‘Ange Postecoglou to rest entire Tottenham XI for Liverpool title clincher’
Ange Postecoglou is expected to make some season-defining changes to the Tottenham line-up ahead of a clash with Liverpool.
Arne Slot’s team have the chance to clinch the Premier League title when welcoming Spurs to Anfield on Sunday, 27 April, and the Lilywhites will be in no mood to suffer back-to-back defeats, but have been tipped to significantly weaken themselves.
With Spurs currently sitting 15th in the Premier League table, Postecoglou is under immense pressure from Tottenham supporters, though that could be alleviated by lifting the Europa League trophy.
Despite an incredibly frustrating campaign in domestic competitions, the North London club are just two games away from a European final, beating Eintracht Frankfurt to set up a semi-final against Bodo/Glimt.
With that vital clash in mind, Paul Merson believes the manager needs to consider dropping his entire starting XI for the league game against Liverpool, with Champions League qualification on the line.
Tottenham changes expected ahead of Liverpool clash
Speaking live on Sky Sports Soccer Saturday (26 April, 1:27pm), Merson said: “Daws [Michael Dawson] is being kind to Tottenham, ‘one eye’. They’ve gotta have both eyes on the game [on Thursday], honestly.
“It falls on this. Tottenham have got to worry about Thursday night; that is a big, massive game for them. They do not need this game [v Liverpool].
“I’d be surprised, well, I’d be shocked if anybody played who’s gonna play on Thursday, I really would. I really would. The season’s gone, it’s all down to getting into the Champions League now for Tottenham.”
| Premier League standings | Points |
| 1. Liverpool | 79 |
| 2. Arsenal | 67 |
| 16. Tottenham | 37 |
Ange Postecoglou depends on Europa League title to secure Tottenham future
Football Insider verdict
Daniel Levy is having more and more Tottenham supporters begin to point the finger at him, not only for the lack of action over Postecoglou’s future, but also for his lack of investment on the pitch.
Finally bringing a piece of silverware back to North London could help trigger something in the owner to pour more of his profits into the squad, which has been needed this season.
Despite the additions of Mathys Tel and Kevin Danso, injuries have plagued the Spurs squad, especially when Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Guglielmo Vicario and Destiny Udogie’s long-term absences.
While momentum is an extremely useful tool in football, a full 90 minutes against Liverpool will do his players absolutely no good ahead of a crucial European tie.
Without Champions League football, it is very unlikely that Postecoglou remains in North London for much longer, but if he listens to Merson’s advice at all, he might give himself a much-needed advantage against Bodo/Glimt.
Were it not for the fact that Arsenal continue to drop league points as they also concentrate on European glory in the Champions League there might be cries of spoiling the integrity of the title race, but with Liverpool’s triumph a matter of time there is unlikely to be huge controversy this term.