The Guardian

Ange Postecoglou admits Tottenham ‘need help’ after Solanke injury blow

Submitted by daniel on Fri, 24/01/2025 - 22:39

Ange Postecoglou beleives Tottenham will be “playing with fire” if they do not bring in any new players this month after confirming that their record signing, Dominic Solanke, is likely to be out for six weeks with a knee injury.

Spurs face Leicester on Sunday having picked up only five points from their past 10 matches and have not won at home in the Premier League since the start of November. Languishing in 15th at this stage of the campaign would usually spell trouble for a Tottenham manager but Postecoglou is understood to have been given the opportunity to revive their fortunes by the chairman, Daniel Levy, having enjoyed some success in the cup competitions.

Another major reason for the Australian retaining Levy’s backing is the amount of injuries Spurs have picked up this season, with Postecoglou revealing after the 3-2 win over Hoffenheim in the Europa League on Thursday that the £65m striker Solanke is set to be missing until March, despite not requiring surgery. Asked whether there is money to spend this month to bring in any replacements, Postecoglou said it was down to the club’s technical director, Johan Lange, to “help” his squad.

“I’m not out there trying to find opportunities for the club, that’s not my role at this time. There isn’t time to do it,” Postecoglou said. “I have daily communication with Johan in particular and he’s trying everything he possibly can to get the help we need.

“I don’t think I’m stating anything other than the obvious and for me to come here and say something else would be disingenuous: this playing group needs help, there’s no doubt about that. We’re sort of playing with fire by not bringing anyone in. But the flip side of that is the club is trying to change that situation.”

Postecoglou is hoping both Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven return in time for the second leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final against Liverpool on 6 February and admitted that seeing both central defenders on their way back to full fitness had given the rest of his players “a big lift”.

But despite beating Arne Slot’s side and Manchester United at home in that competition, Tottenham have gone seven matches without a victory in the Premier League at their own stadium and their manager acknowledged that it is important to improve on their “unacceptable” league position.

“Most fans understand the situation that we are in and they are probably not happy with it but they can probably see the potential,” he said. “Our job is to try and produce consistency in our league performances that hopefully alleviates some of the negativeness around the club at the moment.

“I think the players all sense the opportunity: we’re deep in one competition, we’re in the knockout stages of another and further along in the FA Cup. We need to get some results in the league because where we are is unacceptable. But there is still plenty to play for and it’s exciting. I think they all sense that as well and they want us to get through this period so we can tackle the exciting part of the season in the best shape possible.”

The Guardian

Hoffenheim 2-3 Tottenham Hotspur: Europa League – as it happened

Submitted by daniel on Thu, 23/01/2025 - 16:27

From 2d ago

Jacob Steinberg has filed his match report from the PreZero Arena:

A bit more time enjoying Hoffenheim’s hospitality and all of Tottenham’s problems probably would have faded away. After all Christian Ilzer’s struggling side certainly seemed intent on doing everything in their power to ease Spurs back to good health here, displaying such incompetence in defence that it would not be wise to conclude that Ange Postecoglou is out of the woods just yet.

What to make of a neurotic victory over the team sitting fourth from bottom in the Bundesliga? The positive for an injury-hit Spurs is that they were stylish at first, going 2-0 up with goals from James Maddison and Son Heung-min. They also saw off a fightback from Hoffenheim after half-time, Son sealing the points with a clinical strike, and were resilient enough to boost their chances of avoiding a two-legged playoff to reach the Europa League knockouts by surviving a nervy finale with four teenagers on the pitch at the end.

Much more here:

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And that’s all from me. Bye!

Jacob Steinberg has filed his match report from the PreZero Arena:

Much more here:

“It could be a remarkable season for Tottenham. They could win a couple of trophies,” says Owen Hargreaves on TNT. I’ll have what he’s having.

Updated at 21.04 CET

And here’s Ange Postecoglou!

Credit to the boys. Outstanding first half, played really well. We looked a bit tired in the second half but we hung on. We had the schoolboys out there at the end. It was a great victory.

In the context of the game we knew if we could score early it would allow us to get a real good foothold in the game. Son was brilliant. The senior boys all stood up. They needed to, playing away in Europe with such an inexperienced team.

I’ve just told them to enjoy it. Irrespective of the situation we’re in, winning away in Europe gives us a good foothold in those top eight spots which will give us a week off, of respite from the schedule we’ve had, and we’re probably going to need it.

