It's not Postecoglou's fault Tottenham's disastrous reality, which even the enemy acknowledged, and the real situation of not being able to take out a replacement card for chairman Levi

Feb 10, 2025

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"When the injured key players return, they will become a strong team again."

Is it a foul play left by the opponent's coach who won the game. For that matter, very specific and confident expressions appear.

Aston Villa manager Unai Emery praised coach Enze Postecoglou's tactics, which he lost to him, and at the same time expressed sympathy for Tottenham's unfortunate reality of not being able to operate its normal power. In addition, he predicted that Tottenham will become a strong team again if it overcomes this crisis. Judging from the various circumstances and contents, it is likely that this is director Emery's sincerity.

Aston Villa, led by head coach Emery, advanced to the round of 16 by winning 2-1 in the fourth round (32 strongest) of the 2024-2025 FA Cup against Tottenham Hotspur at Birmingham Villa Park in England early on the 10th (Korea time).

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The score was one goal apart, but it was a game that Aston Villa dominated the whole time. Aston Villa scored the first goal in the first minute of the first half by shaking off Tottenham's gaping waist with a counterattack as soon as the game began. Tottenham goalkeeper Antony Kinski hit a strong shot by Jacob Ramsey, and he went into the goal after eating the backspin. Morgan Rogers then scored an additional goal in the 20th minute of the second half. Tottenham managed to score a comeback in second-half stoppage time by Matistel, but there was no time to turn the tables.

With this, Tottenham experienced the setback of being eliminated from two cup tournaments in three days. In the second match of the Carabao Cup semi-final against Liverpool on the 7th, he suffered a crushing 0-4 defeat and failed to advance to the final with a combined score of 1-4 in the first and second matches. He also dreamed of winning the FA Cup, but failed to overcome the wall of the fourth round.

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In the match against Aston Villa, Tottenham did not show any significant offensive development throughout the first half. Most of them were eaten by Aston Villa in the midfield. There wasn't much ball that went to the front line. Aston Villa had a chance to score two or three more goals in the first half, but goalkeeper Kinski failed to add a goal as he continued to save his mind after allowing the first goal.

After the defeat, the prospect of replacing Postecoglou has grown even more. Postecoglou, who took the helm of Tottenham for the first time last season and ranked fifth in the league, has been sluggish this season. In the Premier League, he is only 14th. The possibility of a jump in the top ranks is almost slim.

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He tried to restore his self-esteem through the good performance of the Cup, but even this became difficult. In the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final, his hopes of advancing to the finals and winning the championship were shattered by the crushing defeat of the second leg. The same goes for the FA Cup. The Aston Villa were caught.

Tottenham's leadership, including chairman Daniel Levy, saw the match against Aston Villa as the last line of 'postecoglou replacement'. Originally, there was a lot of public opinion about the replacement even when the performance was extremely poor in the early and mid-season, but Chairman Levi and the leaders of Tonum persisted. However, the failure to go to the Carabao Cup final was the decisive blow. Voices to cut Coach Postecoglou immediately grew louder, and the team's leaders saw the match against Aston Villa as their last chance. Again, there were reports that if he loses, he could be replaced by Postecoglou.

Britain's TBR Football reported on the 8th that `If Postecoglou, who has increased the risk of being replaced due to the defeat against Liverpool, fails to win the next match against Aston Villa, his future at Tottenham could be in jeopardy.'

Give Me Sports also said that if Tottenham lose the fourth round of the FA Cup against Aston Villa and drop out of the two cups in a row in just a few days, Postecoglou's future could be in jeopardy. Bodzin is calling for a victory over Aston Villa.

However, Postecoglou was unable to carry out Bodzin's request. In the face of the disastrous defeat, Postecoglou said "People were wrong about me " You can say 'I don't deserve it. It's okay to judge me. However, we cannot criticize the performance of the players at this point"If you're trying to get rid of me, it's okay. You can do it a million times. But what our players have shown over the past two and a half months has been brilliant"I defended the players.

Coach Postecoglou is protecting the players that they are doing their best even though they are unable to operate their normal power due to injuries to key players that have been pouring in since the beginning of the season. It's certainly not an excuse. Tottenham are really serious. More than 10 people were injured, and they are all key players. Some even say that `Only the injured can make the best 11.'

The desperate situation of Postecoglou and Tottenham's disastrous reality are recognized even by their enemy, Emery. BR Football reported on the 10th that Emery expected Tottenham to win again after winning the FA Cup.

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Emery praised Tottenham and Postecoglou after the game and encouraged them. "Tottenham will be as strong as before when the injured players return. Tottenham's injury situation is particularly serious. If the players were healthy, they would definitely look different from now. I had tremendous respect for Tottenham's previous games. Postecoglou's tactical style was excellent last season as well."

The winner is not a polite story. These are the words that contain the same tactician, the consensus felt from the EPL club's manager's point of view, and a kind of sympathy. Manager Emery sincerely believes Tottenham is as sluggish as it is now due to injury issues.

This point of view can be a clue as to why Daniel Levy cannot readily dismiss Postecoglou. It is believed that the players planned and composed by Postecoglou are not broken because they played at normal power. In other words, the idea is that the current slump cannot be solely attributed to Postecoglou.

In particular, it is not easy to change the situation with any coach in the situation where there are 11 to 12 injuries, even among the main players. It may be better to let Postecoglou handle it. In addition, if Postecoglou is replaced, the penalty will be large. It is estimated to be between 10 million pounds (about 18 billion won) and 12 million pounds (about 21.6 billion won).

From the perspective of Chairman Levi, replacing Postecoglou has no income. It only satisfies the exasperated emotions of some fans. With the strength and competitiveness of the squad itself greatly reduced due to injury issues, it is highly likely that there will be no significant difference if the coach is replaced while spending more than £10 million.

Therefore, it is the strategic judgment and real situation of Tottenham Boardjin and Levi to retain Postecoglou unless the worst happens.

This article was translated by Naver AI translator.