Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou travels to Glasgow on Thursday for the Europa League Battle of Britain against Rangers, looking for a win to quell rumors over his future. Spurs have only won once in their last seven games in all competitions, a spectacular 4-0 thrashing of English champions Manchester City, dropping to 11th in the Premier League and ninth in the Europa League. A 4-3 defeat to London rivals Chelsea on Sunday epitomized the Australian team’s Jekyll and Hyde mentality in 90 minutes.
Tottenham raced out to a 2-0 lead, but gung-ho Postecoglou refused to sit on it, and the in-form Blues fought back in an exciting match that swings from end to end.
Postecoglou criticized his team’s indiscipline after they conceded two penalties, which Cole Palmer converted calmly, but there has been little evidence that they are learning from their mistakes 18 months into his rule. Last season, Postecoglou’s men lost 4-1 at home to Chelsea due to two red cards.
Including that result, they have only won 18 of their last 43 Premier League games, and Spurs fans’ patience was tested in a heated incident between Postecoglou and fans in the away end following last week’s 1-0 loss to Bournemouth. Injuries have hampered the former Celtic manager, who led Rangers to the Scottish Premiership title in both of his two seasons in Glasgow.
Goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario is expected to be out for months due to a fractured ankle, and Postecoglou may only have one fit center-back available after Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven were replaced against Chelsea. However, playing with the intensity that Postecoglou expects increases the risk of injury, especially during a stretch of 12 games in 43 days.
“My role immediately is to focus on the areas that I can control and keep prepping the team the best we can while progressing as athletes and turn our season around,” according to Postecoglou. “I believe they are trying to turn around our season and are upset with how it has gone. When you’re in that mood, you lose your composure.