There was some encouragement here for Spurs, more than anything in the performance of Richarlison, who only once this season has played as many as today’s 58 minutes, worked pretty hard, and looked bright in the first half-hour before fading a bit. Davies brought height and nous to their defence. Players returning from injury makes a pleasant change.

In their final league game next week they host Elfsborg, who are currently 26th. A win sends them cantering into the knockout rounds, leaving playoffs for the riff-raff.

The latest Europa League table looks like this:

Scott Murray will type you through Manchester United v Rangers, if you’re up for more:

Nearly final scores: Two games (italicised) are still ongoing, with the one at Qarabag deep into stoppage time and Fenerhahce still just about in normal time. Here are the scores as they stand:

Alkmaar 1-0 Roma

Bodo/Glimt 3-1 Maccabi Tel Aviv

*Fenerbahce 0-0 Lyon

Hoffenheim 2-3 Tottenham

Malmo 2-3 Twente

Porto 0-1 Olympiacos

*Qarabag 2-3 Steaua Bucharest

Viktoria Plzen 2-0 Anderlecht

Final score: Hoffenheim 2-3 Tottenham

Updated at 21.02 CET

GOAL! Hoffenheim 2-3 Tottenham (Mokwa, 88 mins)

Game back on! It’s a great cross from Kramaric on the right, and it dips onto the head of the substitute David Mokwa, who heads in from the far corner of the six-yard box!

Updated at 20.38 CET

GOAL! Hoffenheim 1-3 Tottenham (Son, 77 mins)

N’Soki’s terrible pass gives Kulusevski the ball in the centre circle, and it’s swiftly worked through Moore to Son, who jinks his way into space before shooting low with his left foot beyond Baumann and in at the far post!

Updated at 20.27 CET

GOAL! Hoffenheim 1-2 Tottenham (Stach, 68 mins)

It’s been coming, and now it’s come! Stach starts the break with a fine pass out to Kramaric from his own half and from there he keeps running. Kramaric passes on to Jurasek, and his low cross from the left finds Stach six yards out. His finish is not at all convincing, but the ball spins in at the back stick!

Updated at 20.16 CET

No penalty!

Hoffenheim have a penalty!

Updated at 20.12 CET

The players are back out! No halftimely changes by the look of things.

Half time: Hoffenheim 0-2 Tottenham

The Guardian

Ange Postecoglou backs bigger squads in football amid Spurs injury crisis

Submitted by daniel on Wed, 22/01/2025 - 21:11

Ange Postecoglou believes Tottenham’s injury crisis is a warning for football and fears the situation will not improve unless clubs are allowed to deal with an increasingly packed schedule by building bigger squads.

Spurs are at breaking point before they face Hoffenheim in their penultimate game of the first phase of the Europa League on Thursday, with only 13 first-team players travelling to Germany. Pape Matar Sarr is the latest to succumb to injury and with Sergio Reguilón, Yang Min-hyeok, Djed Spence and Antonin Kinsky ineligible, Postecoglou is short of options for a game that will have a big say on whether his team skip the playoff round for the knockout stage by finishing in the top eight.

“We’ve been hit the hardest but it is becoming more prevalent,” the under-pressure Spurs manager said. “If you look at the teams in Europe, even last year Newcastle really suffered, and Villa to a certain extent this year. You really need a strong squad and to keep them healthy to cope with playing in Europe if you do well in the cup competitions like we have – because it’s not manageable when you’ve got three games a week for the length of time we have.

“Some of it is because we’ve done well in the Carabao Cup and that’s added extra games. People may look at us and think it’s a unique case. It’s very extreme but I don’t think it will be as uncommon as people think as we move along. There’s some warning signs there for others.”

Postecoglou, whose job security is waning after a desperate run, rejected the idea that Spurs need to adjust their recruitment strategy. “If you’re going to play this much football you should be increasing squad numbers,” he said. “It doesn’t matter what strategies you put in place. If you want to compete at this level and happen to do well in all competitions there’s no other way to counteract it.”

“I don’t think it’s a matter of the club’s strategy or recruiting. It’s just the sheer numbers, a scenario where we’ve got limited numbers for all competitions. You’ve got to factor international football into that. It’s not like they get a break between seasons. The calendar’s really ramped up. In the last five years the game has changed a lot from the previous 50 years. There’s going to be some issues if the game keeps changing this quickly.”

