Tottenham’s long wait for a trophy continues after losing in the League Cup semifinal to Liverpool but has a chance to bounce back against Aston Villa in the FA Cup on Feb 10 (1.35am).
Tottenham’s only trophy in the 21st century was the 2008 League Cup.
Manager Ange Postecoglou gave the fans hope when he said earlier in the season that he had won trophies in the second season, or second full season, of all his jobs – Australian titles with South Melbourne (1998, 1999) and Brisbane Roar (2011), the Japanese league with Yokohama F. Marinos (2019), the Scottish championship with Celtic in both seasons he was there (2022, 2023), and the Asian Cup in his second year as Australian boss (2015).
It looked like he would continue that success after the 1-0 victory over Liverpool in the first leg of the League Cup semifinals, but his team was crushed 4-0 in the return leg.
Tottenham, 14th in the English Premier League, has two trophies to play for – the FA Cup and the Europa League.
Tottenham was the first club to win the FA Cup eight times back in 1991, but it has failed to add to that tally since.
It comes up against a resurgent Villa outfit that has added England international Marcus Rashford to its strike force.
Rashford will have a point to prove after two disappointing seasons at his boyhood club, Manchester United, and his loan could pave the way for a £40 million permanent move to the Midlands club, although reports suggest he would prefer a move to Spain at the end of the season.
While Rashford’s transfer was viewed as ‘the biggest of the January window’, Villa’s rejection of Arsenal’s £60 million bid for Ollie Watkins is more significant. Watkins is the team’s top scorer with 11 goals – 10 in the EPL and one in the Champions League.
Villa is eighth in the EPL, through to the last 16 of the Champions League, and should be the favourite in this tie.
However, Tottenham hopes new signings Mathys Tel and Kevin Danso can lift the team, particularly with Brazilian forward Richarlison suffering an injury against Liverpool.
That injury means Tottenham has 11 players in the treatment room heading into the weekend.
Asked about his thoughts on his new signings after the Liverpool defeat, Postecoglou told a press conference: “Kevin was positive, as was Mathys. It’s hard throwing guys in after their first training sessions. It’s not ideal.
“That’s part of our dilemma at the moment – trying to get some fluency and consistency but also knowing we have to keep tinkering with the starting lineup to account for everything going on. But I thought they acquitted themselves well.”
He added that his players understood the opportunity they had to claim a first-team spot in the absence of so many injuries and expected them to respond at Villa Park.
Villa-Tottenham is one of four all-Premier League ties – the other games are Manchester United hosting Leicester, Bournemouth travelling to Everton, and Brighton welcoming Chelsea.
FA CUP FOURTH ROUND FIXTURES (Malaysian time)
Feb 8
Manchester United vs Leicester (4am)
Leyton Orient vs Manchester City (8.15pm)
Leeds vs Millwall (8.15pm)
Coventry vs Ipswich (11pm)
Preston vs Wycombe (11pm)
Stoke vs Cardiff (11pm)
Southampton vs Burnley (11pm)
Everton vs Bournemouth (11pm)
Wigan vs Fulham (11pm)
Feb 9
Birmingham vs Newcastle (1.45am)
Brighton vs Chelsea (4am)
Blackburn vs Wolves (8.30pm)
Plymouth Argyle vs Liverpool (11pm)
Feb 10
Aston Villa vs Tottenham (1.35am)
Feb 11
Doncaster vs Crystal Palace (3.45am)
Feb 12
Exeter vs Nottingham Forest (4am)
