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Tottenham are likely to sack Ange Postecoglou even if he guides the club to Europa League glory, according to reports.

It has been a chastening second season in charge for the Australian, with Spurs suffering their 18th Premier League defeat on Monday against Nottingham Forest.

The north London club struggled badly with injuries to key players throughout large parts of the season.

However, even with several players now back and starting, Tottenham have still won just one of their last seven league games following a 4-1 win over Ipswich Town at the end of February.

Tottenham’s only hope of saving their season lies in the Europa League, where they face Norwegian side Bodo/Glimt in the semi-final first leg next week.

But, according to the Telegraph, Spurs are now likely to part ways with Postecoglou at the end of the season, even if they secure a return to the Champions League by winning the Europa League.

Postecoglou was confident earlier in the season that he would bring silverware to Tottenham this season for the first time since 2008.

But even if he does so, the 59-year-old may ultimately pay the price for his side’s miserable form in the league, which has them on course for their lowest finish in the Premier League era.

Speaking prior to their second-leg Europa League win over Eintracht Frankfurt, Postecoglou admitted he was unsure what his future held beyond the end of the season.

‘I’ve no idea, I’ve not thought about those things,’ said the Spurs boss. ‘What I do know is that I’ve an opportunity to get to the final four of a major tournament and that’s where my focus is.

‘You either think I’m capable of doing the job now or you don’t. And if people think us winning makes me a better manager than I am today or us losing makes me a worse manager, that’s their burden not mine.

‘There’s no burden on me. There’s no anxiety.

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‘I’m thinking we’ve a great opportunity to get to the final four of a major tournament and I’m not letting that slip by without a fighting tooth and nail for it, irrespective of what may come the day after.’

Should Tottenham indeed decide to part ways with Postecoglou, reports suggest that Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola and Fulham boss Marco Silva are among the favourites to replace him.

Iraola has impressed greatly on the south coast and has the Cherries fighting for a spot in Europe next season after just two seasons in charge.

Silva, meanwhile, has Fulham a spot below Bournemouth in ninth and has led the west London club to the Carabao Cup semi-finals and FA Cup quarter-finals in the last two seasons.

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It’s been a truly miserable season for both Tottenham and Manchester United and it can only get worse when both clubs are bounced out of the Europa League at the quarter-final stage.

The early exit will have seismic reactions, especially at Spurs where manager Ange Postecoglou could be a dead man walking even if his team secures a place in next season’s Champions League by winning the final.

Tottenham head to Eintracht Frankfurt needing a victory by hook, crook or penalty shoot-out to advance after being held to a 1-1 draw in N17 last Thursday when they were denied victory by the woodwork, a series of outstanding saves from goalkeeper Kaua Santos and some bad luck.

After falling behind to a goal in the sixth minute, Tottenham actually played some of their best football for some time but their form away from home has been abysmal this season both domestically and in Europe.

In fact, their 4-2 defeat at Wolves in the Premier League summed up their travels, falling behind through poor defensive errors, fighting their way back into the game then shooting themselves in the foot through further lapses of concentration.

Manchester United apparently watched that wretched display, heard the untold criticism aimed at their rivals, then asked someone to hold their beer while they duly turned in an even worse show in their 4-1 thumping at Newcastle.

They have home advantage when Lyon visit Old Trafford also needing to win after being held to a 2-2 draw in the first leg in France where they benefited from a couple of howlers from United goalkeeper Andre Onana.

Ruben Amorim’s side are 3/1 with Coral, Betway, bet365, StarSports, BetMGM and Unibet to go into extra-time when the final whistle blows and Lyon are 9/4 to qualify, probably on penalties, with the last two firms.

Spurs are 11/4 with StarSports, BetMGM and Unibet to draw in Frankfurt which will probably leave them weighing up the options to be their next manager before Nottingham visit for Easter Monday Night Football.

Chelsea, 3-0 up, are 17/20 with StarSports to beat Polish side Legia HT/FT in their Europa Conference League quarter-final second leg at Stamford Bridge.

• Masters champion Rory McIlroy is absent but 56 of his rivals at Augusta are competing in the RBC Heritage at Hilton Head this week, including defending champion Scottie Scheffler.

While McIlroy was completing his career Grand Slam in the most chaotic yet exhilarating of fashions, Scheff was quietly coming slightly off the pace to finish fourth, just three shots behind play-off pair McIlroy and Justin Rose.

