Ange’s All-or-Nothing Approach: Spurs Frustrated Yet Show Promise

Ange’s Spurs squander chances in 1st leg | 02:01

Ange Postecoglou lamented Tottenham’s lack of luck in front of goal in the 1-1 draw at home against Einthracht Frankfurt in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final, but a positive performance will likely buy him more time to save his job.

There is mounting pressure on the Aussie manager in the midst of a woeful Premier League campaign marred by injury setbacks, with Tottenham languishing in 14th place on the standings.

The growing sentiment among pundits is that Europa League success looms as the only thing that could save the Australian from facing the axe at the end of the season.

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Spurs’ hopes of reaching the semi-finals are in the balance after the first leg, but the performance received positive reviews from pundits, with only the team’s finishing proving costly.

“That’s the best I’ve seen Spurs play for a while,” Sky Sports’ Lewis Jones said.

“They carried a threat. They played with intensity. They created chances. All that was missing was that second goal, which may prove costly in the end.”

The Guardian’s Ed Aarons penned: “It is a reflection of how things have been going for Postecoglou that somehow Spurs did not manage to win this game.

“Yet after all the bitterness of recent weeks, at least this was a positive performance from Tottenham that maintains their manager’s hopes of ending the season with silverware and perhaps keeping his job.”

Speaking to reporters after the match, during which Tottenham hit the post on multiple occasions, Postecoglou declared: “I’m resigned to the fact that the football gods have got their eyes elsewhere this year. They’re obviously busy with other clubs and other managers so whatever we get we’re going to have to do it without them this year.

“I really felt like we overwhelmed them with our football, with our running and with our press. It wasn’t just the chances we created, but the chances we almost created.

“I thought the fans were outstanding tonight, they helped the group, and hopefully we can repay them next week.

“It’s going to be that sort of season. Nothing is going to come to us easy. We’re going to have to go there and fight now to get what I thought we deserved tonight and that’s what we’ll try to do.”

Tottenham dominated the majority of the contest, but the hosts repeatedly failed to convert chances into goals.

“A little bit frustrated by the result obviously, but I thought the performance in general was really good from the boys,” Postecoglou continued.

“We conceded early which was not ideal and it was a fair strike by the lad, but I thought our response to that was really good.

“We stayed in control, we scored a good equaliser and we made them work hard in the first half so we knew in the second half, with our ability to break teams open, we would put them under pressure.

“It is exactly what happened and the boys did everything right. I couldn’t ask for anything more from them.

“On any other night we would have a comfortable victory. If we can perform like that over there, and there is no reason why we can’t, then we still give ourselves a good chance.

“I don’t expect the second game to be to open, it’ll be cagey affair and it’ll come down to moments.”

The winner of the tie will face Bodo/Glimt or Lazio in the Europa League semi-finals in May — the Norwegian club has taken a 2-0 lead into the second leg.

“If we can repeat that (performance) next week, and there’s no reason we can’t, we’ll give ourselves a good chance (of qualifying for the semi-finals),” Postecoglou said.

“We’ve never lost belief, we’re in there with a chance, we’re fighting.”

Frankfurt’s goalkeeper Kaua Santos taps the ball over the bar. AP Photo/Frank AugsteinSource: AP

If Tottenham wins the Champions League, the club will book their spot in next season’s Champions League.

Speaking to talkSPORT, former England representative Martin Keown claimed that Spurs needs to win the Europa League for any chance of Postecoglou retaining his job next season.

Asked if Postecoglou’s job rested on the tie with Frankfurt, Keown responded: “Without doubt.

“He’s saying in his second season he always wins a trophy, he’s been quite defiant.”

He continued: “Remarkably, if they win the Europa League, they can make it into the Champions League, which is just incredible.

“We could have six Premier League teams playing in the Champions League next year, that would be something to behold.

“(Postecoglou) has got that in the locker, it could certainly happen for him. Would he still stay in the job?

“Manchester United won the FA Cup last year and a lot of people said that tainted really what was happening, it papered over the cracks.

“But I think if he wins (the Europa League), it gives him time, it gives him another season.

“And then if he keeps his players fit, he can impact the Premier League (next season).”

Footballer turned pundit Paul Merson agreed, saying on Sky Sports News Postecoglou needed to win the Europa League to save his job but: “It’d be a joke if he isn’t (still at Tottenham if they win it). A disgrace.

“If he wins the trophy and they sack him, that’d be an absolute joke. They’ve got a short memory, Tottenham fans. They haven’t won anything in a long time. He’d have won a trophy and taken them into the Champions League.”

Tottenham will face Einthracht Frankfurt for the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final at the Waldstadion on Friday, April 18 at 5am AEST.