The Mirror

Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner led Eintracht Frankfurt to Europa League glory in 2022 and Tottenham Hotspur are in the German side's way as they chase a repeat

Oliver Glasner will be Eintracht Frankfurt’s special agent when he calls in to wish his old club luck against Tottenham in the Europa League quarter-finals. The Crystal Palace boss, who led Frankfurt to the trophy three years ago - knocking out West Ham in the semis - has revealed he will pay them a visit at their London hotel ahead of the first leg with Spurs.

And Glasner, who has taken the Eagles to the FA Cup semi-finals, could be the high-flying German club’s lucky charm. He said: “I will visit them the day before (the Tottenham game) in their hotel - not the players but of course many of the staff are still working there.

“I am pretty sure Frankfurt are having a fantastic season, they are positioned third in the Bundesliga and also in the quarter-finals of the Europa League. These games are so important for the club and fans - and I know there will be many at the Spurs stadium.

“I really know what a good team Tottenham is and I expect a very good quarter-final with two attacking teams. These are two teams with a lot of pace in their squads - I am looking forward to watching this game but I will watch it on TV.”

Under Glasner, Frankfurt beat Rangers in the final to win the Europa League in 2022 and they reached the knockout stages of the Champions League, qualifying from the same group as Tottenham, the following year.

Under-pressure Spurs head coach Ange Postecoglou may have to win the Europa League to save his job. And Big Ange is in the last chance saloon to maintain his proud record of lifting a trophy in his second season at every club he has managed.

Premier League games involving Spurs have produced more goals this season than any other club - 105 in 31 matches, and only Liverpool (72) have scored more than Tottenham’s 58.

But their perpetual weakness at the back, where injuries have forced Postecogloou to play 16 different combinations in defence, makes Frankfurt favourites to go through.

Glasner’s Palace have lost only one more Premier League game than third-placed Nottingham Forest this season.

It has been billed as make-or-break for Ange Postecoglou. But it is already beginning to feel that even the Europa League is too little too late for the Tottenham manager.

Tottenham face Eintracht Frankfurt in the first leg of their quarter final and they will have their work cut out to beat a team currently third in the Bundesliga. It is a huge test for Tottenham but does at least offer Postecoglou the chance to keep his promise of always winning a trophy in his second season - and a passport into the Champions League.

If you ask Postecoglou what his brief was then he will say it was to win trophies and improve the style of play. Big Ange is in with a shout of a trophy and his football has been a lot more memorable than the days of Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte.

But what we cannot escape from is the Premier League table. Even after beating Southampton and condemning them to relegation, Spurs have lost more league games than they have won this season. Played 31, won 11, drawn four and lost 16. Tottenham are stranded in 14th place.

This is Tottenham we are talking about. A team with aspirations of finishing in the Champions League places at the start of this season. That is just unacceptable. And I'm afraid it's why even if Tottenham pull off a miracle and win the Europa League, they have to make a change.

Sadly that change does not feel as if it will be in the hierarchy - and it should be - so Postecoglou will ultimately carry the can. The Tottenham fans - judging by their chants and protests - are far more angry with chairman Daniel Levy and the board than the manager.

Postecoglou did try their patience by cupping his ear at the away end at Chelsea last Thursday and, unfortunately, when you lose the fans, it is game over.

I feel for Postecoglou. I really like him. There is this notion that he's grumpy and awkward. Not in my experience. He's quite friendly and thoughtful. He offers a view on football generally. Come on, so many of us agree with him on VAR.

He is far more confrontational and awkward in front of the cameras than he is in when the cameras are off. I think it's more to do with the cameras than the people and his views on memes and such like.

Should Tottenham sack Ange Postecoglou? Have your say in the comments section.

I will also think of his first season. Particularly the first half. They played good football, they had the crowd with them and they even topped the table for a bit. It was good fun. The fans liked him and wanted it to work.

That is why I think it is such a shame that the club have not backed him enough. The recruitment has been shocking. And not enough of it. If you look at what they paid for Brennan Johnson. £45million. That put unfair pressure on him. Richarlison £60m. There's under-performing players.

I saw one of those tiresome combined North London XIs picked by an Arsenal fan and they included James Maddison. You can tell they don't watch Spurs. He's a good player - but has one game in three.

