We’re just a few moments away
The two teams are walking out onto the pitch – we’ll have some football to talk about very, very shortly.
Sorry, Albo (and Sir Keir) – Ange’s gig is harder
Ange Postecoglou believes being Tottenham Hotspur manager is harder than being Prime Minister as he tries to achieve the seemingly impossible task of helping the club win silverware.
Spurs resume their latest quest to add to their trophy cabinet on Thursday night when Manchester United visit in the last eight of the Carabao Cup.
Tottenham have failed to win a prize since 2008 and a restless fanbase turned on chairman Daniel Levy during the 5-0 victory at Southampton on Sunday, with repeated chants calling for the long-serving director to leave.
UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.Credit: Getty Images
It was the home manager, Russell Martin, however, who lost his job hours after the St Mary’s thrashing to follow Gary O’Neil – sacked by Wolves – in being dismissed last weekend.
Postecoglou is fully aware that defeat by United will turn the spotlight back on him but expressed his exasperation at the shelf life of head coaches in the current era.
“We have lost all sort of modes of respect in our society where guys are in jobs and they are putting up names of who is going to replace them while they are still working,” Postecoglou reflected.
“As a society, we are so quick to just throw people in the trash and move on really quickly with no thought or any care around it. I don’t know if there is a good way or a best way of handling it.
“It is why I have left before it has ever happened to me, mate. Jump out before that comes my way. We have crossed that line now and it is open slather.
“I get people who say, ‘managers have always been sacked’. I just think now it has gone beyond that, where we forget there is a human being involved.
“This job is the hardest job now in any walk of life. You can say politics, but this is harder than any job. The tenure and longevity of this role now means that you go in to it and very few are going to come out of it without any scars.”
When Postecoglou was asked if being a football manager is a harder job than the one Keir Starmer has as Prime Minister, he insisted: “Oh yeah, how many times does he have an election? I have one every weekend, mate. We have an election every weekend and either get voted in or out.”
The Telegraph, London
Carabao Cup update: Arsenal, Newcastle and Liverpool await
By AP
Arsenal, Newcastle and Liverpool advanced in the English League Cup on Wednesday to ensure a heavyweight lineup for the semifinals.
Gabriel Jesus scored a hat trick — including a crucial second goal from an offside position — as Arsenal beat Crystal Palace 3-2 to reach the last four for the first time since the 2021-22 season.
Liverpool kept alive its title defence by winning 2-1 at Southampton, with Darwin Nunez and Harvey Elliott the scorers in the first half for the leaders of the Premier League and Champions League.
Newcastle defeated Brentford 3-1 mainly thanks to two first-half goals by Italy midfielder Sandro Tonali and progressed to the semifinals for the second time in three seasons. The Saudi-controlled club from the north east, which hasn’t won a major trophy since 1955, lost in the League Cup final to Manchester United in 2023.
Poll: Who do you think will win?
Team news: Two changes for Tottenham, five for Man United
Here are the teams for this morning’s clash.
First, Tottenham. Two changes from the team that beat Southhampton 5-0 on Monday morning (AEDT) – the injured Destiny Udogie drops out, so Pedro Porro comes into the team at right-back, with Djed Spence shuffling over to the left. And then in midfield, teenager Lucas Bergvall drops to the bench and Yves Bissouma replaces him in the XI.
Timo Werner, meanwhile, has been left out entirely!
And this is the Manchester United team. They’ve made five changes from the team that beat Manchester City 2-1 at the weekend, with Ruben Amorim fielding a slightly weaker side here with Leny Yoro and Victor Lindelof drafted into defence – but it’s still a very strong outfit, especially with Tottenham’s absentees in mind.
Good morning
G’day folks, and welcome to our live coverage of this morning’s quarter-final clash between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United in the Carabao Cup (aka EFL Cup, or, before that, the League Cup). I’m Vince Rugari.
This is probably the biggest game of Ange Postecoglou’s tenure as Spurs coach. It’s been a rocky campaign, and they’re not where they’d want to be in the Premier League, sitting 10th on the table about halfway through the season. An injury crisis, which Postecoglou has described as the worst he’s ever encountered in football, has exposed the lack of depth in their squad and their inconsistent results have ramped up the pressure on him. Some fans would like to see him sacked, but most seem to be in his corner and want chairman Daniel Levy to back him by spending on reinforcements in the January transfer window. Fair to say the tension is high in and around this football club.
That’s why this game is important. Spurs haven’t won a trophy since 2008 and a win here, at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, over Ruben Amorim’s resurgent Man United side, would take them into the final four of the Carabao Cup and within two wins of the silverware this football club is absolutely desperate for.
Kick-off is at 7am – and if you don’t have a BeIN Sports subscription (that’s the only way you can watch this game), we’ve got you covered.
Ange Postecoglou.Credit: Getty Images
