviate it. Maybe it's valid criticism.

"Introspectively, you're looking at is there something there? Whether it's valid or not valid, if you just jump at the first time because you're going, 'oh my God, if we lose again, they're going to come for us’, then there isn't really a process. All you're trying to do is create some sort of utopia that doesn't exist in football.

"This is part of the process. I keep saying I enjoy this bit because this is the hard bit and there has to be a hard bit. Every story has its struggle. How far that struggle is or how much that struggle is, no one knows. I don't know. No one knows. You get through it and then you'll reap the rewards.

"How you deal with this process is critical to getting those rewards because, like I said, there's evidence on both sides pretty clear that you can have sustained success going a certain way or you can chase success going another way. There's pretty clear results about which approach works better."

Postecoglou has achieved success wherever he has been in his career and subsequently left clubs in a much better place than when he first arrived. Very much knowing what he needs to do to help Tottenham achieve their lofty ambitions, there are constants in the background that help the head coach with his masterplan.

In regards to the team struggling in difficult moments at times, Postecoglou believes that developing that maturity and leadership within the group is the "better way" for him rather than going out there and buying it.

“There are. Alignment with key people who know every step of the way. I am not doing this on my own. Every step is discussed. We know where we are at," said the 59-year-old.

"We're struggling in difficult moments because we lack some maturity and leadership. Now, there's two ways of dealing with that. You can either go and buy it, acquire it, or you can wait for it to develop within your own group. We've gone down this way because I think that's the better way for me. But with that process, it takes time and experience.

"You've got to go through tough times. I can't artificially create tough times for the guys to see how the guys respond. They have to come at us. It's not nice and it's not pleasant and no one enjoys it I certainly don't, but it's necessary. How do people react after a loss? How do people react if we haven't had the right reaction? Then you get growth.

“I'm so optimistic about this playing group. I think there's such a high ceiling with this group of players. The more we get exposed to difficult times, the more I believe that ceiling gets higher. We've just got to stay, from my perspective, how I deal with it is I have clear markers that we look forward to charter our progress and focus on that. As I said, don't be afraid of criticism or scrutiny coming your way. It's healthy. It's good because that shows me how people react.”

Last winning a trophy back in 2008, Tottenham face a huge game on Wednesday evening as they host Manchester City in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Pep Guardiola admitted in September that City won't "waste energy" on the competition this season and there is the prospect of the Spaniard handing out playing time to academy players in the encounter against Spurs.

“I don’t know but if you look at Pep in this comp he has always pretty heavily rotated, and they won in four in a row didn’t they?" said Postecoglou.

"He’s not playing his kids. No disrespect to Pep’s kids. These are good players. They’re at City. They have a pretty good programme. Pedro [Porro] was part of that so… if you’re part of the City infrastructure you’re a good player.

"We’re expecting a tough game. But irrespective of who they put out we want to win. We want stay in this competition and put in a strong performance."

As vital as it is that Tottenham end their trophy hoodoo after going to long without lifting a piece of silverware, Postecoglou also wants progress in the league. So which one is more important?

"In my mind they go hand in hand but I still think progress in the league is a better indicator because then you know you’re putting yourself in a position to win every week and compete in every competition," admitted the Australian. "That’s the only thing you can strive for. You can’t guarantee success. No-one can. But you can put yourself in a position.

"If you can put yourself in a position in the league on a consistent basis I think by extension you should be strong in the knockout comps. That’s still where I think our most meaningful progress lies. Winning a comp. Is it a positive? Absolutely. Our supporters will love it. It’s great for the club. Yes you get that winning feeling too. But it’s not a panacea for everything, obviously."

It was then put to Postecoglou if winning a trophy would create a false impression if there's no progress in the league to go along with it.

"I just don’t know in today’s world. We’ve got a manager [Erik ten Hag] here who’s won two in the last two years who’s just got the sack. Everyone tells me, just win a trophy and you’ll be fine. I don’t think so," said the former Celtic boss.

"The measures these days are constantly shifting. There’s always something that people perceive to be better. What’s more important for me is that we’re getting to get to a space where we’re consistently challenging for all honours. If we’re there in that space, where big clubs are, and where we should be, the rest will take care of itself."

Listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham! Click here for in-depth Spurs chat on your preferred podcast platform.

Ange Postecoglou has spoken to the media to preview Wednesday evening's Carabao Cup tie at home to Manchester City. It is a huge game in Tottenham's calendar as they bid to end their long wait without a trophy.

Not only do Spurs need to win to keep their silverware hopes alive, they also need to claim victory to help right the wrongs of Sunday's 1-0 defeat away at Crystal Palace. Postecoglou was asked about the Palace game in his pre-match press conference and Erik ten Hag's Manchester United dismissal.

