Football.London

Ange Postecoglou is well stocked in one area of his Tottenham squad right now but it has perhaps become their biggest weakness. Amid their current woes in defence and attack with a real lack of options, it is in the middle of the park where Spurs are having major issues.

Very much a position of strength in the opening few months of his Tottenham tenure with Yves Bissouma, James Maddison and Pape Matar Sarr bossing midfield, it would appear at present that the Australian is trying to find his best midfield formula. As things stand, the 59-year-old has Bissouma, Sarr, Rodrigo Bentancur and Lucas Bergvall available for selection, as well as Archie Gray if he wants to utilise him in his natural role, but Maddison is currently in the treatment room nursing a calf issue.

There is also Dejan Kulusevski to consider, although the Swede has played a lot of football in Tottenham's attack recently due to the limited options in the final third. Despite the options available to the manager, Spurs have had major complications there in the past two games and duly exited the Carabao Cup and FA Cup in the process.

Opting for a midfield triumvirate of Bissouma, Bentancur and Sarr at Liverpool on Thursday evening, the trio were no match for their counterparts and failed to trouble them at all. Liverpool, on the other hand, ran riot in the middle and that resulted in Bissouma and Sarr making way just prior to the hour mark.

Bergvall's omission from the team on Merseyside was a talking point, especially as the Sweden international had played such a pivotal role in their first leg win at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium at the beginning of January. Postecoglou was always going to tweak his team after the 4-0 demolition and he did exactly that at Aston Villa on Sunday.

He made a total of four alterations, with two of those coming in midfield as Bergvall and Kulusevski started alongside Bentancur. Despite a much-needed switch, Tottenham fell behind with less than a minute on the clock as Jacob Ramsey opened the scoring inside the area.

It was all too easy for Villa as the impressive Morgan Rogers skipped around Bergvall and powered forward before slipping in his teammate. Unfortunately it was a sign of things to come.

Tottenham's midfield was non-existent multiple times and that allowed the hosts to attack through the middle at will. Youri Tielemans was afforded all the time and space he wanted to charge forward before shooting wide, with Rogers again doing likewise only to see Antonin Kinsky save his effort.

Something had to change and half-time brought about the introduction of Bissouma in place of Mikey Moore, thus seeing Kulusevski shift forward into attack. Spurs, clearly with the words of Postecoglou ringing in their ears, were much brighter in the opening stages of the second half and they looked better in midfield with Bissouma in the side.

However, Rogers would give them a mountain to climb 19 minutes after the restart after converting from close range. Mathys Tel pulled one back for Spurs in stoppage time but it was too little, too late.

Rewind the clock back 12 months ago and there was so much chopping and changing in midfield due to Maddison's injury and Bissouma and Sarr's participation at the Africa Cup of Nations. Postecoglou continued to switch things about in what remained of the season and midfield ultimately became a weakness in his Spurs side.

The same can be said of the Tottenham midfield 12 months on, although this time Postecoglou has the vast majority of his options available to him but a hectic schedule coupled with the mixed form of the players in question is causing real issues. Bergvall has been a rare bright spot for Tottenham in their injury crisis, with Bissouma unable to hit his previous heights and the form of Bentancur and Sarr continuing to fluctuate.

At a time when Spurs are well stocked in midfield but depleted in other areas of the pitch, midfield issues should be the last thing on Postecoglou's mind. They are, however, right at the forefront and it means Spurs have plenty of work to do in the summer.

Not only do they require a top quality No.6 to help shield the backline, break things up and dictate play, they also are also desperate for leaders because that is something they dearly lack. Before the summer comes around, though, Postecoglou has to get his midfield balance just right if they are to finish the campaign on a positive note at least and really challenge for that much-needed piece of silverware in the Europa League.

