Spurs Latest: Huge week ahead for Ange Postecoglou and his Tottenham future

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Tottenham Hotspur enter a crucial week in their season, boosted by a vital win at Brentford that ended their poor Premier League run. But their biggest tests are still to come. Ange Postecoglou’s side head to Anfield for a decisive Carabao Cup semi-final on Thursday, followed by a tough FA Cup fourth-round clash at Aston Villa on Sunday. With injuries piling up and an underwhelming transfer window, their season hangs in the balance. Will Spurs step up and keep their silverware hopes alive, or will this week derail their campaign?

Transcript

00:00James, it's a massive week in terms of Spurs' season, the cup competitions, they've got

00:09the Carabao Cup, a huge game there when they go away to Anfield, and of course the FA Cup

00:17weekend again kicks in. What are your thoughts ahead of this week? How could it shape Spurs'

00:23season? If they are to progress in both, it would be quite incredible if they are to progress

00:28in one, which one would you prefer? And if they are to progress in none, where does that

00:33leave Spurs and Hans? Because it's quite a tough situation if that is to be the case.

00:38Yes, it's make or break, isn't it? The Carabao Cup semi-final second leg at Anfield, it's

00:44our biggest game of the season bar none. Really, really tough going to Anfield, as we know,

00:49it's going to be a real, it's going to take a heroic Herculean effort, you might say.

00:54Probably very similar performance is going to be needed in terms of the way we set up

00:57against Brentford. Low block, but we can't sit back, Spurs just can't sit back. We're

01:03not a team that can win 1-0 very often, so we need to go there, we need to try and assert

01:08our authority on the game. I would say the first goal is going to be absolutely massive.

01:13If Spurs could get that first goal and get it from 2-0, then it's looking like a bit

01:18of a longer road back for Liverpool. But if Liverpool score first, and especially if they

01:22score early, it could be a real, real tough test for us. But we're so close, aren't we,

01:29to getting to Wembley, and what an achievement that would be. Ange has been mocked in the

01:32media and various outlets for saying that he always wins something in his second season.

01:36It would be fantastic for us to get to Wembley, and especially doing it how we've done it

01:41this season with so many injuries and so many mitigating factors, it would be a tremendous

01:45achievement. We've knocked out Manchester City, Manchester United along the way. We

01:49almost went out at Coventry City in the first round. Part of me thinks maybe we've got

01:55our hand on it this year, and it might be our year, but it's going to be a huge, huge

01:59test. As I say, every player is going to have to give a 9.5 out of 10 performance on Thursday

02:04because it's going to be very, very tough.

02:07And where would it leave Spurs fans' thoughts on Ange? If they are to get through, would

02:13they see that as a success? Obviously not going all the way just yet, but if they are

02:17to make a final under him, it's quite an impressive achievement. And then they have

02:21made a final before and sat their manager. What's the sort of situation? Where would

02:24you be? Because obviously you were fairly certain that Ange out might have been the

02:30situation just as much as a week ago.

02:33Yes, and I said that before. I have got doubts over his tactical ability. It was interesting

02:39the way we set up at Brentford. I think that shows that he's changing. We were a little

02:43bit more low-block. The full-backs weren't bombing on. We sat two defensive midfielders

02:48in front of the back four. We looked a lot more solid, so maybe that's a blueprint for

02:51going forward. But obviously, it would be huge for us to get to a final, and it could

02:57be a defining moment for Bocicoglu. We've got a very, very young side. I've said before

03:02we lack leaders, but this could really, really assist our growth. If we were to get to the

03:06final and have a brilliant day out at Wembley, it would certainly put Ange some credit in

03:11the bank if he went on and won it. You'd be giving him the keys to Tottenham, frankly.

03:16After such a long time without a trophy, it'd be a tremendous, tremendous success. We've

03:20got to use that as the springboard, really, even if we don't get there. We're still in

03:24the Europa League. We're still in the FA Cup as well. That's going to be a tough game at

03:27Aston Villa on Sunday. But there's still huge opportunities for Spurs this season. It is

03:33defining. We're very close to that final, and if we were to get there, it'd be absolutely

03:37fantastic. But we have to respect the opposition. It is going to be extremely tough. I think

03:41if we were to lose the semi-final on Thursday, I don't see that as too much of a slight on

03:46Ange, to be fair. Liverpool are the best team in the country, if not in Europe at the moment.

03:50So, it's going to be tough. It's going to take a really, really big effort. But we've

03:54shown before, arguably, our best performances have been against the big boys this season.

03:59We've actually struggled more against the, all due respect, so-called lesser teams, the

04:03likes of Leicester, Ipswich, Wolves. So, we have saved our best performances for the better

04:10We always tend to be more up for it under the lights as well when we're on the TV. I

04:13think that's something that's been levelled at Spurs before. We get up for these big games.

04:17We don't necessarily motivate ourselves for those run-of-the-mill tests, if you like.

04:21So, all eyes on it, and fingers crossed we can get over that line.

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