Where is the quality, proven holding midfielder? That is what Spurs need. To hear Levy talk about not putting Spurs at risk was galling by going big in the transfer market. They still charge sky high prices. And his earnings are pretty sky high themselves.

I remember last season a survey saying Spurs were the best run club. Not if you are talking football. No trophy since 2008 is a damning indictment of Levy's reign. That is not down to Postecoglou.

When Postecoglou was brought in and it all looked rosy, I remember one director saying that Big Ange was their first choice and only choice. They were trying to show how clever they were. So, what's changed?

I do think Postecoglou will probably go. No matter what happens. They have been linked with Marco Silva and Andoni Iroala. The Bournemouth manager's credentials are good. You cannot say Bournemouth’s results have dipped since he's been linked with the job because he's been linked for months.

Brentford's Thomas Frank would be a better choice. But who wants to put their credentials on the line? That's the bigger question. Because it can break even the best and most ambitious managers. Just look at Postecoglou.

Fresh off the back of his rant at VAR in midweek, Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou was again left fuming at the technology's interventions after a lengthy offside check

Ange Postecoglou turned his ire on VAR once again after Tottenham had to wait five minutes for a goal to be ruled out because of a marginal offside. Two days after suggesting that his enjoyment for football had been dulled by technology being used to aid referees, Postecoglou shrugged when Lucas Bergvall’s strike was eventually wiped off.

It would have been the teenager’s first Premier League goal only for Sergio Romero, who had provided a knockdown header, to have strayed off. Semi-automated technology, already in use for European games, will be introduced in the Premier League next week to speed up decisions.

But Postecoglou, who was “really happy” with his team’s first half performance, is sceptical that it will improve the process greatly. “I’ve got no idea, that's the assumption,” he said.

“Again, if you told me a few years ago that we would be spending five minutes during a football game standing around I would never have believed you. But everyone loves it, everyone wants it, everyone is delighted by it and it is working so well and we're getting all the decisions right.

“They draw those lines, is anyone convinced by those? This is not a slight on anyone as I don't think it favours us or not favours us but the fact we're waiting five minutes I really don’t think that’s what technology was brought in for.

“But it's gone too far down the road for anyone to claw it back. We used to allow the assistants to make those decisions and we all accepted it.”

As for his team’s performance, with a season-defining Europa League tie against Eintracht Frankfurt to come on Thursday, the Australian added: “I was really happy with the first half.

“We were really disciplined, well organised and limited them. Every time we went forward we looked dangerous, really fluent. Second half, not so much. We became too passive without the ball, really sloppy with the ball and the subs didn’t make the impact I wanted.

“Disappointing, something to improve on, but we got the win and everyone came through unscathed and ready for a big night Thursday.”

Southampton’s relegation from the Premier League has been confirmed following their latest defeat away to Tottenham Hotspur. And the sorry Saints have become the first Premier League team to be officially down with as many as seven matches still to play.

Ipswich and Derby County had jointly held the record before Saints’ misery continued in north London - after having their relegation confirmed with six fixtures left in 1994/95 and 2007/08 respectively.

Brennan Johnson scored twice in the first half for Spurs, whose midfielder Lucas Bergvall also had what he thought was a first Premier League goal ruled out for offside following a five-minute VAR check, to consign Ivan Juric's side to a 25th defeat of the season.

Matheus Fernandes did pull one back in the final minute, prompting sarcastic chants of "We are staying up" from the visiting supporters but their demotion was soon made official when Johnson was tripped by ... in the fourth minute of added time sub Mathys Tel converting despite his Welsh team-mate being on for a hat-trick.

And now Southampton's attention turns to avoiding another unwanted record - having the lowest-ever points tally in a Premier League season. The 2007/08 Derby team finished with 11 points - one point more than Saints have now.

Juric is fully aware of that, telling the media before Wednesday's home match against Crystal Palace : "I don't want it to be that we are the worst team in the history of Premier League."

Despite that shocking return, by the calendar Saints' drop is only the joint-fourth earliest in Premier League history with Derby going down on March 29, Huddersfield Town in 2018/19 being relegated on March 30, Fulham on April 2 of the same campaign and Leicester City's class of 2001/02 having their fate sealed on April 6, putting them level with Southampton.