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

Alan Shearer was scathing in his criticism of Tottenham goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky after his blunder led to Aston Villa's opening goal in their FA Cup defeat on Sunday. Spurs' troubled season continued with a 2-1 defeat at Villa Park, where Unai Emery's side took the lead in the first minute through Jacob Ramsey's shot, which slipped through Kinsky's hands.

Although Kinsky got a hand to the ball, he could only watch in agony as it hit the net, giving Tottenham a disastrous start. It was a glaring error, and Kinsky will be aware that he should have made the save, especially after conceding a penalty in the 4-0 midweek loss to Liverpool.

Shearer, commentating on the match, slammed Kinsky's "howler" and insisted he "had to do better". The Match of the Day pundit said: "What on earth is he doing?" Former Tottenham goalkeeper Joe Hart also criticised Kinsky during the half-time analysis as part of the BBC coverage, suggesting he was playing on emotion, reports the Mirror.

"He came in against Liverpool, free, young," Hart said. "I've just seen the pressure and weight of the Tottenham team culminate with him [making the mistake]. It's an emotion. He just wants that ball away from him. There's no doubt he can save that ball, but he wanted it away from him and rushed it. He's a good goalkeeper with great potential."

Shearer had to eat his words following a series of spectacular one-on-one saves from Kinsky, particularly against Ramsey and Morgan Rogers. "He's shown good character since then (the error). Absolutely," the former Newcastle man admitted.

Spurs purchased Kinsky from Slavia Prague during the January transfer window and the 21-year-old has been ever-present over the past four or so weeks. The club's main shot-stopper Guglielmo Vicario has been sidelined for nearly four months due to a broken ankle, but is expected to make his return in the near future.

Vicario is one of a number of Tottenham players who are currently injured, which has been one of the major factors in Tottenham's poor form this season. This has led to Ange Postecoglou becoming under pressure amid calls he could be sacked if results do not improve.

Speaking in his post-match press conference, Postecoglou said: "But for two-and-a-half months, this small group of players have given everything in multiple competitions. I think they’ve been outstanding. We had 11 first-team players missing today.

"We started with four teenagers, a 21-year-old goalkeeper coming to one of the best teams in the country, away from home. After playing the best team in the country on Thursday night. After playing a Premier League game last Sunday, playing a Europa game [before that]. The same group of players. No rotation. And they’ve been doing this since the middle of November.

"I think they’ve given everything they can and I’ve got so much respect and admiration for the players and how they’ve gone about that. We get a couple of midweeks off now, great for them to recover. We’ll get some players back which is also great for this group that they’ll get some help. And we move on."

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

Ange Postecoglou appears under increasing pressure after Tottenham Hotspur lost 2-0 to Aston Villa and exited the FA Cup at the fourth round stage.

The defeat comes three days after Spurs surrendered a 1-0 lead in the League Cup semi-finals and were well-beaten 4-0 at Anfield by Liverpool. These back-to-back defeats followed a first Premier League victory of the year against Brentford, which ended a seven-match winless run in the league.

That moved Tottenham up to 14th in the table, but should the team stay there, it would represent their worst finish in over two decades. As such, Postecoglou is the consensus next top-flight coach to go across the various betting markets.

Multiple bookmakers already have odds live on who will be the next permanent Spurs head coach. One is Betfair, who has Bournemouth's Andoni Iraola, Kieran McKenna, Marco Silva and Thomas Frank as joint-favourites.

All four are 11/2, with the out-of-work former Borussia Dortmund head coach and one-time West Ham United assistant manager Edin Terzic close behind them at 13/2. Mauricio Pochettino is the sixth favourite at 7/1, less than a year after being sacked by Chelsea.

Current assistant coach Ryan Mason follows his former boss in the odds at 9/1 after having two spells in interim charge during 2021 and 2023, encompassing 13 matches combined. Erik ten Hag is next at 10/1, not even four months after being sacked by Manchester United and even sooner after missing out on replacing Nuri Sahin at Dortmund, with Nico Kovac getting that job instead.

