Ange Postecoglou has burdened himself with a complicated task.
Following their shared Europa League quarter-final success, Postecoglou and Ruben Amorim’s post-match comments reflected differing sentiments about how they would prepare their squads for their respective semi-finals.
Amorim, in the post-match press conference after their extra-time 5-4 comeback win against Lyon, said he would “play the kids” in their upcoming Premier League matches. His transparency has reduced the pressure at Old Trafford.
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Postecoglou, on the other hand, seems stuck in a paradoxical balancing act. He is trying to protect his star players to ensure they’re fit for Thursday’s Europa League semi-final against Norwegian champions Bodo/Glimt, while also trying to keep fringe players fresh, knowing the likes of Richarlison may have an important role to play, all while under pressure to maintain respectability in the Premier League.
Partly that is because Postecoglou’s position seems under much greater pressure than that of Amorim, who only took charge at United last November and is yet to be judged in the way that the Australian, appointed in the summer of 2023, is being judged.
In the pre-match press conference before facing Liverpool in the Premier League on Sunday, Postecoglou was asked whether getting through unscathed had been the priority. He answered that the “primary importance” was to “compete well”.
Yet he made eight changes from the side that lost 2-1 to Nottingham Forest and Tottenham were thoroughly dismantled by Liverpool, losing 5-1. It equalled Tottenham’s highest number of losses (19) in the Premier League era and increased the pressure on Postecoglou.
Ange Postecoglou watched Liverpool dismantle his side (Carl Recine/Getty Images)
If he was in a stronger position, the 59-year-old might be more frank about his priorities for this season, because currently there is a discrepancy between Postecoglou’s messaging, his squad selection, and the team’s performances in the Premier League.
“I had made a lot of changes, but I just felt it was necessary,” Postecoglou said in his post-match press conference, which was only attended by a single journalist. “A lot of our players have missed a lot of this season with injuries and it wasn’t just about bringing them back, but managing their minutes because obviously we want them ready.
“Guys like Micky (van de Ven) and (Cristian) Romero today could have played, but they’ve missed so much of the season that we’ve just got to be really careful about when we use them. Guys like Pedro (Porro) and (Rodrigo) Bentancur have played a lot this year. It has been a juggling act for sure and that hasn’t helped the team, hasn’t helped the players, and when you’re facing the best, you pay that price.”
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With Liverpool gearing up to celebrate their first Premier League title in front of a packed Anfield stadium, the occasion felt like a procession even before a ball was kicked. Van de Ven and Romero were rested after playing 45 minutes on Monday, with Kevin Danso and Ben Davies starting together at centre-back for the first time since the 1-0 win against Manchester United in February.
Ahead of them, teenagers Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall lined up in central midfield in an electric environment that even the most seasoned midfield operators would have found taxing.
“Look, we knew the challenge today was going to be a big one,” Postecoglou said. “We had a really young midfield with Lucas and Archie and you’re asking a massive task of them. Change three of the back four, all of these kinds of things logically tell you it’s going to be a tough day, but when you’re facing the best team, and on such a massive occasion, it was always going to be a huge ask for us and it proved too much.”
Dominic Solanke’s first goal from open play since January to open the scoring presented a brief moment of optimism that Spurs could overcome the gulf in quality and form to record an improbable result, but Luis Diaz levelled within four minutes.
Dominic Solanke opened the scoring (Carl Recine/Getty Images)
Cody Gakpo made it 3-1 before half-time, confirming the result, with only the number of goals they would celebrate in question. By the time Destiny Udogie had put the ball past Guglielmo Vicario in the Tottenham net in the 69th minute, Postecoglou had made four changes, including replacing Gray and James Maddison at half-time.
Most frustratingly, Spurs continued to make the same errors that have plagued their league season. The disciplined performance away at Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League quarter-final second leg demonstrated Spurs can defend diligently when organised within a pragmatic structure.
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Tottenham abandoned those principles against the champions-in-waiting, offering gifts in dangerous areas from which the Liverpool attackers profited. Against the best team in the country, Postecoglou set up a Spurs side that never looked like they had a chance.
He has already been criticised for his commitment to the high-risk orchestrated build-up play with a rotated side lacking chemistry, but previously it was due to an injury crisis. Now it is done to rest his stars for the Europa League and it can only be vindicated with silverware.
If they make it past Bodo/Glimt and lift their first major trophy since 2008 in Bilbao, Postecoglou’s inability to arrest Spurs’ slide into their worst season in the Premier League era will be reflected on differently; it will all have been for a bigger and brighter cause.
In the meantime, clearer messaging reflecting the Premier League’s immediate importance to the club may help to take the sting off results and performances like these.
(Top photo: Mohamed Salah scores against Vicario; by Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
This news was originally published on this post .
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