It’s safe to assume he’ll soon be pretty much back to his best and he is 4/1 with Sporting Index, StarSports, BetMGM and others to successfully defend a title at the fourth attempt this year.

Meanwhile, this week’s each-way bets are Patrick Cantlay and Corey Conners at 22/1 and 25/1 with William Hill and Sepp Straka at 33/1 with Ladbrokes and Coral.

• Surrey have made a solid start to the County Championship and are 6/4 with Betfred to win the title for a fourth straight season and 23rd time overall.

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Ange Postecoglou has been quizzed about Arsenal’s chants about Tottenham against Real Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Arsenal supporters poked fun at their north London rivals during their 3-0 quarter-final first leg victory over the Spanish champions at the Emirates.

Fans could be heard loudly singing ‘Are you Tottenham in disguise?’ towards the Real Madrid players in the second half of their European clash.

Spurs head coach Postecoglou was asked about the chants in his pre-match press conference on Wednesday, before his team’s Europa League quarter-final first leg showdown against Eintracht Frankfurt on Thursday.

One reporter asked Postecoglou: ‘[Arsenal fans] were singing ‘Are you Tottenham in disguise’ – is that the kind of mentality, the whipping boys element, that you want to lose here or am I looking too much into it?’

Postecoglou responded: ‘Oh mate… Yeah, I don’t know. You’re probably looking too much into it.

‘We’re trying to concentrate on what’s important to us right now and that’s a big game tomorrow night.’

Arsenal fans also targeted Real Madrid superstar Luka Modric during the match, loudly booing the former Spurs man whenever he touched the ball.

Speaking after the game, Modric insisted that Real Madrid are capable of turning the tie around against the Gunners in the second leg on April 16.

‘If someone can do it, it’s Real Madrid,’ Modric told CBS Sports. ‘But it’s not going to be easy. Arsenal showed great quality, we need to do much better.’

Spurs, meanwhile, are firmly focused on their Europa League clash with Eintracht Frankfurt as they look to end their 17-year wait for a major trophy.

Some have suggested that Postecoglou’s future may depend on whether or not Spurs clinch the title but the Australian feels certain individuals won’t be convinced even if his side reach and win the Europa League final.

‘Even the good stuff we may do is turned into ‘glass half-empty’ rhetoric,’ Postecoglou said.

‘That can’t be a driver. The lads are keen to bring success to the club, keeping driving the principles of this journey in terms of playing our football.

‘Hopefully we worked our way into a position where we can make an impact on a disappointing season.

‘I don’t think I can win the argument of convincing people. The general sentiment of people is ‘even if I win [the Europa League] I’m gone anyway’.

‘We’re in a quarter-final, we don’t want to let that slip us by or have the wrong mindset.

‘I think the players are handling it well, embracing the challenge.’

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Southampton have parted ways with Ivan Juric a day after the club’s relegation from the Premier League was confirmed.

Saints, rock-bottom of the top flight, were sent back down to the Championship on Sunday following a 3-1 defeat at Tottenham.

With seven matches still to play, it is the earliest a Premier League club has ever been relegated in terms of games remaining.

With the club still marooned on 10 points, it could get even worse. They have seven games left to add to their points tally and match or better the 11 points Derby County collected in the 2007-08 campaign.

But Juric will not be leading them in that fight to avoid further humiliation.

A statement confirming his departure said: ‘Ivan came to Southampton at a tough time and was tasked with trying to improve a squad in a difficult situation. Unfortunately, we haven’t seen performances progress the way we had hoped, but we would like to thank Ivan and his staff for their honesty and hard work as they fought against the odds to try and keep us up.

‘With relegation to the Championship now confirmed, we believe it is important to give fans, players and staff some clarity on the future as we head into a very important summer.

First team coach Simon Rusk is set to charge until the end of the season, assisted by Adam Lallana.

Juric arrived at St Mary’s in December, replacing Russell Martin who guided the club back to the top flight last season.

The Croatian picked up a point against Fulham in his first game in charge just before Christmas, adding just three more to that tally since.

In is 14 Premier League games in charge, Juric lost 12 of those.

Juric aimed a final swipe at the club on Sunday following the defeat at Tottenham, warning years of recruitment failure have created deep-rooted problems on the south coast.

‘‘Recruitment is everything in football,’ said Juric.

‘We have a lot of talented young players, but with not many games in the Premier League. What I noticed most in three or four months here is the completely different physicality between us and the other teams in the league.