The other teams promoted to the top flight last summer - Ipswich and Leicester City - also look almost certain to return to the Championship after Wolves ' win at Portman Road on Saturday extended the gap to safety to 12 points.

"I think it's certainly more than likely on the balance of probabilities," Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna said when asked about the prospect of relegation on Saturday. "Not that I don't think we can't finish the season strongly, but Wolves are a strong side and the chance of them losing all their games is really low. The likelihood is we'll fall short of our ultimate dream."

It has been far from the ideal season for Ange Postecoglou and his Spurs side as they sit above the relegation zone going into the business end of the season

Tottenham Hotspur are in dire need of a confidence boost as they gear up for a Premier League showdown against Southampton, a team already staring relegation in the face, ahead of their Europa League quarter-final.

Ange Postecoglou finds himself under immense pressure to deliver European success to salvage his position after a lacklustre domestic season. Spurs' recent 1-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge to Chelsea has left them languishing in 14th place, with only one win in their last six outings. This form has understandably left fans disgruntled and questioning the team's status as favourites for the Europa League. The upcoming clash with Eintracht Frankfurt looms large, making a victory over Southampton all the more crucial.

Fortunately for Tottenham, their opponents are struggling even more. Southampton sit at the bottom of the league table, enduring a seven-match winless streak. The Saints came heartbreakingly close to breaking this cycle midweek against Crystal Palace, only for the Eagles to snatch a last-minute equaliser.

Under Ivan Juric’s management, Southampton are desperately trying to avoid going down as one of the worst teams in Premier League history. They need just one more point to match Derby County's infamous tally from the 2007-2008 season.

Tottenham vs Southampton Odds

Spurs - 42/100 (CopyBet)

Draw - 4/1 (CopyBet)

Southampton - 11/2 (CopyBet)

Tottenham vs Southampton

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Tottenham to score over 2.5 goals - 6/5 (CopyBet)

Tottenham vs Southampton

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Pedro Porro still believes Tottenham can make something of their season despite their turbulent form as they prepare to host basement boys Southampton in the Premier League

Pedro Porro has singled out Archie Gray and Djed Spence for praise amid Tottenham's seemingly never-ending crisis. The Spanish right-back, who has recently lost his place in Ange Postecoglou's side to Spence, believes the two youngsters have consistently proven their worth in north London this season despite the turmoil.

Porro said ahead of Sunday's Premier League clash against Southampton: “When you have so many injuries in defence, for us in our roles on the pitch, it's difficult because the back four is changing a lot.

"I think the players have done well, the likes of Archie playing a lot at centre-back and Djed after injuries to important players at the back.

"But this is football, so the most important thing for me is to keep going and focus on each game at a time. For the rest of the season, for me the one thing is to keep going and focus on winning the last games as in this part we can win a trophy for the Club so this is very important.”

Porro, who was a late substitute in Thursday's 1-0 derby defeat at Chelsea, is still optimistic Spurs can make something of their ill-fated campaign by winning the Europa League and ending the gruelling 17-year wait for a trophy. He is adamant Tottenham have played better than their results suggest after they recently succumbed to their 20th defeat of the season in all competitions.

Porro continued: “For me, I think the season has been difficult, especially when you're not winning the games despite playing well at times. In my opinion, the team has played quite well but I admit the results haven't helped us.

"I would like to thank the fans for staying patient with us this season; I understand people want to win the games but sometimes this is football.

"Also having players out injured for a few months was difficult, but the team kept pushing and now, in the last part of the season, we have the quarter-final in the Europa League and must focus on winning games.”

Under-fire Aussie Postecoglou is under mounting pressure and his future beyond the end of the season looks to be in serious doubt not only because of poor results but also, the growing disconnect between fans and his team.

"Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola is among the names at the top of Spurs' managerial shortlist but he has a £10million release clause written into his current deal with the Cherries. Thomas Frank and Marco Silva have also attracted admirers at Tottenham.

Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou is likely to see his future reviewed at the end of the season - if not before - with Daniel Levy having to consider potential replacements

Ange Postecoglou's difficult time in charge of Tottenham continued as they lost to rivals Chelsea on Thursday with the dark clouds still gathering. Defeat left the north Londoners firmly in the bottom half as fans frustration grew.

