According to multiple reports, Tottenham Hotspur have no immediate plans to replace Ange Postecoglou as manager.
Postecoglou watched gloomily from the sidelines as Everton tore Tottenham apart in the first half of their Premier League game on Sunday. The Toffees, who have just hired David Moyes for a second spell as manager, were 3-0 up at Goodison Park heading into half-time when Spurs’ switch to a back three backfired spectacularly.
The return to a traditional back four helped in the second half as goals from Dejan Kulusevski and Richarlison made the result at least respectable, but Spurs were unable to find an equalizer and instead slipped to their 12th Premier League defeat of the season.
Pressure is growing on social media on Postecoglou, who has appeared prickly in recent interviews and press conferences Football.London were the first to report that Spurs chairman Daniel Levy has no plans to sack the 59-year-old any time soon.
Rumors of board meetings to discuss Postecoglou’s future are also said to be far from the mark, although there is consensus that results need to improve despite the club being decimated by numerous injuries.
Key defenders Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven have played a total of 1,752 minutes of Premier League football this season, out of a possible 3,960 minutes (if the duo had both played every minute of the season), which is just 44%.
First-choice goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario has also missed Spurs’ last ten Premier League games after breaking a bone in his foot in Spurs’ emphatic 4-0 win over Manchester City in November – the club have only won since then against bottom table Southampton.
Destiny Udogie, Yves Bissouma, Brennan Johnson, Timo Werner, Wilson Odobert and Dominic Solanke were also injured on the trip to Everton – the latter picked up a knee problem in midweek, compounding Spurs’ problems – and any of them probably would have were in the matchday squad if they were fit.
“This isn’t about me, but what concerns me at the moment is that I have a responsibility for the group of players I have to try and get us through this and that’s what I need to focus on,” Postecoglou told reporters after the defeat.
“When I focus on something else, I abdicate the responsibilities that I have. I’m just determined to get us out of this. The club is doing its best to…help the players more than helping me because they are the ones we’re asking 18-year-olds to do some massive jobs from.
“We had a 17-year-old out there trying to win football games for us. And others who just play week after week. So you know it’s more about getting the players’ help than me helping them.”
Spurs’ poor results have seen them drop to 15th in the Premier League table, which is much closer to the relegation zone than their pre-season target of finishing in the top four. However, they have by far the best goal difference in the bottom half – Spurs’ +10 figure is a stark contrast to that of West Ham, who are one place above them in the table but have a goal difference of -16.