The Spurs boss was also pressed for the latest on the injury front, Richarlison possibly playing from the left and Wilson Odobert's setback. Here is every word Postecoglou had to say in his pre-match press conference at Hotspur Way:

Reaction to Erik ten Hag being sacked? Were you shocked?

Nah, not really shocked. Disappointing as it was, it was almost inevitable with the scrutiny he had. It is just the nature of football these days.

Can you give us an insight into the scrutiny a Premier League manager faces on a day-to-day basis?

I have said in the past that it is becoming more and more difficult to do the role in any kind of processed way. It is just the nature of what we do these days. It seems like, if you look at Erik he was there for two and a bit years. He won a trophy in each year, they finished third in his first year. I don’t know if he was here with that record would he have lost his job? I don’t know. Would he be under the same scrutiny? I don’t know.

Because everyone tells me all I have to do is win a trophy but I have got a feeling it would be the same because, just the nature of the world today, as a manager you have to hit a sweet spot where you get success, you play football everyone likes, you get every signing right.

In that moment you seem to get some sort of validation. Anything other than that it seems to be for some clubs they want trophies not football, others want football. It is a difficult task but what you have seen in the past, I’m sure Erik will bounce back from that because he is a good manager. You have seen it with other managers. I’m sure his career will continue to go on strongly.

Too much responsibility on managers/head coaches?

No I don’t think there is too much but we are the public face of it and when you are you have to take that responsibility. You need to have a clear idea if you are in this position, as we are as managers, of what we are trying to achieve because we are the ones who inevitably have to answer these questions about progress, where we are, what our aims and ambitions are.

It’s easier when that is aligned with the overall objective of the club but if that keeps shifting it becomes really difficult to figure out what the outcome is supposed to be. What we do know is any process you want an outcome of continued opportunity for success because that’s the only thing you can try to achieve because you can’t guarantee success there is no such thing. It doesn’t matter who you are. What you try to achieve as a club is the opportunity for success on a regular basis. That process takes time.

Have you seen a reaction on the training ground since the Crystal Palace defeat?

I don't think it is about a reaction. It's fairly understandable that the players and everyone was disappointed with the way things went for us at Palace, both performance and outcome, but we've got to get away from this reactions and trying to atone for something.

Part of the process for us is making sure every game we stick to our principles irrespective of what has happened in the past. If you wait for reactions for good performances you're actually anticipating another challenge when you should just be trying to focus on consistency in performance and consistency in mentality of how we approach every game.

Does job security ever worry you when you're in a job?

I've, and it's easier to say, never worried about job security. I think if you do you're probably going to end up not doing the role the justice it deserves for yourself more than anything else. The reality is there is no job security. I don't know what job security looks like. What is the average tenure of a manager these days?

If you think I'm going to be around for five years that is highly unlikely. If you worry about those things and I think you end up chasing your tail a little bit and probably making decisions for the wrong reasons. As I've said before, I understand I won't be here forever but I work as if I will be and I make decisions that will get us to be a successful club. If you deviate from that then the inevitability is the end will probably come sooner than you want.

Job security for managers does not exist as there is always something that unless you win it and you win it in the right style with the right decisions, everyone else seems that will be under scrutiny so you've got to understand that is part of the role.

Not that there is anything wrong with that as I think criticism and scrutiny is healthy. Even criticism and scrutiny that is not valid is useful because that is what tests your resolve in doing what you do because if you just jump up at the first time somebody questions what you do then it probably means you do not believe in it.

Pep Guardiola has been at Man City nine years going on ten, do you think you'll be at Spurs or your next club for that amount of time?

Like I said, that's how I kind of plan things as I want whatever we achieve to be sustainable so you make decisions on that basis. If things keep going in the right direction then I don't know how long I will be wherever I'll be.

Usually I have left after a successful period but, as I said before, the successful periods at the clubs I have been at have outlasted me. I think that's important, not that I am key in that, but that's what you're trying to build. How long I stay at one club is always kind of defined by is there still an alignment, is there still a challenge there and that's what I kind of focus on.

Pep said they would waste no energy, do you care who wears the shirt or just want to beat this team in front of you?

I think it's fair to say most clubs rotate through the Carabao Cup, but you just have to look at Man City's record in this competition and and they are a fantastic football club. They have had success for a very long time and sometimes people take that for granted because it's City, but it's very difficult in this league and in this country to maintain that excellence over the time they have.

They do that because irrespective of who they play, there is a level of performance they continually deliver whether they've rotated the team or not, or whatever the competition. And very few competitions they drop out of at an early stage.

What's team news and is Sonny fit?