‘Now is the moment to understand the mistakes the club made in the last three or four years and start to create something really good.’

The stats behind Southampton’s morbid season

Juric has won just one of his 14 Premier League matches in charge of Southampton, losing 12 of them.

Saints were nine points adrift of safety when he came in and today are 22 points behind 17th place Wolves.

Southampton’s two heaviest defeats this season have both come at home, with the club battered 5-0 by Tottenham and Brentford in December and January respectively.

Can Southampton earn the point they need to avoid more horrific history?

Southampton have seven games left to pick up the point that would see them draw level with Derby’s record of 11 from 2007-08.

Juric may look to the game against Leicester, also looking doomed 15 points from safety, as a chance to get some final desperate points on the board.

There are also games against sides who are heading into the season run-in with very little to play for. But Juric will of course have their own problems motivating his beleaguered bunch.

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Southampton have been relegated from the Premier League and set an embarrassing record in the process.

The Saints’ inevitable relegation from the top-flight of English football was confirmed on Sunday as they were beaten 3-1 by Tottenham.

Brennan Johnson scored a first-half brace for the hosts and Southampton were unable to respond, slipping to their 25th defeat from 31 league games.

Southampton’s Mateus Fernandes did score a consolation goal in injury-time but Spurs went down the other end to put the game to bed through a Mathys Tel penalty.

With seven matches still to play, it is the earliest a Premier League club has ever been relegated in terms of games remaining.

Ipswich Town, Derby County, Huddersfield Town and Sheffield United were all relegated with six games remaining, but Southampton are the first team in Premier League history to know their fate with seven fixtures still left to play.

Southampton’s relegation is the joint-fourth earliest by date, with Derby County still holding that unwanted record following their dismal 2007-08 season.

That season Derby amassed just 11 points – the lowest ever across a Premier League campaign.

Derby fans will be hoping Southampton, currently on ten points, fail to pick up two more in their final seven games and replace them as statistically the worst team in Premier League history.

Southampton have won just two of their 31 league games this season, conceding 73 goals despite signing England international Aaron Ramsdale from Arsenal last summer.

The Saints gained promotion to the Premier League through the play-offs, beating Leeds United in the Wembley final in the most lucrative game in English football.

But they have be completely out of their depth in the top-flight, sacking Russell Martin in December when their hopes of survival already looked bleak.

The team’s struggles have continued under Ivan Juric and Southampton can now start planning for life in the Championship next season.

The majority of the Southampton fans inside the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium stayed put after the final whistle to applaud the team who came over to the away end to recognise their support.

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Saints captain Jan Bednarek said: ‘Let’s be honest, today is just official but we knew for a few weeks that relegation was coming.

‘It was just a matter of time. Next season we will be in the Championship and it is the beginning of something new. We have to build something good around the club.

‘We can’t change the past, the only thing we can do in the last seven games is to enjoy being in the Premier League. We have to improve as players and as a club. Hopefully we are going to build something great.

‘The best thing is that we can learn, we can work hard and we can improve. Hopefully we can perform better in the last seven games. We want to get more points, I don’t think 10 is enough. Hopefully we will get more points.’

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Tottenham are in desperate need of a victory when they take on the Premier League’s bottom side Southampton this afternoon.

Things turned ugly for Spurs at Stamford Bridge on Thursday night as Chelsea recorded their fourth straight victory over their London rivals.

Under-fire Ange Postecoglou was booed by the away supporters midway through the second-half as he rang in changes – appearing to goad Spurs fans after his substitutions initially paid off before VAR stepped in.

There was more disharmony at the full-time whistle with Spurs players given a frosty reception from the away end after heading over to applaud those who had made the journey across the capital.

Tottenham’s attention is firmly on next week’s Europa League quarter-final first leg clash against Eintracht Frankfurt.

But a slip-up at home to Southampton would surely be unforgivable.

Saints have just 10 points from what has been a thoroughly miserable return to the top flight and their relegation back to the Championship could be confirmed today.

Derby County hold the record for the lowest points tally in Premier League with eight points.

Southampton have eight games left to spare themselves that indignity and any result in north London today would surely be the last straw for Tottenham fans.

When is Tottenham vs Southampton?

Tottenham vs Southampton kicks off at 2pm on Sunday 6 April.

Is Tottenham vs Southampton on TV today?

The match will not be televised in the UK having not been selected for live coverage by Sky Sports. Fulham vs Liverpool will instead be shown live at 2pm, followed by Manchester United vs Manchester City at 4:30pm.

