February 11 – Take between 10 and 12 injured gamers out of any crew within the English Premier League (or every other division in any nation for that matter), ask them to play recreation after recreation, week after week, with out rotation – and see the place it will get you.
Effectively, that’s Tottenham Hotspur supervisor’s Ange Postecoglou’s response to hypothesis that inside days he might turn into the newest Spurs supervisor to be fired after lower than two seasons within the job.
The North London membership have been unceremoniously knocked out of the FA Cup on Sunday by Aston Villa, 4 days after their humiliating semifinal League Cup elimination to Liverpool, heaping strain on the Greek-Australian and his assertion that he virtually all the time wins a trophy in his second season.
With Tottenham languishing in 14th place within the Premier League, the crew’s solely likelihood of a primary piece of main silverware since 2008 lies in successful the Europa League amid questions over Postecoglou’s insistence on using a daring however extremely dangerous type of play and whether or not the membership’s notoriously impatient chairman Daniel Levy will put up with many extra setbacks.
Frustratingly for Spurs followers, solely now – with each home cup exits a painful reminiscence – are there gaps within the schedule to get better key gamers like Cristian Romero, Dominic Solanke and Micky van der Ven.
“For 2-and-a-half months, this small group of gamers have given every thing in a number of competitions,” Postecoglou declared after the 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa on Sunday that adopted the 4-0 League Cup trouncing at Liverpool
“We had 11 first-team gamers lacking at this time. We began with 4 youngsters, a 21-year-old goalkeeper coming to among the finest groups within the nation, away from house after enjoying the most effective crew within the nation on Thursday night time, after enjoying a Premier League recreation final Sunday, enjoying a Europa recreation [before that].
“The identical group of gamers. No rotation, and so they’ve been doing this for the reason that center of November. Not a change.”
All legitimate factors, and whereas Postecoglou is definitely not innocent – his back-up gamers should not have the power required to press opponents as “Angeball” requires and there’s no recognisable Plan B – Spurs followers have as a substitute directed most of their ire in the direction of Levy in current video games for lack of funding and detachment from diehard supporters.
However of the 2, Postecoglou – the sixth Spurs supervisor to carry the fort for the reason that finish of the Mauricio Pochettino reign in 2019 – will certainly be the one to depart.
In any case, the supervisor invariably pays the worth for poor outcomes and lack of progress, not simply at Tottenham. Twas ever thus.
Contact the author of this story, Andrew Warshaw at moc.l1739274668labto1739274668ofdlr1739274668owedi1739274668sni@w1739274668ahsra1739274668w.wer1739274668dna1739274668