Ange Postecoglou always wins something in his second season. So we thought anyway. He’s been vocal about that over the course of this campaign but Tottenham’s hopes of doing so now rest solely on their European ambitions.
On Thursday evening it was Liverpool who halted their progress in the Carabao Cup, subsequently sending Spurs out in the semi-final stages. This time around, it was Aston Villa who were ending the Lilywhites’ hopes of winning the FA Cup, winning 2-1 on Sunday evening.
How about that trophy, Ange? Yeah, it doesn’t look like it’s forthcoming, does it?
Spurs have undoubtedly been dealt a rough hand this term, notably at the back where injuries to the likes of Cristiano Romero, Destiny Udogie and Micky Van De Ven have been a key stumbling block.
Kevin Danso may have signed last Sunday but Radu Dragusin’s ACL injury has only compounded their woes.
Still, at least loanee Mathys Tel has started brightly for the north Londoners.
Tottenham's biggest positive against Aston Villa
In midweek Tel was given an introduction to life as a Spurs player after appearing from the bench, replacing the injured Richarlison.
Handed his first start against Villa over the weekend, he was initially selected as the left winger in Postecoglou’s 4-2-3-1 system but found himself occupying central pockets on a lot of occasions.
Truth be told, his performance was perhaps the only positive from Tottenham’s FA Cup exit, as the Frenchman who arrived on deadline day scored a late consolation goal.
It was a moment that threatened to cause panic at the back for Villa deep in injury time as the Bayern teenager peeled away from the defence and latched onto Dejan Kulusevski’s wicked delivery to the back post.
Tel got a boot on it and steered it brilliantly past Emiliano Martinez. Sadly for the visitors, it was not enough to send the game to extra-time.
Minutes played
90
Touches
43
Accurate passes
17/24 (71%)
Key passes
2
Shots
1
Successful dribbles
3/5
Duels won
5/12
Possession lost
18x
Was fouled
1
Tackles
1
Two poor deliveries as the clock ticked down, firstly from Kulusveski and then secondly from Heung-min Son, just about summed up their feeble efforts in the Midlands.
Those efforts weren’t helped by a different January signing. No, not Tel, and no, not Danso either.
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Tottenham's biggest underperformer against Villa
Spurs needed a goalkeeper. Let’s get that straight. With Guglielmo Vicario out with injury and Fraser Forster now also sidelined, they headed to Czechia and in doing so, found Antonin Kinsky.
He made his debut in the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg, notably standing out with his passing and playing out from the back. But, despite keeping successive clean sheets over Arne Slot’s side and then less impressively against Tamworth, it’s simply gone from bad to worse.
His passing against Arsenal was error-stricken and ultimately led to a dismal long-pass success rate of just 45%. His hands weren’t great either, allowing Leandro Trossard’s effort to bounce past him and find the bottom corner.
The way he conceded against Villa on Sunday was eerily similar, specifically for the first goal.
Jacob Ramsey ran through and then with Kinsky at his mercy, bundled an effort goalbound that somehow squirmed beyond the Czech ‘keeper and found the net.
Although he later went onto keep his side in the game with a succession of saves, truth be told, the damage had already been done.
Indeed, that early catastrophe was a horrible moment for the January signing who in the words of pundit and content creator Gianni Buttice, has been “so poor since he came in”. Also slated for being “hesitant with his feet and dreadful under the high ball”, it’s safe to say it’s not been a great start for the 21-year-old since arriving in the capital.
Ange may not be able to call upon Vicario yet but perhaps a degree of faith should have been shown in Brandon Austin before deciding to splash £12.5m on the young Czech stopper.
That may not be a colossal sum of money for a team like Spurs but it’s a decision that Daniel Levy and Ange may come to regret after what was a 4/10 performance in the eyes of the Express’ Sam Smith.
Unlike Tel, Kinsky’s impact after arriving over the winter has not been spectacular.
83% duels lost: Ange must axe Spurs dud after an "inexcusable" 4/10 display
Tottenham Hotspur exited the FA Cup after a defeat against Aston Villa earlier today.
ByEthan LambFeb 9, 2025