Tottenham vs Southampton team news

Richarlison could make the Tottenham squad this afternoon but Dejan Kulusevski and Kevin Danso remain sidelined.

Southampton midfielder Flynn Downes will miss out as he serves a two-match suspension. Will Smallbone also remains sidelined.

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Tim Sherwood hailed Moises Caicedo as a ‘diamond’ for Chelsea following their 1-0 win against Tottenham on Thursday.

Enzo Fernandez‘s header in the second half was enough to secure the victory for Enzo Maresca’s side at Stamford Bridge which has put Chelsea fourth in the Premier League table and five points behind third-placed Nottingham Forest.

In his post-match analysis, Glenn Hoddle believes Chelsea did just enough to see off an underwhelming Spurs side, who have now lost 16 games in the Premier League this season under Ange Postecoglou.

Meanwhile, Sherwood feels Caicedo played an integral role in stopping Spurs’ attacking threat.

‘They didn’t play free-flowing, quick football where it was one, two touch through the pitch quickly, create, get corners, get pressure, it wasn’t that sort of performance from Chelsea,’ Hoddle told Premier League Productions.

‘I think the manager said it right, they did enough to win, they deserved to win, they did just enough to win tonight against Tottenham who were playing a little bit within.

‘If they’d have played against Liverpool tonight, or Man City, or Forest, they might have had some trouble, they really might.’

Sherwood then added: ‘Better structure – Caicedo is a diamond of a player.

‘He breaks up so many attacks, he sits in that midfield, for [Levi] Colwill and [Trevoh] Chalobah tonight he must’ve been a dream.

‘He was just in there and giving it to players who can play in front of him, the likes of Enzo, Cole Palmer, [Pedro] Neto, always threatens in behind even though it wasn’t his best game, they’ve got Nicolas Jackson back.

‘They need to finish in the top five otherwise it’s not a very good season for them.’

Meanwhile, former Chelsea striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink described Caicedo as ‘immense’ against Spurs and welcomed the return of Nicolas Jackson, who made his comeback after a two-month layoff due to a hamstring injury.

‘It’s important for the team, he [Jackson] brings a lot of energy,’ Hasselbaink said.

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‘He gives them something else they don’t have. Yes, he needs to get better at converting his chances but he’s creating his own chances a lot of the time.

‘He’s putting defenders on the back foot and that’s what they’ve missed. It’s important having him back.

‘I hope they can take a lot from the game, they’ve got Nicolas back, Palmer back, Caicedo was immense today, he was so important for the team. They played some good football here and there, now until the rest of the season they’ve got to challenge themselves.

‘What was really good today as well is that they kept a clean sheet. If you keep clean sheets you have a much bigger chance of winning games, successful teams that’s what they do – keep clean sheets.’

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Enzo Maresca believes Moises Caicedo can be considered the best defensive midfielder in the world after Chelsea’s 1-0 win against Spurs on Thursday evening.

Enzo Fernandez’s header secured the victory over Spurs at Stamford Bridge which has put Chelsea fourth in the Premier League and five points behind Nottingham Forest in third spot.

Caicedo, meanwhile, delivered another dominant performance at the heart of Chelsea’s midfield and the £115 million signing from Brighton remains one of the standout players under Maresca this season.

When Jamie Redknapp suggested after the game that there are not many better midfielders in the world than Caicedo on current form, Maresca told Sky Sports: ‘Absolutely, I completely agree with you.

‘I think in this moment he’s one of the best, or the best defensive midfielder in the world.

‘He’s doing fantastic. The best thing about Moi is that every day he’s working serious, he’s very humble, he’s very kind, he’s polite, he’s a fantastic guy.

‘I think today was another great performance.

‘Also I think we had more players like Trev Chalobah who did a fantastic game. But I think overall the team was good.’

In a separate interview with Chelsea’s in-house media channel, Maresca added: ‘Moi was once again top tonight.

I think Enzo was in the right position again, arriving in the box, Trev Chalobah was also good.

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‘But I think all of them, Levi [Colwill] was top, I think Malo [Gusto] was very good, I think the performance has been a complete performance from all of them.’

Colwill also hailed Caicedo’s impact on helping Chelsea keep their fourth successive clean sheet at home in all competitions.

‘Moi is just breaking up everything, he’s making everything look so easy,’ Colwill said.