Newcastle United head coach Eddie Howe is then at 14/1, the same odds as ex-England manager Gareth Southgate. The former Barcelona and Juventus head coaches Xavi Hernandez and Massimiliano Allegri are at 16/1.

In the 20s are Michael Carrick and Kjetil Knutsen (both 20/1); Brendan Rodgers, Julian Nagelsmann, Roberto De Zerbi and Steven Gerrard (25/1). Diego Simone, Gian Piero Gasperini and Michel (33/1) are at the next price, with Luis Enrique and Zinedine Zidane at 40/1.

Yeah, that’s the timing of things. Just unfortunate for us that we couldn’t get a couple back, we were hoping to get a couple back for this last week and it didn’t happen. We could have risked a couple but with what’s ahead we went conservative on that. It is a bit of a re-set. We'll get three, maybe four, players back this week, with the possibility of one or two others in the week or two after that. More importantly, this group that has been going gets a rest. They can go a whole week now without having to get up for another game. We got back from Liverpool at 2am on Friday, the early hours of the morning. So they can get some rest they desperately need physically and mentally.

No, because they're tired mate. Do you think they can press like [we would]. If we hadn't played Thursday night and I hadn't rotated that team we wouldn't have been pressing aggressively today? Fair chance, unless you don't think they're human beings. Unless you're super human and you think no, after playing Liverpool on Thursday night they should be flying tonight. It doesn't happen. They're human beings. Why do you think Liverpool and others rotate 11 players? Why? There's a reason and I wish I could do the same. So you can bring a freshness to the team. Of course they're not playing anywhere near the levels that we want or expect, but that's not because they're not trying. It's because they can't. I think this group of players once we get the rest of the group in, will be an outstanding team. I have no doubt about that. Whether other people can't see that, that's of no interest to me. If you want to measure anything on what they're doing at the moment, other than the extreme situation they're dealing with then I think your analysis is skewed and it's not objective. That's my opinion.

I'm not talking about me. People can judge me. They can say I've done a bad job, I'm not up to it or whatever. That's fine. What I'm saying is you can't be critical of players or players' performances at this time. Because if you do, then do that with everyone else. Be as critical of other clubs when they've got 9 or 10 or 11 players out. And none of them have. and have to play every week. And not for one game. I'm not just saying we had to do this today. We've been doing this since the middle of November and you can't judge performances of these players and critique them on what they've done.

All they've done is given all they can and that's all you can ask for. Me, that's not of interest to me. My responsibility at this football club is this group of players and this team, to get them to play in the manner I want them to and bring us success. Whether people think I can do that or not, that's for others to judge. But there's got to be a better appreciation for what a very small group of players have been doing for the last two and a half months. It can't be that people think that's an excuse.

That's just not anywhere near close to objective analysis. That's just agenda driven stuff. If it's to get rid of me that's fine. Good on ya. Go for it a million times. But in terms of this group of players, what they've given over the past two and half months has been outstanding, it's a credit to him, I can't speak highly enough of them.

It’s not damaging for me, it’s obviously disappointing for us in terms of our objectives. But for two-and-a-half months, this small group of players have given everything in multiple competitions. I think they’ve been outstanding. We had 11 first-team players missing today. We started with four teenagers, a 21 year old goalkeeper coming to one of the best teams in the country, away from home.

After playing the best team in the country on Thursday night. After playing a Premier League game last Sunday, playing a Europa game [before that]. The same group of players. No rotation. And they’ve been doing this since the middle of November. I think they’ve given everything they can and I’ve got so much respect and admiration for the players and how they’ve gone about that. We get a couple of midweeks off now, great for them to recover. We’ll get some players back which is also great for this group that they’ll get some help. And we move on.

It’s a disappointing result, cup competition. We wanted to progress, we didn’t do that tonight – that’s disappointing. We didn’t get off to a great start. It doesn’t help when you are playing away from home, especially a place like Villa, to concede so early, it gives them momentum and confidence, gets the crowd going. We were struggling to stay in the game. Having said that we had a big chance to equalise which could have settled things down for us.