Victory for the Blues meant they completed the double over their London neighbours with the away section at Stamford Bridge chanting "you don't know what you're doing" at the Australian in the dugout.

Postecoglou has remained defiant all year despite Tottenham being set to post their worst Premier League finish in more than 15 years. It has led to inevitable questions over him and his future at the club with Daniel Levy known to pull the trigger when things get tough.

The likes of Andre Villas-Boas, Mauricio Pochettino and Jose Mourinho have felt his wrath and attention has already turned to who could replace Postecoglou if the Tottenham chairman does opt to wield the axe again.

On-field success is now a must for Tottenham with their lack of a trophy closing in on the 20-year mark. For all their exploits away from the pitch the frustration mounts with each passing season and Levy may soon have to look at who can make Tottenham a force as he draws up a possible shortlist.

Marco Silva

There's a number of managers who have outperformed their resources this term and the Portuguese manager is among them. He's really been able to settle into his Fulham tenure after showing brief sparks at the likes of Hull, Watford and Everton.

There is doubt about whether Silva will remain at Craven Cottage beyond this season, even without talk of him taking the Tottenham job, and he may feel as though he's taken Fulham as far as he can with a new challenge now on his radar.

Andoni Iraola

When a relatively unknown Spanish manager rocked up on the Dorset coast there were plenty of red flags, but it has proved to be a masterstroke from the Bournemouth hierarchy.

After a slow start Iraola proved what a shrewd tactician he is and the Cherries enjoyed a promising campaign in his debut year but have catapulted to new heights this term with European football a genuine possibility. Iraola is seen as one of the most exciting managers in England and it is very much a case of when, not if, he makes a step up.

Kieran McKenna

The Ipswich Town boss is a bit of an outlier. It is easy to see him as a man who is about to take the Tractor Boys down without much of a fight, but what he did in the years prior to that was quite stunning. Taking Ipswich from League One to the Premier League in two years and who knows what he could do with extra resources.

He's also shown himself to have an eye for a player with Liam Delap's signing and subsequent development a huge notch on the ex-Manchester United assistant.

Thomas Frank

He's been increasingly linked with top jobs having turned Brentford from a Championship outfit into a stable Premier League side. Despite losing top players annually Frank has kept the Bees in a good spot and the manner in which he plays the game has also been a huge compliment to him. Brentford have claimed numerous big scalps with Frank seemingly not afraid of any challenge.

Maurico Pochettino

The outsider but the talk about a romantic return to Tottenham has been mounting and we know that Levy has his number saved. Pochettino took the club to their highest heights since the Premier League began and he's currently coaching the USA, but could well be tempted to make a move back.

There would no doubt be reservations, but the Argentine was able to tap into some stellar young talent and may well back himself to do so again. But while it would be a move that tugs on the Tottenham heartstrings, it will also do the same to the purse strings.

The BBC reported that the release clause in his contract with the US national team is "one of the biggest financial compensation fees in football history". Whether Levy would green light that for a manager he has already sacked once, remains unlikely.

The Premier League have confirmed that Moises Caicedo's fine goal in Chelsea's match with Tottenham was chalked off after a VAR check because Levi Colwill had strayed into an offside position.

Caicedo lashed a superb volley into the bottom right-hand corner just minutes after Enzo Fernandez had headed the Blues into a 1-0 lead during the second half. However, Colwill went for the ball initially with Cristian Romero which led to calls for the goal to be chalked off.

Although referee Craig Pawson and his officials initially awarded the goal, VAR checked the call and overruled the decision. And the Premier League took to social media to confirm the process behind the call.

They wrote in a post on X: "VAR checked the referee’s call of goal – and established that Colwill was in an offside position in the build-up and recommended that the goal was disallowed."

There was even more drama just minutes later when Pape Matar Sarr sent a thunderous strike from range beyond Robert Sanchez in the home goal.

But Chelsea players quickly protested after what they felt was a foul in the build-up. And they were proven right just minutes later when VAR advised Pawson to head to his monitor to correct another call.

