The seemingly never-ending debate surrounding Tottenham Hotspur is whether they should keep Ange Postecoglou or sack him and will likely continue until he well and truly turns things around in N17.
For Daniel Levy, both decisions at hand are difficult to take. On one hand, Spurs play a distinct style of play under Ange Postecoglou and during the Australian’s leadership, they finished fifth in the Premier League during his debut campaign and reached the semi-final of the Carabao Cup this season.
But on the other hand, Tottenham perhaps cannot keep giving chances to Postecoglou as his Lilywhites side are 14th in the league.
Ange Postecoglou’s job is safe at Tottenham for now as Daniel Levy has not lost his patience with the former Celtic boss as his side are still in contention to win the Europa League.
But if Postecoglou and Tottenham are knocked out of the Europa League quarter-finals by Eintracht Frankfurt, Levy might have a big decision to make about his future.
One stat might make Ange Postecoglou sack a no-brainer for Tottenham
Tottenham’s players are still on Ange Postecoglou’s side and the environment within the dressing room has not turned as toxic as it did under previous managers such as Antonio Conte and Jose Mourinho.
But football is a results business and the North Londoners must be mindful that they are heading in the right decision.
What will worry not just Ange Postecoglou but the chiefs at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is that they have the third-lowest points (44) out of any team in their last 38 Premier League games — only behind Wolves (31) and West Ham (43).
Postecoglou cannot deny that despite the barrage of injuries they have suffered this season, the fact of the matter is that a points tally of 44 over 38 league matches is sufficient evidence that his side have been far from good enough.
The former Celtic boss has tried to alter his style of play, with Pep Guardiola noting Tottenham are more conservative nowadays but the numbers don’t lie and make for grim reading for the 59-year-old’s future. Unless Ange Postecoglou manages to win the Europa League, the decision-makers at Tottenham might have no choice but to sack him as Spurs’ form over the past 38 league outings is that of a relegation-battling side.
After all, regardless of how he fares, the North Londoners are set to undertake a season review about the veteran’s future at the end of the current campaign, according to journalist Ben Jacobs.
The manager Tottenham want to appoint if they sack Postecoglou
The managerial market in the Premier League and across European football makes for an exciting one for any club on the prowl for a new head coach.
Much like Ange Postecoglou’s reputation at Celtic, there are several up-and-coming managers whose stocks are an all-time high and are doing tremendous jobs elsewhere.
One of them is AFC Bournemouth boss Andona Iraola, who is Tottenham’s dream target if they decide to part ways with Postecoglou.
What will excite Spurs fans is that Iraola is open to taking the Tottenham job as well.