Postecoglou was unsure if Spurs, who are ninth in the Europa League standings, will make any more signings before the transfer window shuts. The focus is on beating Hoffenheim, who are enduring a dreadful season. They are 17th in the Bundesliga and in danger of making an early exit from Europe.

However, the German side may see vulnerability in Spurs, who could be forced to use Archie Gray at left-back with Destiny Udogie, Spence and Reguilón unavailable. Gray has played in a variety of positions this season and tThe 18‑year‑old midfielder struggled as part of a back three during the defeat against Everton on Sunday, but insists his confidence remains intact.

“I don’t think any negative will ever shake me,” heGray said. “I spoke to my Dad after the game and he just said you’ve got to learn from these things – if you want to be a footballer, you’re going to have those games and you’ve got to learn from them.”

The Guardian

Postecoglou on thin ice at Tottenham but Levy still hoping for turnaround

Submitted by daniel on Mon, 20/01/2025 - 14:49

Daniel Levy intends to give Ange Postecoglou the opportunity to revive Tottenham’s fortunes, with the under-pressure manager set to remain in charge for this week’s matches against Hoffenheim in the Europa League and Leicester in the Premier League, although the situation is precarious.

Levy would normally be expected to sack a manager who has presided over a league run of five points from 10 matches, as Postecoglou has done to leave the club languishing in 15th place. The 3-2 defeat at Everton on Sunday was the latest low, with Spurs 3-0 down at half-time to a team that had scored 15 goals in 20 previous league matches this season. Their rally towards the end did not obscure the faultlines.

Their form is unacceptable and Levy knows it better than anyone. But the chairman can see that Postecoglou, whose vision has generated buy-in from the fans, even if many are beside themselves with frustration, has been gravely undermined by injuries.

Postecoglou has been running with double-digit absentees (or thereabouts) for weeks and was without 10 senior players at Goodison Park, including his first-choice defence, apart from the right-back Pedro Porro. The hope, fervently held by everyone at the club, is that things will start to improve once the selection crisis eases.

No chairman wants to make a managerial change in the middle of the season, especially when there is no obvious replacement available. Postecoglou has been able to guide his team to the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup, in which they hold a 1-0 lead against Liverpool going into the second leg at Anfield on 6 February.

Spurs are ninth in the Europa League table, well set to qualify for the knockout phase. If they finish in the top eight they will advance straight to the last 16. Hoffenheim are enduring a terrible season: fourth from bottom of the Bundesliga, 26th in the Europa League. Spurs finish their group campaign with a home tie against Elfsborg on Thursday week. Remarkably, they are still the favourites to win the competition with many bookmakers. The Europa League winners qualify for next season’s Champions League.

Spurs’ only league win of the dismal current sequence came at bottom-of-the-table Southampton. Yet Levy knows that when Postecoglou’s team click with all of the main players available, they are capable of thrilling football and results. It was only two months ago they won 4-0 at Manchester City. The Carabao Cup first-leg win over Liverpool came the Wednesday before last.

Spurs have recalled the striker Dane Scarlett from his loan at Oxford in the Championship, but they are expected to send him out again this month. They were not happy with the 20-year-old’s playing time.

The Guardian

Everton sink Tottenham with first-half blitz to give David Moyes first win

Submitted by daniel on Sun, 19/01/2025 - 16:36

The final scoreline indicates a fightback from Tottenham, a spirited revival that left Everton desperately clinging on for their first win under David Moyes and showed spirit still thrives under Ange Postecoglou. The final scoreline is misleading. Spurs paid the price for an atrocious first half performance at Goodison Park as their winless sequence extended to six Premier League games.

Dejan Kulusevski and Richarlison struck in the final 15 minutes to give some credibility to the score but this, in truth, was a comfortable afternoon’s work for an Everton team in serious need of a jolt. Spurs and Moyes’ tactics gave them one.

The Scot had two days to work with the players before the home defeat by Aston Villa on Wednesday, when the shape, personnel and lack of quality in attack were all too familiar to the Goodison regulars. What a difference the rest of the week made. For the second game of his second coming as Everton manager, Moyes handed a Premier League debut to Jake O’Brien on the right of three-man central defence and switched to a 3-4-2-1 formation. The results were revelatory. From the performance of Jesper Lindstrom as a right wing-back to Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s presence up front, Everton’s composure on the ball to their willingness to put bodies on the line, the hosts were unrecognisable.