Join the debate! What did you make of the VAR calls? Let us know here

The Premier League shared another post confirming that a foul on Caicedo was the reason for the overturn, saying: "VAR checked the referee’s call of goal for Tottenham - and deemed there was a foul by Sarr on Caicedo in the build-up and recommended an on-field review. The referee then overturned the original decision and the goal was disallowed, with Sarr then cautioned for a reckless challenge."

And just to rub salt into Sarr's wounds, he was then shown a yellow card for his challenge on Caicedo, who was left in a heap on the turf.

Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur, two of London's premier football clubs, are eager to regain their footing in the Premier League following a disappointing run leading up to the international break. This upcoming London derby promises to be a thrilling contest as both teams vie for a much-needed victory.

Tottenham Hotspur, despite languishing in the lower half of the Premier League table, have shifted their focus towards the Europa League. They eagerly await their quarter-final match against Eintracht Frankfurt later this month. Despite their league position, Ange Postecoglou's squad are heavily tipped to clinch the Europa trophy, a triumph that would grant them access to next season's Champions League.

Chelsea, on the other hand, are well-positioned to claim their place at Europe's elite competition through their league standing. Enzo Maresca's squad is also considered strong contenders for the UEFA Conference League title this season.

However, securing a top-four finish in the Premier League appears to be a more daunting task due to fierce competition amongst teams in the upper half of the table. Chelsea suffered a 1-0 defeat against Arsenal in their last match before the break.

Tottenham Hotspur also stumbled against Fulham in an away match just prior to the international break. Now, both teams face another London derby challenge as they strive to return to their winning ways.

Chelsea vs Tottenham Odds

Chelsea - 4/6 (CopyBet)

Draw - 10/3 (CopyBet)

Spurs - 7/2 (CopyBet)

Chelsea vs Tottenham Betting Tips

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Ange Postecoglou sends message to Mauricio Pochettino after ex-Spurs boss vowed to return

Under-pressure Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou has insisted he doesn't feel threatened by much-loved ex-boss Mauricio Pochettino saying he wants to return to the club one day

Ange Postecoglou insists Mauricio Pochettino is welcome to come back to Tottenham. Under-pressure Postecoglou says he “did not feel disrespected” by Pochettino saying that he wants to return to Spurs in the future.

United States boss Pochettino, who led the club to a Champions League final in 2019, told Mirror Football that “in the bottom of his heart” he wants to return and “one day win with Tottenham.” Pochettino remains a firm favourite with Tottenham fans and his comments did not go down well in all quarters of the club and they could be seen as turning up the heat on Postecoglou whose long term future is in major doubt.

Tottenham have lost 15 games in the Premier League this season which is more than half their 29 games played and they are clinging to the Europa League as their last remaining hope of silverware.

Spurs boss Postecoglou, whose side go to bitter rivals Chelsea on Thursday night, said: “Mauricio, if he wants to come back one day, I hope it happens for him. We all have dreams and aspirations, if that’s what he wants.

“You’re suggesting that he’s trying to put pressure on me? Well, I don’t feel disrespected. I think if you ask Mauricio that question directly, you’d get a pretty clear answer as to what his intent was.

“Again, nothing from me to sort of be consumed with. I’m more focused on trying to make sure we win tomorrow night.”

Postecoglou is under mounting pressure at Tottenham with Pochettino getting heavily linked as well Fulham boss Marco Silva and Bournemouth’s Andoni Iraola, who is another potential target.

Postecoglou has been forced to defend his methods repeatedly this season with mounting dissent coming from the stands. He remains utterly committed to his playing style and still believes he can turn things around after Spurs’ injury woes eased.

“There’s no doubt there’s probably a large portion of Tottenham fans who have lost a bit of faith and belief in what we’re doing,” he admitted. “They were encouraged by what they saw last year but that certainly hasn’t manifested itself this year.

“I still am really optimistic and bullish about the squad we’ve got. I think there will be enormous growth in them once we can navigate through this. Surviving tough times can be such a strong uniter of people.”

Spurs head to Stamford Bridge on Thursday sitting 14th in the Premier League, a whopping 15 points adrift of Chelsea. Dreams of a top-four finish are long gone, with their hopes of European qualification resting solely on the Europa League, where they face Eintracht Frankfurt in the first leg of the quarter finals on April 10.