Ange Postecoglou is facing increasing pressure amid Tottenham’s largely wretched run of form.
Spurs suffered a fourth consecutive Premier League loss on January 26 as relegation-threatened Leicester City came from a goal down to win 2-1 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The result left the home side in 15th place in the standings, only eight points above the relegation zone.
Postecoglou has earned some respite thanks to a 3-2 win at Hoffenheim, which boosted their chances of going through to the UEFA Europa League knockout phase, and they hold a 1-0 lead over Liverpool in the semifinals of the Carabao Cup ahead of the second leg on February 6. Those two competitions give the Australian coach a chance of delivering on his promise to win a trophy in his second season at the club.
๐ ๐: ๐๐จ๐ญ๐ญ๐๐ง๐ก๐๐ฆ ๐-๐ ๐๐๐ข๐๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ซ
๐ธ4 Premier League losses in a row
๐ธworst winless run (7) in the league since 2008Spurs’ miserable run continues. Look back on the action with the key stats and the Opta chalkboard โฌ๏ธhttps://t.co/FEhiELStZW pic.twitter.com/2d1WiEOgvm
โ Opta Analyst (@OptaAnalyst) January 26, 2025
Yet with their league form worryingly suspectย and potentially difficult games to come against Brentford and Manchester United, plus an FA Cup fourth-round tie away to Aston Villa, Postecoglou’s position looks far from secure.
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Will Tottenham sack Ange Postecoglou?
There is no clear indication yet that Spurs will dismiss Postecoglou, but the pressure on the manager is reaching critical levels as a result of the defeat to Leicester. Some oddsmakers were pricing the Australian at evens to be the next Premier League coach to leave his club.
The manner of the loss, in front of watching chairman Daniel Levy, was particularly concerning. Spurs conceded twice in the first five minutes of the second half, something they last did against Liverpool back in 1997, and then barely posed a threat to Jakub Stolarczyk’s goal. They managed just two shots on target in the second half and fashioned only one Opta-defined ‘big chance’, with their eight total attempts in that half totalling a value of just 0.28 expected goals (xG), highlighting the speculative nature of their shots.
There were loud boos from the home fans at the final whistle as they made their feelings clear at the end of a fourth-straight league loss. While Postecoglou still has the backing of some supporters, there is no doubt that patience is wearing thin.
The question is, who could replace him?
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Next Tottenham manager candidates
While it remains highly speculative, a few names have emerged as potentially strong candidates to succeed Postecoglou at Spurs.
Edin Terzic
Edin Terzic is among the favourites should Spurs seek a new manager. He led Borussia Dortmund to the UEFA Champions League final last season before leaving the role in June, having won 55 of his 96 games in charge in what was his second spell in charge.
Andoni Iraola
Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola is producing impressive results with the Cherries, so it is not surprising to see him linked with Spurs. It would likely cost a sizeable fee in terms of compensation to get him away from one of the surprise packages in this Premier League season, but Iraola would probably be tempted at least to speak with the club.
Xabi Alonso
Xabi Alonso is a more optimistic option given the success he is enjoying with Bayer Leverkusen and the fact that he has been linked with a possible move to Real Madrid to succeed Carlo Ancelotti, but Spurs would likely at least ask the question of whether he might be interested in moving to north London.
Kieran McKenna
Ipswich Town got their first league win of the season at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and Kieran McKenna has won plenty of admirers for his work at the club despite them being mired in a relegation battle. Linked with the Chelsea job before Enzo Maresca was appointed, McKenna would more likely be tempted to move at the end of the season.