Second-half was more even, we got better control of the game. We had to open up which allowed some transition moments. I felt like we were controlling the game a lot better and the second goal makes it even more difficult. We kept fighting, got the goal we needed. It just wasn’t enough in the end.

Ange Postecoglou has just had possibly his most bruising week as Tottenham manager. The fact there is such strong competition from this season alone is not a good matter.

His side are now out of both domestic cups. An already angry and on-edge fanbase have seen the team's prospects collapse in the space of four days.

After being destroyed by Liverpool in a meek away showing on Thursday night it was a similar state of affairs for much of Sunday's FA Cup fourth round meeting with Liverpool. Unai Emery's men carved through Spurs at will, only succumbing to late pressure.

That heat is now firmly on Postecoglou as supporters call for his head. Goals from Jacob Ramsey - a player Tottenham have held long-term interest in - and then Morgan Rogers in the second half, put the game out of reach despite a late Mathys Tel strike.

The ease in which Villa broke through to open the scoring after two minutes left Postecoglou with his head in his hands, a familiar pose and a familiar tale. He is now facing extreme scrutiny over his position in charge.

Tom Coley

Tottenham have backed Postecoglou this far so it wouldn't make any sense to pull the plug now. If they do then there is a strong argument to say that the last week has been totally wasted. If they wanted a change then surely do it before the four days with two huge cup matches.

The commitment to buying new players throughout January also suggests that Daniel Levy is not yet thinking about relieving his manager. The question is whether or not the push for the Europa League is worth it.

That is now Tottenham's season. They won't be getting relegated so it is Europe or nothing. Would a new coach be better positioned to try and secure Champions League qualification through that? Maybe, but we have also seen how tough it is for Ruben Amorim at Manchester United.

In football you are only safe as a manager until the moment that you are not, no matter what noises from the club indicate. Postecoglou is on rocky ground and the longer things continue in this direction the more it looks untenable for him to remain over the summer. For the rest of this season it is surely better to not shake things up anymore and risk marring the next guy's start.

Sam Truelove

What a nightmare week for Tottenham. They have been knocked out of both the Carabao Cup and FA Cup, which has ramped up the pressure on Ange Postecoglou. Spurs are still in the Europa League but they are 14th in the Premier League and it really could be a season to forget.

Injuries have played a part and I do feel sorry for Postecoglou. I like the Australian but things are just not going his way at the moment and I fear he may be sacked soon. I don't believe that is the right decision, though.

If I were Daniel Levy I would stick with the former Celtic boss and perhaps re-evaluate the situation in the summer. There are not many top class coaches out there without a job at present so any replacement may not be an upgrade. Saying that, Tottenham do need to start winning games and that must start against Manchester United at the weekend.

Rob Guest

It is now the Europa League or bust for Ange Postecoglou as he bids to end Tottenham's long silverware drought. His Spurs team were so poor at Liverpool on Thursday night and they did fare better at Aston Villa but ultimately they have suffered two cup exits in the space of four days.

The pressure has only increased on Postecoglou's shoulders and his future only naturally is going to dominate the headlines once again. Injuries have killed him this season and it may result in him losing his position at Spurs.

As has been said before, whoever comes in has to deal with the same issues and there is no guarantee that changing head coach will spark a huge upturn in form. For me, I would persist with Postecoglou for now and then you judge him once his injured players return.

Failure to win games, though, and Daniel Levy may feel he has no choice but to make a change with Spurs languishing in the bottom half of the table and only having one cup competition to compete in.

Matthew Abbott

The time to decide on Postecoglou's future is next month, not this. Spurs are now out of both domestic cups but have been beaten by better teams than them away from home over the last week.

Liverpool are almost 30 points clear of them in the Premier League table, and Aston Villa are ten above Tottenham. Both have finished above them in the last two seasons, Postecoglou's first in charge and Antonio Conte's last.

