Ange Postecoglou ‘to get the sack’ at Tottenham
Tottenham have their season on the line as they prepare for the second leg of their Europa League tie against AZ Alkmaar on Thursday.
The Lilywhites lost 1-0 in the first leg of the round of 16 clash in the Netherlands, with an own goal from Lucas Bergvall making the difference.
Ange Postecoglou’s side has an uphill battle ahead, with at least two goals needed to reach the quarter-finals of the last piece of silverware available to them.
Europa League could be make-or-break for Postecoglou
Tottenham’s poor form throughout the season so far has led to plenty of criticism of Postecoglou.
The Lilywhites have struggled with injuries, but that excuse has been used far too many times with inadequate tactics being recycled most weeks.
With Spurs sitting 13th in the Premier League table and out of both domestic cups, Postecoglou is sweating on his future after guaranteeing a trophy in his second season.
Danny Murphy has already warned that if Spurs don’t win the Europa League then the season will be a failure and Perry Groves has added to the challenge ahead for the Australian.
Speaking on talkSPORT (9 March), Groves said: “This is going to be the biggest game of his career on Thursday here against AZ because his job rests on that game.
“If they go out and don’t win that game, he gets the sack and it might be at the end of the season.
“But there will be no future for him if they don’t win that game and win the Europa League.”
Postecoglou’s future riding on AZ Alkmaar tie
While it’s certainly fair to acknowledge that Spurs have had issues throughout their squad in their struggles this season, Postecoglou has to take some responsibility too.
The boss has players returning from injury now, including Cristian Romero, but his side have still struggled to show any hint that their form could improve as a result of it.
The first leg of their tie against AZ Alkmaar wasn’t just unlucky from a freak result, the Lilywhites could have lost by more and they certainly showed no signs of dominance.
| Team | Possession | Shots | Shots on target |
| Tottenham | 62% | 7 | 1 |
| AZ Alkmaar | 38% | 12 | 5 |
With the Europa League the only thing left to play for this term, there is no doubt that getting knocked out in this manner would be a big dent in Postecoglou’s future with Tottenham.
A lucky 2-2 draw with Bournemouth on Sunday afternoon is far from ideal preparation, either.
Whether Daniel Levy will be ready to strike is yet to be seen, but it would be surprising to see the Australian at the helm next term if he proves he is unable to guide his side to a trophy this term.