Tottenham Hotspur boss Ange Postecoglou admits Tuesday night’s 2-0 loss to Manchester City was the “worst experience” he’s “had as a football manager”.
Postecoglou was lauded at the start of this season as he successfully overhauled Tottenham’s style of play after the approach adopted by Antonio Conte and Jose Mourinho bored supporters.
Under the former Celtic boss, Spurs have surpassed expectations this season as they have mounted a challenge for the Champions League places.
Sadly for Postecoglou, Spurs have fallen apart during the run-in as they have lost five of their last six games in the Premier League so will likely have to settle for a fifth-place finish.
Postecoglou clashed with Spurs supporters in midweek as a portion of their fanbase wanted their team to lose against Man City so Arsenal would miss out on the Premier League title.
This means there was a subdued atmosphere at The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Despite this, Spurs put in a solid performance before ultimately losing 2-0 to Premier League table-toppers Man City.
Postecoglou ‘could leave’?
Earlier this week, a report claimed Postecoglou ‘could leave’ Spurs after an ‘explosive few days’ amid interest from Manchester United.
Postecoglou has since admitted that the Man City game was his “worst experience” as he “got in cold sweats thinking about people questioning his integrity”.
“Look, I will try and explain it in this way. That is probably the worst experience I have had as a football manager in a game,” Postecoglou said.
“Because once I realised I got it wrong, in terms of what the atmosphere would be like and what people felt, I got a real anxiety within me of what happens if Man City, best team in the world and disposing of teams quite easily in the build-up, what if we play as well as we can, but they beat us 5-0?
“I got in cold sweats thinking about people questioning my integrity and the people I work with.”
He continued: “Even watching the game back, there was a comment – somebody mentioned it to me – in commentary where someone says, ‘oh Tottenham are having a real go here,’ and you’re laughing about it. But that is 26 years of my life and if nothing else, people should know I love this game.
“I would hate to think, as Manchester City could have done to us, if we were on the end of a heavy defeat, then people would be questioning whether I prepared the team.
“Before people say that’s not going to happen, we know what over social media would have happened, 100 per cent and I would have to try to defend myself.
“That’s why I was animated on the night. I felt I just needed the boys and credit to them, I thought beside everything else our football was outstanding on the night and that was important.
“Not just for me, but for the players and for our football club because it would have cast aspersions on us as a football club.
“I don’t think anyone can say we didn’t make Man City earn that win the other night and it could have gone a very different way without anything changing from us just by Man City being Man City.”