‘For me, if I had a mic on me when I’m playing, all you’d hear is,’ oh, wow, Moi’, that’s all I do because he makes it so easy for us in the defence because he stops everything before it gets to us.’

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Enzo Fernandez couldn’t hide his delight as Chelsea fans mocked Tottenham after another victory over their London rivals.

The Argentina international headed home Cole Palmer’s cross to seal a 1-0 victory for the Blues, a result which moves them into fourth in the race for Champions League qualification.

The result piles more misery on Spurs who are hopelessly marooned in 14th place.

During the game, manager Ange Postecoglou appeared to goal fans after his substitutions were met with chants of ‘you don’t know what you’re doing’ with travelling supporters furiously booing players who approached the away end at full-time.

Chelsea fans meanwhile revelled in their rivals’ suffering.

Thursday’s victory was their fourth in a row over Tottenham having also beaten them home and away last season with the chant of ‘Tottenham get battered everywhere they go’ ringing around Stamford Bridge.

Sky Sports cameras picked up one section of fans belting out the chant with the camera then cutting to Fernandez in the dugout having been replaced by Kieran Dewsbury-Hall moments earlier.

With a broad smile on his face, Fernandez was seen bobbing his head along to the chant, enjoying the moment to wind up the opposition supporters.

Fernandez was also on the score sheet in the thrilling 4-3 win at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in December.

The 1-0 victory didn’t truly reflect Chelsea’s dominance of the game with 12 minutes of injury time setting up a nervy finale with Spurs also having a goal ruled out earlier in the contest.

Enzo Maresca admitted his side had to try their hand at ‘playing dirty’ to ensure there was no late drama.

‘I just said to the players that we don’t work every day to win games in the way we did, or play in the way we did in the last ten minutes, in terms of waiting for them and giving the ball to them,’ Maresca said post-match.

‘But if you want to become a team, you also have to learn to play the way we did in the last ten minutes, to win a game in a dirty way.

‘I think for 90 minutes, until added time, we were in control, we created enough chances to win the game.’

Chelsea return to Premier League action away to Brentford on Sunday.

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Chelsea will have three key players back in the side when they take on Tottenham in the Premier League tonight.

Cole Palmer, Noni Madueke and Nicolas Jackson all returning to first-team training over the break.

Speaking on Wednesday, Enzo Maresca confirmed the trio are all ready and available to take on Spurs.

Palmer missed the defeat to Arsenal before the international break after picking up a muscle injury and was unable to feature in Thomas Tuchel’s first England squad.

However, the talismanic midfielder has now been given the all-clear after two scans and will likely be welcomed straight back into the starting XI as Chelsea look to rediscover their attacking impetus.

Madueke, meanwhile, has missed Chelsea’s last six games since suffering a hamstring injury but will also be in line to start on the weekend.

Jackson has been the longest attacking absentee from Maresca’s side having not featured since the start of February against West Ham.

Despite his hit-and-miss first half of the season, the Blues have sorely missed the Senegalese striker’s presence at the top of the pitch but could throw him straight back into the starting lineup despite his lengthy layoff.

Romeo Lavia however has suffered another injury setback with a ‘small problem’ sidelining him tonight.

Elsewhere, Chelsea have a largely clean bill of health, although Marc Guiu and Omari Kellyman remain sidelined with their respective longer-term injuries.

Moises Caicedo remains one yellow card away from a two-match suspension, but the Ecuadorian is still likely to partner Enzo Fernandez in the middle of the park.

Reece James could slot straight back in at right-back after his impressive showing for England during the international break, while Robert Sanchez is expected to continue in goal despite his mixed performances this season.

Tottenham, meanwhile, will be hoping to welcome back Dejan Kulusevski and Kevin Danso, while Lucas Bergvall is expected to have recovered from an illness that saw him play no part in Sweden’s international break.

Predicted Chelsea XI to face Tottenham

Sanchez; James, Fofana, Colwill, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernandez; Madueke, Palmer, Neto; Jackson.

Predicted Tottenham XI to face Chelsea

Vicario; Spence, Van de Ven, Romero, Udogie; Bentancur, Bergvall, Sarr; Tel, Solanke, Son.

Where to watch Chelsea vs Tottenham? Kick-off time and TV channel

Chelsea vs Tottenham kicks off at 8pm on Tuesday 1 April.

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The match will be broadcast live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League with coverage starting at 7pm. Viewers can also tune into the action online via Now TV or the Sky Go app.

You can also follow all the action with Metro’s LIVE matchday blog.

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