Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham Hotspur are facing the grim reality of another trophyless season after suffering two cup exits in three days.
Following a 4-0 thrashing by Liverpool in the Carabao Cup semifinals on Thursday, Spurs crashed out of the FA Cup fourth round on Sunday, losing 2-1 to Aston Villa at Villa Park.
Postecoglou Under Pressure as Tottenham Struggles
Tottenham’s only hope of silverware now lies in the Europa League, where they have advanced to the round of 16. However, their 14th-place standing in the Premier League and ongoing struggles have raised questions about Postecoglou’s system and future.
“Obviously disappointed we don’t progress,” Postecoglou told the BBC.
“It wasn’t a great start, that’s the last thing you want, and we really struggled to get some control.”
“Then we had an enormous chance at 1-0 we didn’t take to equalize. “We got a better grip of the game but unfortunately fell short.”
“When you go a goal down it gives the opposition momentum and confidence. You want to wrestle control early and we didn’t do that.”
Spurs’ defensive woes were exposed early against Villa, as goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky allowed Jacob Ramsey’s shot to squirm through his grasp after just 57 seconds.
Morgan Rogers doubled Villa’s lead in the 64th minute before Mathys Tel pulled one back late on for Tottenham.
Postecoglou had previously claimed that he “always wins things in his second year”, referencing his past successes with South Melbourne, Brisbane Roar, Yokohama F. Marinos, Celtic, and Australia.
With only a few months left in his second season at Spurs, that statement now looks increasingly fragile.
“This group of players has done an unbelievable job for 2 1/2 months. An unbelievable job,” Postecoglou added in a post-match news conference.
“Can’t praise them highly enough for the effort they’ve put in — a small group of players playing twice a week since the middle of November.”
“They will get some opportunity to recover now, we’ll get some players back over the next couple of weeks and we’ll look forward to resetting and finishing the season strongly.”
Injuries & Fatigue a Major Factor
Ange Postecoglou, Manager of Tottenham Hotspur. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)
Tottenham have been ravaged by injuries, with key players Cristian Romero, Dominic Solanke, and Micky van de Ven all sidelined.
The team has been playing twice a week since November, and their lack of squad depth has been exposed.
With fewer fixtures in the coming months, Spurs now have a chance to rest, recover key players, and refocus on their Europa League ambitions.
Marcus Rashford Makes Aston Villa Debut
Marcus Rashford speaks with Unai Emery, Manager of Aston Villa. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
Meanwhile, Marcus Rashford made his debut for Aston Villa in the same match, coming on as a 66th-minute substitute.
The 27-year-old England international joined Villa on loan after being frozen out at Manchester United by Rúben Amorim over “standards.”
Rashford replaced Leon Bailey, while fellow loanee Marco Asensio also made his debut, coming on for Donyell Malen.
“We have to protect every player and try to adapt them into our structure and use their skills,” Unai Emery said.
“Marco Asensio, Rashford and Malen are versatile players in the attacking third. We can feel confident to have them,” Emery said after the game”
“We are very demanding in our way because we want to be in the top six or top five in the Premier League as well as in the Champions League, where we are in the last 16.”
Villa, who are pushing for a top-five finish and remain in the Champions League last 16, will now look to continue their strong domestic and European campaigns.