The Everton cause was helped, no doubt, by a truly pitiful first-half display by Tottenham. With Dominic Solanke injured Postecoglou claimed he had only 11 match fit players for the trip to Goodison, a ground where Spurs had not lost in the Premier League since December 2012, when Moyes was previously Everton manager. The most glaring absentees from the visiting ranks were defensive organisation and character. Spurs’ attitude was pathetic. ‘We want Levy out’ chants emanated from the away section long before Everton sauntered into a 3-0 interval lead but a basic lack of fight and effort is not on the boardroom. The boos that accompanied Postecoglou’s team down the tunnel at half-time was the sound of Spurs’ fans confirming as much.

Spurs helped Calvert-Lewin end his personal torment after 13 minutes. The centre-forward had gone 16 games without a goal prior to their visit and felt the wrath of Goodison after missing a glorious late chance to equalise against Villa. There were no signs of a lack of confidence, however, when Calvert-Lewin received Idrissa Gueye’s slide-rule pass into the penalty area, turned Archie Gray one way, then the other, and slotted a cool finish inside Antonin Kinsky’s near post. The origin of Calvert-Lewin’s first league goal for 1288 minutes was a careless cross-field pass by Pape Sarr to Lindstrom, who had already had a shot tipped away by Kinsky. Everton did not look back.

The hosts’ second was also well-worked and confidently dispatched. Iliman Ndiaye exchanged passes with Gueye, a dominant figure in midfield, and set off from the half-way line against a retreating Spurs defence. Once inside the penalty area he stepped easily across Radu Dragusin and lashed an emphatic shot into the roof of Kinsky’s net. It was Ndiaye’s first Premier League goal at Goodison since his £16.9m move from Marseille.

Everton created several openings to register a third before it eventually arrived. Calvert-Lewin was played clean through on goal by Jarrad Branthwaite’s searching ball but a heavy second touch off his third gifted possession to Kinsky. The striker teed up Orel Mangala for a first time effort that the Spurs’ keeper tipped onto a post. Lindstrom kept the ball alive and centred for Calvert-Lewin to head straight at Kinsky. James Tarkowski met a Lindstrom free-kick with a diving header but directed his attempt straight at the goalkeeper. Spurs initially dealt with the subsequent corner from Lindstrom. The on-loan Napoli winger was given a second bite, however, and delivered a deep cross to the far post where Tarkowski headed back across goal. Calvert-Lewin flicked on and the unfortunate Gray sliced the ball into his own net. Moyes’ name finally rang around Goodison once again.

The threat from Tottenham until that point had been minimal. Son Heung-min was offered sight of Jordan Pickford’s goal when played through by Ben Davies’ long ball over the top. Tarkowski intervened with a superb challenge inside the area. The Spurs captain should have levelled moments later when Pedro Porro dissecting the Everton defence with a fine ball into Kulusevski and the forward teed up Son near the penalty spot. The striker looked certain to score but placed his shot too close to Pickford, who gathered comfortably.

Postecoglou introduced former Everton striker Richarlison for Dragusin at half-time. The defender needed lengthy treatment for an eye injury just before the break when caught by Calvert-Lewin’s raised arm but the switch was necessary regardless. It sparked an improvement from Spurs, so too the later introduction of Mikey Moore, but it would be a stretch to suggest the final scoreline showed they pushed Everton to the limit. Kulusevski reduced the arrears with a superb finish after Pickford came off his line to challenge the otherwise anonymous James Maddison. The ball broke to Moore and, though his shot was charged down, Kulusevski lofted the rebound over several Everton defenders and in from close range.

Richarlison caused late palpitations among the home crowd when poking home a Moore cross in the final seconds but this was no late charge from Spurs. Postecoglou looks in serious trouble.

The Guardian

Everton v Tottenham: Premier League updates, plus goals from elsewhere – live

Submitted by daniel on Sun, 19/01/2025 - 12:30

Read Max Rushden on Big Ange

The Sydney Morning Herald sports reporter Vince Rugari wrote Angeball: The definitive biography of Ange Postecoglou. “Celtic is the only time he’s clearly had the best/richest team in the league,” he says. “In every job he’s had he’s faced exactly the same questions/criticisms as he is now: he must adapt, it won’t work at this level, he’s naive, been found out, no plan B. Every time he’s proved that sort of narrative totally wrong.