Manchester United is a better barometer for Spurs right now. Therefore, a change should not come before then, especially so soon after eventually making two signings.

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

Tottenham exited the FA Cup following a 2-1 defeat against Aston Villa in the fourth round of the competition at Villa Park on Sunday evening. After that disappointing showing at Liverpool on Thursday night, Ange Postecoglou made a total of four changes to his Spurs team to take on the Villans.

Mikey Moore, Lucas Bergvall and Pedro Porro all came into the side, with Mathys Tel handed his full Spurs debut after starting on the bench in midweek. Needing a positive start to the game, Spurs endured a complete nightmare as Jacob Ramsey scored inside the first minute of the contest after Antonin Kinsky failed to collect his effort that was down the middle of the goal.

Tottenham had a huge chance to equalise midway inside the first half but Son Heung-min passed up the opportunity after shooting straight at Emiliano Martinez following such an inviting low delivery from Moore. Spurs were much better in the early stages of the second half and put Villa under pressure as they fashioned chances for Son and Dejan Kulusevski.

Despite a brighter start to second-half proceedings from Spurs, Villa doubled their lead on 64 minutes as Morgan Rogers converted from point-blank range to put the final result beyond any doubt. Tel was to pull a late goal back for Spurs in stoppage time but it was too little, too late.

Here are five things we spotted in the match at Villa Park:

A much-needed midfield change and what followed

Postecoglou's midfield selection of Rodrigo Bentancur, Pape Matar Sarr and Yves Bissouma just did not work at Liverpool. The trio failed to lay a glove on their opponents and it was all too easy for Arne Slot's side across the 90 minutes.

It came as no surprise to see Bissouma and Sarr hooked just prior to the hour mark at Anfield, with the duo duly dropping down to the substitutes' bench for the Aston Villa encounter. Bergvall, who was a surprise omission from the starting XI at Liverpool, came into the side and Kulusevski also dropped back into the middle.

Tottenham have been so short in attack recently but the decision to opt for Kulusevski in midfield was a much-needed one with a lack of creativity in that area of the pitch. The Swede played a key role in the chance that Son missed after dissecting the Villa backline with a superb pass that set Moore free down the right.

Amid the midfield changes, it was all too easy for Rogers inside the first minute of the game as he skipped past Bergvall and progressed forward before slipping in Ramsey to net. The same almost happened again as Youri Tielemans was given all the space he would have liked to drive through midfield unchallenged before shooting wide, with Rogers then having acres of space prior to forcing Kinsky into action.

As a result of their midfield woes in the opening 45 minutes, Bissouma was introduced in place of Moore and that resulted in Kulusevski moving back into attack. Previously such a strength in Postecoglou's Tottenham team, the Australian somehow needs to find the right midfield formula because it's becoming a real problem at present.

Postecoglou drops Tel hint

Tottenham are extremely short on out-and-out strikers right now following injuries to Dominic Solanke and Richarlison. The latter had only returned to the pitch recently but he is now back in the treatment room after injuring his calf in the first half of the Liverpool defeat.

Without Solanke and Richarlison at Villa Park, it always appeared that Tel would lead the line on his first start for the club. However, Postecoglou was to throw a curveball as it was Son who played in a central role as the January signing operated from the left flank.

A lot of Tel's football for Bayern Munich has come from the left flank but he is viewed as a striker by many and already has plenty of experience playing in the role. Despite Son's struggles this season when playing centrally rather than on the left flank, Postecoglou opted for the Spurs captain to be the team's striker on the day.

The Australian could well have dropped a hint over where he sees Tel's best position in his Tottenham team with his selection choice. Spurs may have restored parity midway through the first half had it been Tel on the end of Moore's delivery rather than Son, who could only shoot straight down the throat of Martinez when all alone in such a good position in the area.