Sonny, no. Well he is almost fit but we will probably from our perspective aim him for the weekend. We're quite confident he will be right for the weekend. The only one missing out, which is a bit of a disappointment is Wilson. He's had a setback during the week and it seems like it's a serious one, so we're waiting for more information. And then from the weekend everyone else is okay and Djed's back training.

Is it the same injury for Wilson?

Yeah well not exactly the same but same area.

You made nine changes for Fulham last year and eight changes for Coventry, will we see the same again?

Obviously City played on Saturday so we've got to make sure the players we put out there tomorrow are able to compete physically with what's going to be on the other side of the pitch from us. The good thing is just about the whole squad's had some kind of football so that means whatever changes we make the players coming in are at a good physical level.

Dejan Kulusevski says he's seen a growth in his maturity, how much of a growth have you seen in his leadership qualities?

I think Deki is growing but I think that's kind of where we are as a group. A lot of them are growing and growing through experiences. I think for Deki at the weekend was another growth period because he got hurt pretty early and wasn't happy with it. In many respects, he lost a bit of his composure after that and that's another growth for him.

To understand it is part of it and focus your energy on helping the team on the day rather than being personally aggrieved, but that's where we are as a group and that's where we get our growth. By going through experiences like we did at the weekend with a lot of the players and them going through that and understanding how to deal with it better next time.

Deki has been fantastic for us this year in both his output and his attitude and mentality. I think there is more to come.

There has been a rise of teams coming from behind in Premier League this season, is there a reason for that?

No, not really mate. I have never gone for trends in football that last a couple of months, Trends last a lot longer than that. It's a nature a bit of the Premier League I think that most teams tend to not sit on results. Teams keep playing right until the end in terms of getting a result and you see quick turnarounds within that, but I think a trend in football needs to last a lot than a couple of months.

Richarlison fit again, is he an option on left for this game?

No, I think Richy has played a lot of his football on the left and he's definitely an option there for us. He's an option through the middle as well. Again, he's getting some good match minutes now and hopefully with the next couple of weeks, with a good game schedule... he is only just getting his season started and the more we can expose him without overburdening him in these early stages, he'll be able to contribute even more.

Went with false nine vs Man City with Pape Matar Sarr there last season, just down to no Richarlison or a tactic to counter City?

I don't think we had a striker available, mate if I remember correctly so Pape won't be a false nine tomorrow.

Is it something you could use throughout season?

Well, I think with the way we play, whether it's Dom or Richy and we've played Sonny through there, we try to play with a fixed position there but it depends on the opposition and what they do.

Obviously City will pose some different challenges this week than we had in the last game and within that context it is about adjusting some of our play for that.

Some supporters would see this match – even though fourth round of Carabao Cup – as biggest one of seven-match week, have you sensed anything in players or staff that would suggest they don't know the significance of this game?

I'm not a supporter of this club, I'm the manager of this football club and I'd hate to think that any supporter of this football club thinks that I try harder in one game than another. Supporters can feel what they like, which is the most important game. But it would be the biggest injustice for me as a manager if I said, 'We're going to try harder tomorrow than we do at the weekend or we did last weekend'.

It doesn't work that way. You need to separate supporters of a football club with people who have the responsibility of representing it. Our responsibility lies with trying to be the best we can be everyday for our supporters, for everyone who's part of this football club. It's not about trying to gain brownie points. That's not what our role is.

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Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou has revealed that Son Heung-min will miss the Carabao Cup tie against Manchester City this week - but is likely to be back in action for the Premier League clash against Aston Villa on Sunday.

Son has missed most of the last month for Spurs with hamstring and thigh issues, making a 70-minute appearance in the win over West Ham recently.

And Postecoglou says that the club captain will be rested for the game against Manchester City in midweek, with an aim of returning against Unai Emery's high-flying side at the weekend.

"Son is almost fit but probably from our perspective we'll aim for the weekend. We're quite confident he'll be right for the weekend," Postecoglou told reporters.

However, the news was less positive on Wilson Odobert, who has suffered what looks to be a "serious" issue on his comeback from injury.

"The only other one missing out which is a bit of a disappointment is Wilson, who has had a setback during the week and it seems like it is a serious one so we're just waiting for more information," Postecoglou added. "From the weekend everybody is back and Djed [Spence is] training."

Odobert picked up a hamstring issue against Coventry in the Carabao Cup in September. However, he had returned to action as a substitute during Spurs' 1-0 win over AZ Alkmaar in the Europa League.

But the 19-year-old was absent once again for the Premier League clash against Crystal Palace at the weekend. Postecoglou was asked fore more information on Odobert's injury and stated: "Not exactly the same [injury] but same area."

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