Everton v Tottenham team news

David Moyes makes two changes from the defeat to Aston Villa, both on the right-hand side. Jake O’Brien and Jesper Lindstrom replace Ashley Young and Jack Harrison.

Spurs are without Dominic Solanke, Yves Bissouma and Brennan Johnson. Ben Davies and James Maddison return to the starting XI. I’ve no idea who is playing where. Djed Spence on the left wing? Maddison as a false nine?

Everton (4-2-3-1) Pickford; O’Brien, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko; Mangala, Gueye; Lindstrom, Doucoure, Ndiaye; Calvert-Lewin.

Substitutes: Virginia, Begovic, Patterson, Keane, Harrison, Beto, Young, Armstrong, Sherif.

Tottenham Hotspur (possible 4-3-3) Kinsky; Porro, Dragusin, Davies, Gray; Bergvall, Sarr, Maddison; Kulusevski, Son, Spence.

Substitutes: Austin, Reguilon, Richarlison, Yang, Lankshear, Moore, Olusesi, Hardy, Ajayi.

Referee Darren England

Updated at 14.12 CET

“Wonder if, once Postecoglou and Moyes take their place on the touchline, they’ll share a grim, understanding look at each other about derbies,” says Kieran McKintosh. “Postecoglou having just come off worse from one, and Moyes just about to go into an even bigger one. Moyes in the dugout for the final derby at Goodison Park will make for some cracking nostalgia, though.”

I fully expect Tim Cahill and Andy Johnson to sign temporary deals, just for that game.

Preamble

Hello and welcome to live coverage of Everton v Tottenham Hotspur at Goodison Park. Once upon a time these two clubs were part of England’s Big Five. Right now, even though Spurs are usually included among the Big Six, they and Everton are in the actual bottom six.

While there are mitigating circumstances, most notably Spurs’ grotesque injury list, this is not what either club had in mind. Everton are in another relegation battle; Spurs have redefined the concept of Spursiness by dropping to 15th place while also being arguably the most exciting team in the country.

Styles make fights, and Everton (goals for 15, against 26) and Spurs (F43, A32) could barely be more different. Let’s hope it makes for a cracker.

We’ll also have goal updates from the other games, Manchester United v Brighton & Hove Albion and Nottingham Forest v Southampton. But Everton v Spurs will be our main focus, mainly because it’s the only match that is actually being televised in the UK.

Kick off 2pm.

The Guardian

Ange Postecoglou backs Spurs’ young stars to lead club through ‘tough spot’

Submitted by daniel on Fri, 17/01/2025 - 22:36

Ange Postecoglou has backed his young players to show the leadership required to get Tottenham through their current “tough spot” in the Premier League.

Spurs have won just once in their past six league matches and are currently 14th. Postecoglou continues to insist the club’s injury crisis is unlike any he has experienced in his career before, with Ben Davies the only member of Spurs’ sick list likely to be available for selection against Everton on Sunday. But the Australian believes his team will be stronger if they can find a way through their current adversity.

“The younger players have done brilliantly in coping with what’s been thrown at them,” Postecoglou said. “Archie [Gray], Lucas [Bergvall], Djed [Spence] … Dom [Solanke] has done an unbelievable job. These guys have embraced the challenge of us being in a tough spot, they’ve not shied away.

“They are all new in terms of the team, that’s important because at some point when we get significant returns [in players], that could lead to a stronger time. I’ve always said leadership can come in different forms, and maybe the young ones can lead us through; there’s no reason they can’t. That’s the message I’ve been giving back to them: whatever it takes and whoever stands up in these moments, don’t wait for somebody else. If you feel like it’s going to be you, then you take that moment.”

Postecoglu’s remarks hardly reflect well on Spurs’ older players, though the manager insisted it was more a case of his squad being short on experience altogether. “We don’t have a lot in that bracket to be fair,” Postecoglou said.

He went to say that he was not explicitly looking to add experience in this transfer window. “What we need right now is some reinforcements in terms of able bodies who can help us get through this period. That’s much more important than anything else right now. Every game we’ve got close to double-digit absences.”

Spurs face an Everton side at Goodison Park seven points and two places below them, and back under the control of David Moyes. Postecoglou extolled the virtues of his counterpart, another manager who has been criticised for not adjusting his approach to the game. He was also pleased that, at 61, the Scot has replaced him as the Premier League’s oldest manager.

