We’re playing ‘in the most extreme of circumstances’- Postecoglou after Tottenham FA Cup exit v Aston Villa | OneFootball

It was a tough evening for Tottenham ,as they exited the FA Cup against Aston Villa and have now been knocked out of two cups in less than a week.

The game got off to a poor start for them with an Antonin Kinsky howler in the second minute that essentially ended the game. It was a nightmare start for the Czech Republic international and Ange Postecoglou, and it didn’t get any better for Spurs after that….

In truth, an individual mistake like that cannot be attributed to Postecoglou. The Australian is under immense scrutiny, with 20 losses in the 45 matches before today, and his anguish was clear to see as his new recruit let in a tame effort before fans had even reached their seats and settled in.

Postecoglou has time and again referenced the physical toll his young players are facing, and he did so again after the game: “I don’t know how else to explain it if you can’t see that this team is just trying to play its hardest in the most extreme of circumstances.

“Two and a half months of asking 18-year-olds and 17-year-olds and senior players, with no rest, to play Thursday, Sunday, Thursday, Sunday, Thursday, Sunday, Thursday, Sunday. I’ll keep going for two-and-a-half months and if you think that is not at all a factor of how this team is performing then there’s nothing else I can say. There’s nothing else I can explain.”

The Australian was very defensive of his team, saying: “People can judge me, they can say I’m not good enough but they can’t be critical of the players during this time. They’ve been giving everything they can since mid-November and you can’t judge them at this point.

“There’s got to be a better appreciation for what this small group of players has been doing for two-and-a-half months. That’s not an excuse, it shouldn’t be seen that way through objective analysis and anything else would be agenda driven.”

Some Spurs fans have been turning on Postecoglou, and with the two cup exits this week, he is fast losing support. Tottenham’s last chance at a trophy this season is the Europa League. And with Roma, Ajax, and Manchester United all still in the competition, it looks a tough ask.

But the 59-year-old doesn’t seem to have given up hope yet. He was the last person out on the pitch applauding the away fans, alongside Mathys Tel. Despite many losing faith in him, he has always had loyal supporters who can see the project he is trying to build.