Message to Levy

It was another familiar feeling for Tottenham fans as they saw their team fall behind. This time, however, it was with less than a minute on the clock as Ramsey opened the scoring.

The talented midfielder was given so much room to advance into the area, before Kinsky gave him a helping hand after failing to take in his attempt that was directly at him. Tottenham supporters have had to put up with so much this season and they have let their feelings on Daniel Levy be known on multiple occasions.

"We want Levy out, we want Levy out" could be heard from the away end straight after Villa had opened the scoring and it was loud and clear for all to hear live on TV. It was to get even louder later in the first half as a rendition of the chant did the rounds once again.

Leadership issue

Amid Tottenham's current injury and results crisis, Postecoglou's team lack real leaders to help drag them out of trouble. Spurs have long suffered with an absence of leaders on the pitch but it is so evident right now as they go through such a dark period.

Son's leadership credentials have been questioned by many and they will continue to be a talking point at a time when Spurs are so easy to beat and lack so much fight on the pitch. It is not just Son, who had the fewest amount of touches of anyone on the pitch with 16, as Tottenham need much more from their other senior players to drag them kicking and screaming to victories.

As has been evident in plenty of games this season, it is youngsters Archie Gray and Bergvall as well as Djed Spence who have been leading by example time and time again. The possible return of vice-captain Cristian Romero whenever that may be could have an impact on the team but it is clear to see that Tottenham have to address that issue in the summer.

Europa League or bust

It is now the Europa League or bust for Postecoglou and Tottenham after a huge week of cup football ended in disaster. Hammered 4-0 by Liverpool in midweek to exit the Carabao Cup, Spurs would be knocked out of the FA Cup at the fourth round for the second year on the trot after losing against Aston Villa.

Always going to be a huge year for Postecoglou and the club in their quest to end their silverware drought, Spurs' last remaining chance to win a trophy this season all comes down to the Europa League. Tottenham will return to European action at the start of March and they really need to triumph in Bilbao in May so that they can at least try and finish a dismal season on a positive note.

It really could be a long end to the season for all concerned given Tottenham's current position of 14th in the Premier League table.

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

Ange Postecoglou has made four changes to his Tottenham Hotspur side as they take on Aston Villa in the FA Cup fourth round on Sunday afternoon with barely a moment to rest after their previous cup disappointment.

Postecoglou's side must get back on track after their timid surrender at Liverpool as they followed up back-to-back victories and clean sheets against Elfsborg and Brentford by losing 4-0 at Anfield in the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg on Thursday night. Spurs now take on Unai Emery's Villa in the FA Cup with no extra bodies back from injury.

Postecoglou has lost Richarlison to a calf problem, making it 11 Tottenham players unavailable on Sunday, including the cup tied Dane Scarlett. Pedro Porro, Lucas Bergvall and Mathys Tel all come into the starting line-up for the FA Cup clash as well as 17-year-old Mikey Moore.

Yves Bissouma and Pape Matar Sarr drop to a bench that has two goalkeeper on it with the lack of numbers available.

Here's the Tottenham team Postecoglou has selected to face Villa on Sunday afternoon.

Kinsky; Porro, Danso, Gray, Spence; Bergvall, Bentancur, Kulusevksi; Moore, Tel, Son. Subs: Austin, Forster, Hardy, Cassanova, Reguilon, Davies, Bissouma, Sarr, Ajayi.

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

Alan Shearer is set to provide co-commentary for Tottenham Hotspur's clash against Aston Villa in the FA Cup fourth round. The match, taking place at Villa Park on Sunday afternoon, will see Unai Emery and Ange Postecoglou go head-to-head, each aiming to secure some much-desired silverware.

After a 2-0 defeat to Wolves last weekend, Villa are keen to bounce back, having only managed two wins from their last six games across all competitions since their victory over West Ham in the previous FA Cup round.

Tottenham, too, are eager to advance after their recent Carabao Cup exit. Despite a challenging season, Postecoglou remains committed to his start-of-season promise to bring home a trophy during his second term.