“I’m delighted to see him back because it means I’m not the oldest in the Premier League anymore. If we can get Roy [Hodgson] off a beach somewhere I will be even happier,” said Postecoglu. “He is still at the top of his game and is a fantastic manager. I think longevity is a measure of your capabilities particularly when you think of how long he has managed in the Premier League itself and he has made an impact at the clubs he has been at.

“There is not one person, one manager who won’t go through tough times, who won’t lose his job at some point. That happens to everyone. You’ve got to have something to cling on to. What do you believe in? If you don’t [have anything] and if you’re just changing all the time because of pressures then eventually what happens is you disappear.”

The Guardian

Football transfer rumours: West Ham and Spurs battle for Barça’s Ansu Fati?

Submitted by daniel on Fri, 17/01/2025 - 09:17

The problem with selling a superstar winger for £70m is that everyone knows that you have £70m to spend. Napoli may have sent Khvicha Kvaratskhelia out of the door, with the Georgian coughing for the PSG doctors today before his big-money move, but now the Italian side have a Kvaratskhelia-shaped hole on the left side of their attack and a lot of money to spend.

Antonio Conte, Napoli’s manager, wants Alejandro Garnacho with Manchester United now rejecting an offer of £40m for the 20-year-old. The deal looks increasingly difficult, given the Argentinian played 90 minutes in United’s win over Southampton on Thursday, unless Napoli decide to up their offer from the spare £30m they have knocking about. “[Garnacho] has talent,” said Ruben Amorim after United’s 3-1 victory. “I think he changed the way he sees himself. He’s finding the best way to play in this system and is improving during training.”

Kvaratskhelia, for what it’s worth, issued a statement overnight, which should be read in the context of him trying to force a move away from Naples. “It’s truly difficult for me, but it’s time to say goodbye,” he sobbed. “I felt great here. We shared beautiful moments and thrilling experiences. This has been my home. My hope is to meet again. I know you are heartbroken now, but I’ll tell you everything one day.” How enticingly cryptic!

Speaking of young left wingers, former prodigy Ansu Fati can’t get in the Barcelona squad after returning from an underwhelming loan spell at Brighton last season. That hasn’t put off West Ham or Tottenham, who are in need of attacking reinforcement.

Eintracht Frankfurt forward Omar Marmoush will soon cross the Ts and dot the Is on his deal to join Manchester City, but that hasn’t stopped the English club giving Erling Haaland a new whopping nine-and-a-half-year contract. Crucially, City have removed a release clause and all they had to do was give Haaland one of the most lucrative contracts in sporting history, with the Norwegian set to earn half-a-million pounds a week as a basic wage.

Bad news for Brentford. Their excellent goalscoring form – only Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham have scored more in the league – has meant there are a host of clubs sniffing around their forward line. Newcastle are hoping to nip in ahead of Arsenal to snaffle Bryan Mbeumo, Borussia Dortmund like the cut of Kevin Schade’s jib, while Nottingham Forest are eyeing Yoane Wissa but only if their own striker, Taiwo Awoniyi, leaves for West Ham.

Everton are interested in Lyon’s Ernest Nuamah, with the French club demanding £25m for the right winger. That might mean Everton pursue a loan deal with an option to buy, with David Moyes historically quite keen on that sort of deal: think Joseph Yobo to Everton (2002) or both Saïd Benrahma and Thomas Soucek to West Ham (2020).

The Guardian

In Ange we trust? Why Spurs should risk potential failure and back Postecoglou

Submitted by daniel on Thu, 16/01/2025 - 18:12

In the buildup to the north London derby the former Tottenham goalkeeper Paul Robinson repeated a line that almost every pundit/journalist/fan has used this season: “With Spurs, you don’t know what you’re going go get.” The trouble is it feels increasingly – especially in the league – that you know exactly what you’re going to get.

Wednesday night appeared entirely predictable. Watching two great young prospects, Djed Spence and Archie Gray, play the ball to each other, slowly but surely progressing it backwards towards their own corner flag before giving away possession/a throw/a corner with almost no other options, seemed like a very limited and dispiriting choose your own adventure.

