Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou says errors will stop them being successful after Man Utd win but defends 'entertainers' tag

19 December 2024, 22:25 | Updated: 20 December 2024, 11:57

Ange Postecoglou said he will not stop asking Fraser Forster to play out from the back despite the stand-in goalkeeper's two howlers in Tottenham's 4-3 win over Manchester United.

Forster's errors, both with the ball at his feet, threatened to throw away all of Tottenham's good work to give themselves a three-goal buffer in the Carabao Cup quarter-final, before Heung-Min Son's late fourth saw them over the line to set up a semi-final clash with Liverpool.

Both mistakes were booed from the home stands with Spurs fans fearing yet another collapse this season, having already thrown away two-goal advantages against Brighton and Chelsea, and giving up leads in each of their last three home games.

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Forster has previously shown himself to be far less comfortable playing out from the back than Spurs' regular No 1 Guglielmo Vicario, but Postecoglou has steadfastly asked him to continue in his unflinching style.

When asked for his thoughts as he watched Forster's seven-minute nightmare unfold, Postecoglou said: "It's fair to say in 26 years, there's been a few of those [goalkeeping errors].

"But I've always thought the pros well outweigh the cons. Those moments are rare, but when they happen they stand out. Today, there was two, and the first one affected Fraser for that next period.

"He's disappointed, but he was outstanding for us. He didn't have a lot to do before then, and in the first half I thought he found some great solutions with his feet, but obviously the first probably affected his confidence. He lost a bit of belief and then the second one compounds it.

"He's a big boy, he's another one who's stood up for us. I can't speak highly enough of this group of players. We had 10 unavailable tonight, we had a day less rest than Man Utd, and we're not able to rotate the squad like other clubs can. We don't have the numbers, but we're not just getting through games, we're still maintaining the kind of football [we were]. This period is going to see us have enormous growth."

Mistakes could cost Tottenham success, admits Ange

Though typically unapologetic about his unchanging style, Postecoglou did sound a word of caution that "making things difficult" could cost Tottenham the success they crave to end a run of 16 years since they last lifted a trophy in 2008.

"I love football and watching teams that go out there to entertain," he told Sky Sports. "Obviously we want to be successful and we won't be if we make things difficult like we did tonight.

"I like the whole game. Are you not entertained? I know the studio is probably having a meltdown over my lack of tactics.

"We're not going out there to try and grind out 1-0 victories, we're trying to keep folks entertained. I can't see how that's a bad thing.

"It's part of football, mistakes will happen. From the context of how we play as a team, there's nothing we need to change. It doesn't get me any credit in the bank as an astute tactician, but so be it."

Amorim: Right to leave Rashford out regardless of result

Meanwhile, Man Utd boss Ruben Amorim backed his decision to omit Marcus Rashford from the matchday squad once again.

The forward was absent at Spurs after missing the Manchester derby on Sunday amid speculation about his future. Rashford was dropped at the weekend, with Amorim citing a range of factors, and he did not travel with his team-mates again after coming out on Tuesday and stating he was open to a "new challenge" away from United.

Asked if it was a mistake to leave Rashford out, Amorim said: "If I feel I do the right thing for the team, it was never a mistake. We have to make a selection. It was not a mistake because I feel I'm doing the best for the team in my way of seeing things."

On his side's performance, Amorim was positive and pointed to a poor eight-minute spell at the start of the second half, in which Spurs scored twice, as the moment they lost the match.

"We controlled the possession. We were not the best team in all of the game but in most of the parts I think we were the best team. We disconnected for eight minutes and it was hard to recover from that, but the lads did a great job to recover. We were so near the draw but the fourth goal was really hard for us.

"We disconnected for eight minutes and that cost us the game."

(c) Sky Sports 2024: Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou says errors will stop them being successful after Man Utd win but defends 'entertainers' tag