Postecoglou sack: Merson predicts Tottenham fans ‘to go mad’ at development
Paul Merson believes Tottenham should stick with under-fire boss Ange Postecoglou.
The Australian is under immense pressure in North London and is fighting for his life after the 2-1 loss against Leicester City in the Premier League on Sunday (26 January).
However, ex-Arsenal man Merson told Sky Sports News (28 January, 7:24pm) he believes the Spurs supporters will “go mad” if Postecoglou is sacked for a more pragmatic-minded manager the fans have endured in the past.
He said: “I feel sorry for the manager. Tottenham need to be careful. They’ve had (Jose) Mourinho, they’ve had (Antonio) Conte, they’ve had Nuno (Espirito Santo), them managers that the crowd have gone mad at – ‘We want the Tottenham way’.
“They’ve brought this lad [Ange Postecoglou] in. We’ve seen what he done last season when he had a fit team and he got them flying and then they drifted away.
“But he entertains, he wants to play on the front foot and he can do that when he’s got his centre half Van de Ven playing because he’s the main man. But stick with him.
“If he goes now, they’re going to go with someone who’s got to come up and shut shop up, play 10 at the back, play counter-attacking football – the fans will go mad again.
“Give him a chance. Give him next year as well, and I’m not saying that because I’m Arsenal and want them to lose every week.”
Ange Postecoglou has endured a rough spell at Tottenham
Although the Tottenham boss has been dubbed “arrogant” throughout the campaign, his eagerness to stick with his philosophy despite the concerns is somewhat admirable.
In rather frustrating fashion, his style of play led to losses against Leicester and Everton but also beat Liverpool, leaving Spurs with one foot in the Carabao Cup final heading into the semi-final second leg at Anfield on 6 February.
However, the ever-growing injury list is no joke, with Dominic Solanke the latest to join Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero, Destiny Udogie, Guglielmo Vicario, Djed Spence and Brennan Johnson on the sidelines.
Even Pep Guardiola has proven this season at Manchester City how key injuries can drastically derail a season, but unfortunately for Postecoglou, he does not have the same backing to transform his squad in the transfer window.
Nevertheless, Daniel Levy faces a monumental decision in the weeks ahead. Postecoglou has been forced to work under tireless conditions, but sitting 15th in the Premier League in January is nothing short of disastrous.
What Levy decides to do in North London will set Tottenham’s long-term future in stone.
In other Tottenham news, Spurs gem Yang Min-hyeok is “already set for a QPR move”.
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