The Mirror

An embattled Ange Postecoglou was in a feisty mood in his press conference before the first leg of Tottenham's crunch Europa League quarter-final against Eintracht Frankfurt

Ange Postecoglou believes the world thinks he will get sacked even if he wins the Europa League.

Under-pressure Postecoglou claims everything Tottenham do at the moment is turned from “gold to cr**” and fears he is fighting a losing battle. Postecoglou still believes he can turn the club’s fortunes around after a dismal season in the Premier League but is acutely aware of the mood music saying he will be axed no matter what happens.

Tottenham boss Postecoglou, who faces Eintracht Frankfurt in the quarter-finals of the Europa League on Thursday, said: “That's just the general sentiment of people writing even if we win it, I'm gone anyway. That's not having a go, that's just the general sentiment of the people.

“But I have said before, that is not what drives me. I came to this club with a clear purpose and vision of what the club needed and what I could offer. That is to change the way the team plays, to obviously rejuvenate the squad because it was a squad that was coming towards the end of a cycle and to bring success.

“As long as I’m in this position, that’s always my focus irrespective of whatever noise there is or what there may or not be in the future. I don’t see that, that should diminish my burning ambition, my desire and my determination to make that happen.

“Anything you achieve in life usually comes with a struggle. Certainly everything I have achieved in my life has come with a struggle from a professional perspective. This is just another struggle, but never through this struggle have I lost the will to fight for what I think is the right thing to do and I’ll continue to do that.”

Postecoglou even rounded on the controversy surrounding Mathys Tel grabbing a late penalty from Brennan Johnson who was on a hat-trick in Sunday’s win over Southampton.

“It's incredible, it's just... literally turning gold into cr** when it's Tottenham,” said Postecoglou. “Seriously. If we're 2-1 up tomorrow night and get a penalty in the last minute, I want the best penalty taker to take it.

“I mean the one slight against this club is apparently it hasn't been a winner. Well the winner's mentality in the last minute of the game is to score a goal. We scored a goal. And yet somehow in this ultimate universe where everything Tottenham does is wrong, that's come out as a negative. Be that as it may.

“From my point of view, I was delighted because as I said if that's tomorrow night and we get a penalty in the last minute and get a third goal which could be really decisive, I'm really pleased with the way the players handled it.”

Tottenham have not won a trophy since 2008 but now have a European quarter-final and also the chance to get a passport into the Champions League. It will be tough against Eintracht Frankfurt - currently third in the Bundesliga - while Spurs have lost 16 games in the Premier League and are 14th in the table.

Postecoglou urged the fans to come together and added: “The atmosphere can make a huge impact. That’s hugely important. I’m not sure how many times the club has been in the quarter-finals of a European competition. It will be a good challenge for us. When you get to the last eight of a European competition, that is what you expect to face and I’m looking forward to it.”

Ange Postecoglou's Tottenham Hotspur side prepared for their return to Europa League action but the manager was unhappy with some of the reaction to the victory

Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou has accused critics of "turning gold into cr*p" after questions about his team's penalty situation. Brennan Johnson was on a hat-trick when Spurs were awarded a spot-kick against Southampton, but wasn't given the opportunity to complete its treble.

It was Mathys Tel, rather than Johnson, who stepped up to beat Aaron Ramsdale from 12 yards and clinch a 3-1 win. Addressing the matter ahead of his team's Europa League quarter-final first leg against Eintracht Frankfurt, the Australian launched into a strongly-worded rant.

"It's incredible. It's the one bit. Literally turning gold into cr*p when it's Tottenham," Postecoglou told reporters. If we're 2-1 up and we get a penalty late on, I want our best penalty taker to take it."

He added: "I mean the one slight against this club is apparently it hasn't been a winner. Well the winner's mentality in the last minute of the game is to score a goal. We scored a goal. And yet somehow in this ultimate universe where everything Tottenham does is wrong, that's come out as a negative. Be that as it may.

"From my point of view, I was delighted because as I said if that's tomorrow night and we get a penalty in the last minute and get a third goal which could be really decisive, I'm really pleased with the way the players handled it. "

The Australian also seemed to indicate he felt critics were beginning to pick fault whatever the result. "I just think we're in that position now where even the good stuff we do is going to be turned into a glass half-empty rhetoric," he said.

Johnson agreed with his manager that too much was being made of the incident against Southampton. "In this tournament it's not really about giving people free goals, it's about scoring goals," he said ahead of the return to Europa League action.

Frankfurt go into the game sitting third in the Bundesliga, but suffered a setback against Werder Bremen over the weekend. Ahead of the meeting with Spurs, Toppmoller indicated major improvement is requried.

"We tried to do better in the second half but just weren’t good enough in possession today and didn’t have the right distances," he said. "We need to improve in that regard against Tottenham. It’s a painful defeat today. We have to produce 100 percent on the pitch in every match, which we didn’t do today.”

The first leg of the clash will be played at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, before the two teams face off in Germany one week later. Whoever prevails will take on either Bodo/Glimt or Lazio in the semis.

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.

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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.