On the rare occasion Spurs had the ball in Arsenal’s half, at no point did the players look like breaking through the back line. Knocking the ball from one side to the other, ignoring the opportunity to sling it into the box so Pedro Porro could overhit an impossible pass inside the full-back, giving Gabriel Magalhães another opportunity to show just how good he is at shepherding a ball out of play.

As with all football matches, it is worth pointing out the existence of the opposition. Arsenal may not be thrilling going forward but defensively they were absolutely brilliant. Even in the exact moment of conceding a goal they didn’t really look in any danger.

Spurs, since beating Manchester City 4-0 at the Etihad at the end of November, are 18th in the form table. They have five points from a possible 27. They are level on points with Crystal Palace and below West Ham. Since Ange Postecoglou’s impossibly good start last season (26 points from the first 10 games), his league win percentage is 39%.

So is there any kind of compelling case for keeping him? None of us is objective. Since moving to Australia I have been brainwashed by the football community. Perhaps because there are no Australian superstars in the men’s game, Ange carries the hopes of a wildly passionate set of fans who are almost universally desperate for him to succeed.

A lot of Premier League fans and pundits are quick to dismiss his achievements elsewhere. The A-League, the J-League, Scotland. If anything, the Scottish Premiership is a bit of an outlier compared to his previous successes. The Sydney Morning Herald sports reporter Vince Rugari wrote Angeball: The definitive biography of Ange Postecoglou. “Celtic is the only time he’s clearly had the best/richest team in the league,” he says. “In every job he’s had he’s faced exactly the same questions/criticisms as he is now: he must adapt, it won’t work at this level, he’s naive, been found out, no plan B. Every time he’s proved that sort of narrative totally wrong.

“If you’re faced with the question: ‘Do we trust this guy to turn it around?’ It really depends for me how highly you rate his credentials from earlier in his career. If you think Asia is a joke and that it’s easy to win the Asian Cup or whatever, and can’t recognise how difficult it is to navigate a salary cap and build a team that plays possession football with limited Aussie players … then yeah you probably think, bin this guy. But if you are the opposite, then betting against Ange is a bit like thinking that maybe this time Wile E. Coyote is gonna get that bloody Road Runner.”

Injuries also matter. They are not interesting to talk about – any conversation about them ends with: “Everyone has them, you just have to find a way.” But they can define seasons. If important players are injured in positions where you have limited cover you will get fewer points. To be without your first-choice goalkeeper and centre-backs (and now left-back) for such an extended period means Spurs should be a few points lower than expected.

It also adds to the exhaustion of the 14 or so who are playing every few days. There is an interesting question about how much Ange’s style contributes to injuries. Historically there doesn’t seem to be a consistent pattern of it happening under him, although perhaps the physicality and relentlessness of the Premier League pushes Angeball hamstrings past their elastic limit.

Limited cover, especially at the back, seems an important point here. Where should blame be apportioned for going into a season with only three centre-backs and a second keeper with such a wildly different skill set to your No 1?

This is where Daniel Levy comes in. The Football Weekly podcast regular, and Spurs season-ticket holder, Mark Langdon from the Racing Post articulated it well on a recent episode. “Inside the stadium not many people have been calling for Ange to go. I think the issues lie way above Postecoglou. Daniel Levy has been in charge for a quarter of a century.

“ There’s a direct link between wage bill expenditure and success in football and Tottenham have tried to do it on the cheap. According to Deloitte’s last figures, for the 2022-23 season, Spurs have got the lowest wages to revenue ratio in the Premier League. That in itself shows a lack of ambition. They wanted [Leandro] Trossard, they wanted [Pedro] Neto, they wanted Luis Díaz. They got [Arnaut] Danjuma, [Manor] Solomon and Timo Werner. There are lots of things at the club that people are unhappy with and Ange is a long way down that list even though things are not going well on the pitch.”

So if football leagues are the same (a big if), history suggests that Ange, with a fit squad and a bit more investment, can overachieve with Spurs. Perhaps for a number of reasons the Premier League is where this approach falls down. Postecoglou is coming up against the best managers and players he’s ever faced.

I would stick with him – for this season, and next. If nothing else to just see it play out. At their best under Ange they are a brilliant and thrilling football team. I am more interested to see if he can get them doing that consistently than to see another manager come in and start again.

Worst-case scenario Spurs are average at best for another couple of years. Their fans should be well adjusted to cope with that – nothing in the past two and a half decades suggests someone else would do better. Just imagine if it did work, with those talented teenagers at the heart of it. If all things were fair and equal, then this crisis will only make the story better in the end.