Shearer will oversee the highly-anticipated clash from the gantry at Villa Park, alongside Steve Bower for the BBC's coverage. The programme on BBC One will be hosted by Mark Chapman, who will be joined by pundits Joe Hart, Dion Dublin, and Jermaine Defoe.

Shearer, a familiar face on our screens, provided analysis for Birmingham City's game against Newcastle just yesterday. The Newcastle United legend was pleased to see his childhood team emerge as 3-2 victors.

While his professional commitments have him covering the FA Cup in Birmingham this weekend, Shearer is a devoted family man, married to Lainya for nearly 34 years and father to Chloe (31), Hollie (29), and Will (24).

Alan Shearer's children are making waves on Instagram, with Will boasting 16,000 followers, Chloe nearing the 20,000 mark, and Hollie leading the way with a staggering 82,000 followers. Hollie recently got engaged to rugby union star Joe Marchant in November.

The England international, who plays for Stade Francais, popped the question in Paris, and Hollie showcased her sparkling diamond ring with the Eiffel Tower as a romantic backdrop. The couple, who went public with their relationship in April 2022, have since set up home together in the French capital.

Since the couple started dating, Shearer has humorously noted that his daughter seems more interested in rugby than football. Commenting on Marchant, the Premier League's record goal scorer remarked on social media: "I'm just glad it's not a footballer."

Meanwhile, Shearer's eldest daughter, Chloe, is also following her father's sporting relationship advice, dating former rugby player Micky Young. The 36-year-old had two spells at Newcastle Falcons before moving to Gloucester for his final season last year.

In August, Newcastle Falcons announced that Young would be celebrated with a testimonial year, including a special football dinner event featuring Shearer himself.

Ange Postecoglou's position as manager at Tottenham could be in jeopardy after accusations of his players "quitting" on him have surfaced.

The 59-year-old, who took the helm at Spurs in June 2023, has had a less than stellar season with his squad currently sitting uncomfortably in 14th place in the Premier League after 13 defeats. Their dreams of making it to the Carabao Cup final were also shattered when Liverpool handed them a 4-0 drubbing on Thursday, despite Spurs going into the second-leg tie with a 1-0 advantage.

Despite the turmoil, Spurs' decision makers are reportedly still rallying behind Postecoglou, with chairman Daniel Levy's willingness to make moves in the January transfer market highlighting this support. However, ex-Watford striker Troy Deeney has suggested that Postecoglou's men simply threw in the towel against Liverpool, sparking fears he may have lost the dressing room.

"Anyone who has played the game will tell you most of those Spurs players quit, gave up," Deeney penned in The Sun. "Not on each other or themselves, but quit on the manager, the fan base, everything."

He also pointed out that he saw just one player step up for media duties post-match, further fuelling his assertion that Spurs' players have downed tools for their beleaguered manager.

Should Spurs decide to part ways with Postecoglou, football.london has taken a look at five potential successors.

Andoni Iraola

The Bournemouth manager has quickly become one of the most coveted managers in the Premier League. The Cherries have been a revelation this season, currently occupying seventh place in the league, with Iraola outperforming Postecoglou, Mikel Arteta, Pep Guardiola, Ruben Amorim, Enzo Maresca and Eddie Howe so far this campaign.

Despite a significant injury crisis that saw him lose both his strikers, Evanilson and Enes Unal, the 42-year-old has managed to keep the team performing at a high level. As per the Express, he is now among the bookies' favourites to take over if Postecoglou's reign comes to an end - although it would likely require a hefty sum to release him from his Bournemouth contract.

Thomas Frank

The Brentford boss has received plaudits for leading his team to the top flight via the Championship play-offs in the 2020/21 season and maintaining their Premier League status since then. Known for his team's attacking prowess, Frank is considered a strong candidate for any potential move due to his expressed willingness to eventually leave the Bees.

