Tottenham were knocked out of two domestic cup competitions over four days, and Ange Postecoglou was quick to latch onto Liverpool’s FA Cup exit in defence of his own.
Arne Slot rested 10 of his starters for the trip to Plymouth, giving himself a valuable lesson on the capabilities of those on the fringe in the 1-0 defeat.
It came just days after Liverpool secured their place in the Carabao Cup final against Newcastle to the detriment of Tottenham, who also went on to exit the FA Cup in the fourth round.
Spurs, still missing 11 first-team players due to injury, were knocked out in a 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa, hours after Slot’s side bowed out, as pressure mounts on Postecoglou.
Ange Postecoglou launches a passionate defence of his Tottenham Hotspur team after their 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa ?? pic.twitter.com/c5IaFf58PI
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) February 9, 2025
With five wins in the last 14 across all competitions, criticism is not in short supply and Postecoglou slammed it as “agenda-driven” while also referring to Liverpool’s cup exit in a long exchange with reporters.
“If you take nine or 10 out of any team,” Postecoglou started, before asking reporters: “How did Liverpool go today? And they just did that for one game.
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“Do that for two-and-a-half months. Any team, do that for two-and-a-half months in multiple competitions.”
You may find that Liverpool did do similar, last year in fact as they juggled four competitions. Nevertheless, Ange continued on as he touched on sensing an “agenda” to “get rid of me.”
“They [Villa] had a week off, they didn’t play on Thursday night against Liverpool,” he said. “We did. Same group of players, not a change.
“It can’t be that people think that is an excuse. That’s just not anywhere near close to objective analysis. That’s just agenda-driven stuff. If it’s to get rid of me then that’s fine, good on you, go for it a million times.
“Why do you think Liverpool and other teams rotate 11 players? There’s a reason. I wish I could do the same to bring freshness to the team.”
The Europa League remains Tottenham‘s only shot at silverware this season, and it is also Postecoglou’s last chance to deliver the trophy he ‘always’ wins in his second season at a club.
