- Tottenham beat Eintracht Frankfurt 1-0 to reach the final four of the competition
- The win eased the pressure on Ange Postecoglou, who bit back at his doubters
- LISTEN NOW: It’s All Kicking Off! Should Marcus Rashford leave Man United to spearhead Aston Villa’s attack?
Jamie Carragher believes that Tottenham’s campaign under Ange Postecoglou has echoes of Erik ten Hag’s final full season as Manchester United boss.
The Liverpool legend heaped praise on the Australian and his team for progressing into the semi-final of the Europa League with a gutsy 1-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt in Germany.
Defeat would almost certainly have brought the former Celtic manager’s near two-year tenure in north London to close, given their miserable domestic campaign and Postecoglou’s recent clashes with supporters.
Spurs will head into their last-four clash against Norwegian side Bodo/Glimt as favourites, while a final against fellow Premier League strugglers Man United remains a possibility after their absurd comeback win over Lyon.
This time last year United were in the midst of a similarly poor league campaign that saw pressure mount of Ten Hag.
The Dutchman’s position was preserved by their progress in the FA Cup before he was furnished with a new contract and reaffirmed as Red Devils boss shortly after masterminding an impressive 2-1 win at Wembley over Manchester City, despite the club recording their lowest-ever points tally in the Premier League.
Jamie Carragher believes that Tottenham ‘s campaign under Ange Postecoglou has echoes of Erik ten Hag ‘s final full season as Manchester United boss
Tottenham’s progression to the semi-final of the Europa League eased pressure on the Australian
Ten Hag kept his job at Manchester United after winning the FA Cup despite guiding the Red Devils to their lowest-ever Premier League points tally
Yet, three months into the new campaign, with performances and results showing no sign of improvement, the Dutchman was finally dismissed.
Carragher reckons that a similar fate could await Spurs and Postecoglou and he cautioned owner Daniel Levy ahead of what could be a defining decision.
‘The Man United board made an emotional rather than logical decision,’ he wrote in the Telegraph. ‘They were rightly criticised. All the evidence pointed to the downturn over the previous eight months continuing.
‘If Postecoglou wins the Europa League, Levy will also have to choose between his head and heart. The case for keeping Postecoglou will be more compelling because, unlike United, Spurs do not have a long history of winning big prizes.
‘In such circumstances, the manner of any victory will also win back support in a way Ten Hag should not have had after a gutsy, but underdog win against a superior team in City.
‘The reason Postecoglou has made it so deep into this season is his attacking football fits the Spurs tradition. When it clicked at the start of his reign, the fans loved what they were seeing.’
After Dominic Solanke’s penalty secured an impressive win for Spurs on the continent, Postecoglou wasted no time in hitting back at his critics amid a torrid spell for the club.
‘I am the same manager today that I was yesterday,’ he said. ‘So if people think us winning makes me a better manager or whoever thinks I wasn’t doing a good job yesterday, should be feeling the same way.
Dominic Solanke’s penalty separated the two sides after 190 minutes of nail-biting action
Carragher believes that Spurs owner Daniel Levy will have to chose between his head and his heart is Tottenham win the Europa League this term
‘I don’t care, it doesn’t bother me, it doesn’t affect what I do. For me, it’s always about the dressing room. Do the players believe? Do the staff believe? That’s much is more important than what others may make of me.
‘So, unfortunately for a lot of you, you’re going to have to put up with me for a little bit longer, so let’s see how that goes.’
Spurs welcome former boss Nuno Espirito Santo and his Nottingham Forest side to north London on Sunday ahead of a clash against Liverpool at Anfield the following week before their first leg at home against Bodo/Glimt.
The return fixture takes place in the Artic circle a week later on May 8.