In a revealing conversation in December, the Danish coach outlined his thoughts on potential career moves, saying: "I think the club you're going into, can you instantly improve it? Is there low-hanging fruits, or is it difficult to raise the bar?

"And are their finances good? Can you get the players in and out you want to? I think that's the key. I think there's a part of me that thinks that one day, maybe I need to try something different. Is that a bigger club, Champions League, bigger challenge? I don't know."

Mauricio Pochettino

Pochettino, despite more recently being at the helm of Chelsea, still holds a deep connection with his former club. The Argentinian tactician was dismissed by Levy in late 2019 after a spell of poor performances, despite having guided Spurs to a Champions League final earlier that year, where they were bested by Liverpool.

Reflecting on his tenure and future prospects during a November 2022 interview with BT Sport, Pochettino expressed a heartfelt desire for a return: "Deep in my chest, my soul, my heart - I am sure that we will cross [paths] again. My dream is to be back and to try to finish the work that we didn't finish."

However, even with betting odds sitting around 5/1, Pochettino's ambition to steer the United States national team in the 2026 World Cup could pose a significant obstacle to any potential reunion.

Kieran McKenna

McKenna has certainly caught the attention with his managerial magic at Ipswich, guiding them back to the Premier League after a 22-year absence. Despite the fact that Ipswich find themselves in a tricky position, languishing in 19th place with only three wins, McKenna's deep roots at Tottenham - from his seven years at Spurs' academy to his comeback as an Under-18s coach in 2015 - suggest he knows the North London club like few others do.

His impressive stride in the lower leagues and relative youth could make him a compelling candidate for Levy, with odds at about 11/2 for him taking the helm if Postecoglou exits.

Edin Terzic

Meanwhile, Terzic is on the market following his stint at Borussia Dortmund, where he not only took the team to the Champions League final last season but was crucial in securing the DFB-Pokal during the 2020-21 term. Despite whispers of Terzic being in talks with Besiktas, the Turkish outfit's chief Serdal Adali confessed on Tivibu Spor last month that Terzic was eyeing a spot at Tottenham amid speculation over Postecoglou's tenure.

"Edin Terzic was one of our foreign alternatives. In the meeting, he said he was expecting an agreement with Tottenham. That book is closed," Adali revealed.

In an interesting twist, it was Ole Gunnar Solskjaer who ultimately clinched the managing role at the Istanbul club.

Kevin Danso is expected to again be in Ange Postecoglou's Tottenham starting XI despite having only recently joined the club from RC Lens in the January transfer window. The central defender made his debut against Liverpool in the Carabao Cup and will likely feature again on Sunday in an FA Cup fourth round clash with Aston Villa.

Despite the fact Spurs conceded four at Anfield, Postecoglou was pleased with Danso's first performance and the signs shown by Mathys Tel. Speaking in a press conference, he said: "Yeah they did OK. Kevin was really positive, as was Mathys.

"It's hard, you know, throwing guys in after their first training sessions, it's not ideal. That's part of our dilemma at the moment of trying to get some fluency and consistency but also knowing we have to keep tinkering with the starting line up to account for everything going on. But I thought they acquitted themselves well."

Danso also made it clear how he felt about playing for Spurs in a lengthy message posted on social media. "Yesterday marked my debut for Tottenham Hotspur in the cup, and though we fell short against a strong side, I couldn’t be prouder to have worn this shirt for the first time [hands together emoji]," an Instagram post read.

"The loss stings, but I truly believe in this team and our journey ahead. I want to thank everyone at the club, and every single fan for the support! Onwards and upwards. COYS."

Due to Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero and Radu Dragusin all still being absent through injury, Danso is in line to feature a lot more going forward alongside Ben Davies. And now the Austria international has hinted at exactly that, starting with the FA Cup tie at Villa Park.

Again via Instagram, Danso posted to his story with a promotional graphic for the game set to kick-off at 5.35pm, an action often by a player set for a prominent involvement.