The Guardian

Spurs live down to their underdog billing as Arsenal paint town red

Submitted by daniel on Thu, 16/01/2025 - 16:24

NOT SO HOTSPUR

Since comfortably beating Aston Villa at the start of November, Tottenham Hotspur have won only two of the 11 Premier League matches they’ve contested. Well, played in or at least turned up for. Indeed, a good lawyer might argue that technically they haven’t really won any because one of the aforementioned victories came against peak b@nter era Manchester City, while not even Spurs were capable of doing anything other than swat the current Southampton rabble aside, a feat that is not so much something to be proud of, but more the equivalent of helping yourself to the pennies covering a dead man’s eyes. Having taken just eight points from their previous 10 games, Ange Postecoglou’s knack-depleted team went into Wednesday night’s north London derby as firm underdogs … and duly lived down to their billing.

Despite taking a first-half lead with what would prove their final shot on target, they did little else to ensure that their Australian manager would conduct his post-match interviews while staring forlornly at his brogues in the style to which he, assorted interrogators and so many Spurs fans, have become wearily accustomed. “Not good enough, especially the first half which was way too passive,” fumed Ange following a derby in which only the hosts seemed to go about their business with any additional neighbourly animus. “We allowed Arsenal to take control. I was disappointed with us with and without the ball, allowing them to dictate the tempo. Nowhere near good enough. That’s not who we are. That’s not how I set the team up to play. To be sitting in and allowing Arsenal to play just wasn’t good enough.”

While all available evidence suggests that, despite Ange’s protests to the contrary, “that” is exactly who Spurs are and have been for so long that their very name has become a byword for spinelessness and meek capitulation, but quite how the increasingly frustrated Aussie plans to rid the club of its apparently ingrained loser mentality remains to be seen. With Spurs currently sitting 13th in the table eight points clear of the relegation zone and just one better off than the worst Manchester United team of the past 30 years, he is unlikely to get the chance to try anything unless results improve very quickly.

While Arsenal had knack issues of their own to contend with, their manager and fans were understandably delighted with the performance of Myles Lewis-Skelly, who became their youngest player to start a match against Spurs in 20 years. Far from being overwhelmed, the 18-year-old snapped into tackles, blocked what passed for anything resembling a kitchen sink that Spurs threw at him and crowned a memorable day at the office by winding up Richarlison. “My mum, my grandma, my friends [were at the game],” he tooted before revealing the presence of one relative in particular had kept him motivated. “I had to put on a show for my grandma, to make sure that I did not look soft in front of her. I had to make sure I was winning my tackles for her, and hopefully she is proud of me.”

Expect Ange to issue a flurry of invitations to the nans of assorted Tottenham players before Sunday’s game against Everton if he thinks it might finally shame some of his underperforming stars into a performance that might move them up the table.

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I would never dare doubt the accuracy and reliability of statistics from Big Website, but some of the match stats from the Holsten Pils Kiel v Dortmund game that you directed us to in Wednesday’s News, Bits and Bobs (full email edition) seem more inflated than a Roman Eagle handler’s tackle. By my maths, this works out at a shot every 52 seconds, a corner just shy of every three minutes, and more than a foul every minute. Pity the poor set-piece coaches and magic-sponge carriers, they’ll be needing a second winter break to recover from the exertions” – Neil McGwyre.

I’m not sure I need to get involved in this, but perhaps Thomas Ayre (yesterday’s Football Daily letters) meant to say that Lazio didn’t have the ‘cojones’ to sack the eagle/fascist bloke, rather than ‘cajones’, which would mean they didn’t have the drawers, or possibly coffins. Or maybe, as these are both Spanish, we’d be better off with ‘coglioni’” – Mark Taylor (and 1,056 others).

After Everton’s home defeat on Wednesday, perhaps David Moyes will actually need Leighton Baines to help him find a Pret (Tuesday’s David Squires cartoon) – as he has already lost his way” – Dedric Helgert.

Darian Boyd’s letter o’ the day (yesterday’s letters) for his motorbike-related quip was some Triumph” – Mike Wrall.

Send letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. Today’s winner of our prizeless letter o’ the day is … Neil McGwyre. Terms and conditions for our competitions – when we have them – can be viewed here.

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