Former Tottenham midfielder Jamie Redknapp believes Ange Postecoglou is on borrowed time after Spurs were beaten 1-0 by Chelsea on Thursday night.
Enzo Fernandez scored the only goal of the game as Tottenham slipped to their sixteenth league defeat of the season to remain 14th in the Premier League table.
Spurs still have a chance of ending their 17-year wait for silverware after reaching the Europa League quarter-finals, and Redknapp believes European glory could save Postecoglou, but he insists their cup run should not paper over the cracks following a dismal league campaign.
‘If they weren’t still in Europe, I don’t think he’d still be the manager,’ Redknapp told Sky Sports. ‘They’ve been that poor.
‘He knows the price of the ticket. You don’t lose 16 games at a club like Tottenham. Yes, they’ve had injuries but that’s not good enough.
‘He’s got to win the cup. If they win the cup, they’re creating history. If they don’t win it, they will be history. It’s all or nothing for Ange Postecoglou. They are capable because they’ve got the players to do it, but they need the spirit.’
Ange Postecoglou has seen his Tottenham side lose 16 league games this season
Jamie Redknapp believes Postecoglou will not be at Spurs next season if they don’t win the Europa League
Spurs delivered another poor performance on Thursday as they slipped to a 1-0 defeat at Chelsea
Postecoglou was jeered by the travelling fans when he replaced Lucas Bergvall and Wilson Odobert with Pape Matar Sarr and Brennan Johnson just after the hour mark at Stamford Bridge.
He was then seen cupping his ear in the direction of the supporters when Sarr scored shortly afterwards, only for the goal to subsequently be disallowed for a foul in the build-up.
Redknapp’s fellow pundit Gary Cahill admitted he was ‘baffled’ by Postecoglou’s tactics, but did concede that winning a trophy would change the mood at Spurs.
‘Their season can be saved in a massive way,’ Cahill said. ‘They probably can’t wait for the Premier League season to be over. The Europa League is a distraction. It will save their season (if they win).
‘Tottenham, I was baffled with their tactics and how they were trying to play out. Chelsea, you can see a method.’
Tottenham host rock-bottom Southampton on Sunday, and will be looking for a confidence boost ahead of the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final against Eintracht Frankfurt next Thursday.