Ange Postecoglou: 'Judge me but don't criticise my outstanding Spurs players'

In a season of repeated setbacks for Tottenham Hotspur, manager Ange Postecoglou's expression just 57 seconds into their FA Cup defeat to Aston Villa said it all. At Villa Park, his team was behind inside a minute, eventually succumbing to a 2-1 loss and a second domestic cup exit in four days, leaving him looking resigned and silent.

The pain of Thursday's 4-0 mauling by Liverpool at Anfield, which erased their League Cup first-leg advantage, had barely subsided. And Sunday's 2-1 defeat to Villa leaves the Europa League as Postecoglou's only route to fulfilling his claim that he "always" wins a trophy in his second season at a club. This puts even more pressure on the team to perform well in the Europa League.

However, amid the team's struggles, it is not the manager who has become the focal point of fan discontent, but owner Daniel Levy. Fans believe he has underinvested in the squad, leading to chants of "We want Levy out" from the away stands. Postecoglou has repeatedly cited the club's injury crisis to defend the team's poor form this season. When asked if he can only be fairly judged once key players return, the Spurs boss staunchly defended his players after the match.

Postecoglou stated, "People can assess me. They can say I'm not doing a good job, I'm not up to it, whatever. That's fine. What I'm saying is, at the moment, you can't assess our players' performances. If you're going to measure anything by what they're putting out there at the moment, without the extreme circumstances they're in, then I think your analysis is skewed, it's not objective. If the aim is to get rid of me, that's fine. Whatever. Go for it a million times. But as far as those players are concerned, what they've given in the last two-and-a-half months has been outstanding."

In his first season in North London, Postecoglou led Tottenham Hotspur to their best-ever start to a Premier League campaign. However, the team has since faltered this season. After a disastrous week, and considering they are still only in 14th place with more than two-thirds of the Premier League season gone, the Europa League now represents Spurs' last realistic hope of ending their 17-year trophy drought. With each new low, Postecoglou has pointed the finger at the players on the absentee list. As many as 12 first-team players were unavailable for their victory over Elfsborg at the end of January, a win that secured their place in the Europa League last 16.

Postecoglou said: "We've been asking 17 and 18-year-olds and guys who haven't had a break to play every Thursday and Sunday for two-and-a-half months. If you don't think that has an impact on performance, then I don't know what to say. I think this group of players, once we get other guys back, will be a very good side. I have no doubt about that. Whether other people can see that, I'm not really interested."

Despite the team's injury woes, Tottenham Hotspur still failed to sign an outfield player on the final day of the winter transfer window. Goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky, a £12.5 million arrival from Slavia Prague, was their only addition until French U21 forward Mathys Tel joined on loan from Bayern Munich before the deadline. It is this perceived unwillingness to invest in the squad, in contrast to the investment in infrastructure (including the building of a world-class stadium), that has led to the outpouring of fan frustration.

Alan Shearer said on BBC One: "We talk about the pressure on Ange Postecoglou. If you speak to Tottenham Hotspur fans, it's clear what they want - it's nothing to do with the manager. We're hearing the Tottenham Hotspur fans, and it's been there for a while. They want Levy out, they think he should take the blame. Having said that, you shouldn't wait until 10 minutes into the second half to react, especially after such a poor showing at Anfield. That reaction has to come immediately - and that can only come from the manager."

Tottenham Hotspur's important week ended in disappointment, but at least the absence of repeated twice-weekly fixtures will allow Postecoglou's battered squad to get players back fit, and to focus their energies on a Europa League run and improving their Premier League position. With the Europa League last 16 not until March, Spurs have three league games in the next three weeks, against Manchester United, Ipswich, and Manchester City respectively. Postecoglou will be hoping to see signs of revival during this period, as the current squad is lacking in confidence.

Former England goalkeeper Joe Hart, who played under Postecoglou at Celtic, said on BBC One: "The intent is good from Tottenham Hotspur, but they're playing with a bit of fear. It's a tough moment, you can see Postecoglou feels it. He's being tested on his beliefs, he's questioning himself. But this is where you need to be backed. You need everyone pulling in the same direction. The fans are pulling one way, Postecoglou is coming out and talking about injuries, and the players know they should be playing better. It's not a good mix."

Despite Postecoglou's praise for his players, pundit Dion Dublin said he believed some of the Tottenham Hotspur squad were currently "hiding". Dublin said: "Those players who should be offering options don't have the confidence to get on the ball in the positions they should be picking it up, they don't believe in themselves. We used to call it hiding, getting into a position where you can't receive the ball. Son Heung-min, who is their best player, he's going through that phase."

There is no doubt that Tottenham Hotspur are underperforming, and seemingly getting worse, but what would sacking Ange Postecoglou achieve? The next question is, who would want to take over mid-season, during an injury crisis, and with no other trophies to play for other than the Europa League? Perhaps understandably, Postecoglou would argue he should at least be judged once he has the likes of Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero, Brennan Johnson, and James Maddison back from injury. Spurs will also have their second free week since August, allowing their weary players some rest.

Chairman Daniel Levy must consider this argument as he weighs up whether to make a change. But he may also need to consider how it would look to the fans, as he finds himself under increasing pressure and will face protests at home to Manchester United next Sunday.