‘Make or break’ week for Spurs’ 2024/25 campaign

National World - LocalTV

A huge week ahead for Postecoglou’s side.

Transcript

00:00James, it's a massive week in terms of Spurs' season, the cup competitions, they've got

00:08the Carabao Cup, a huge game there when they go away to Anfield, and of course the FA Cup

00:17weekend again kicks in. What are your thoughts ahead of this week? How could it shape Spurs'

00:22season? If they are to progress in both, it would be quite incredible. If they are to

00:27progress in one, which one would you prefer? If they are to progress in none, where does

00:32that leave Spurs and Anfield? It's quite a tough situation if that is to be the case.

00:38It's make or break, isn't it? The Carabao Cup semi-final, second leg at Anfield, it's

00:44our biggest game of the season, bar none. Really, really tough going to Anfield, as

00:49we know. It's going to take a heroic, Herculean effort, you might say. Probably very similar

00:55performance is going to be needed in terms of the way we set up against Brentford. Low

00:59block, but we can't sit back. Spurs just can't sit back. We're not a team that can win 1-0

01:05very often, so we need to go there, we need to try and assert our authority on the game.

01:10I would say the first goal is going to be absolutely massive. If Spurs could get that

01:14first goal and get in front 2-0, then it's looking like a bit of a longer road back for

01:19Liverpool. But if Liverpool score first, especially if they score early, it could be

01:24a real, real tough test for us. We're so close, aren't we, to get into Wembley and what an

01:30achievement that would be. Ange has been mocked in the media and various outlets for saying

01:34that he always wins something in his second season. It would be fantastic for us to get

01:38to Wembley. Especially doing it how we've done it this season, with so many injuries

01:43and so many mitigating factors, it would be a tremendous achievement. We've knocked out

01:47Manchester City, Manchester United along the way. We almost went out at Coventry City

01:51in the first round. Part of me thinks maybe we've got our hand on it this year. It might

01:57be our year, but it's going to be a huge, huge test. As I say, every player is going

02:01to have to give a 9.5 out of 10 performance on Thursday, because it's going to be very,

02:05very tough.

02:08And where would it leave Spurs fans' thoughts on Ange, if they are to get through? Would

02:14they see that as a success? Obviously, not going all the way just yet. But if they are

02:18to make a final under him, it's quite an impressive achievement. And then, they have made a final

02:23before and sat their manager. What's the situation? Where would you be? Because obviously, you

02:28were fairly certain that Ange might have been the situation just as much as a week ago.

02:35Yes, and I said that before. I have got doubts over his tactical ability. It was interesting

02:41the way we set up at Brentford. I think that shows that he's changing. We were a little

02:45bit more low-block. The full-backs weren't bombing on. We sat two defensive midfielders

02:49in front of the back four. We looked a lot more solid. So maybe that's a blueprint for

02:53going forward. But obviously, it would be huge for us to get to a final, and it could

02:59be a defining moment for Bossa Coglou. We've got a very, very young side. I've said before

03:04we lack leaders, but this could really, really assist our growth. And if we were to get to

03:08the final and have a brilliant day out at Wembley, it would certainly put Ange some

03:13credit in the bank. If he went on and won it, you'd be giving him the keys to Tottenham.

03:17Frankly, after such a long time without a trophy, it would be a tremendous, tremendous

03:21success. And we've got to use that as the springboard, really. Even if we don't get

03:25there, we're still in the Europa League. We're still in the FA Cup as well. That's going

03:28to be a tough game at Aston Villa on Sunday. But there's still huge opportunities for Spurs

03:33this season. So it is defining. We're very close to that final, and if we were to get

03:37there, it'd be absolutely fantastic. But we have to respect the opposition. It is going

03:41to be extremely tough. I think if we were to lose the semi-final on Thursday, I don't

03:46see that as too much of a slight on Ange, to be fair. Liverpool are the best team in

03:50the country, if not in Europe at the moment. So it's going to be tough. It's going to take

03:53a really, really big effort. But we've shown before, arguably our best performances have

03:58been against the big boys this season. We've actually struggled more against the, all due

04:03respect, so-called lesser teams, the likes of Leicester, Ipswich, Wolves. So we have

04:09saved our best performances for the better teams. We always tend to be more up for it

04:13under the likes as well when we're on the TV. I think that's something that's been levelled

04:16at Spurs before. We get up for these big games. We don't necessarily motivate ourselves for

04:20those run-of-the-mill tests, if you like. So all eyes on it, and fingers crossed we

04:27can get over that line.

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