Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou sympathised with departing Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag following his dismissal this week.
The Spurs head coach has been under a bit of pressure himself recently having won just three of Tottenham’s 13 away games in 2024.
But his side did breeze past the Red Devils at Old Trafford when they met a few weeks ago and have looked a better outfit than they did under Antonio Conte.
Postecoglou is aware that it is becoming more difficult to lead any project or process at a club with high expectations as time is not really given anymore.
Speaking ahead of Spurs’ Carabao Cup clash with Manchester City, he said: “No, not really shocked, I guess disappointed as it was inevitable with the scrutiny he’d had. It’s the nature of football these days.
“I’ve said in the past that it’s becoming more and more difficult to do the role in any sort of processed way.
“It was almost inevitable because of the scrutiny he had” 💬
Ange Postecoglou reacts to Erik ten Hag’s sacking from his role at Manchester United ⚔ pic.twitter.com/jfoeIcRooh
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) October 29, 2024
“It’s just the nature of what we do these days. It seems like if you look at Erik, [he was] there for two-and-a-bit years and in those two years [he won] trophies – one in each year.
“If he was here with that record, would he have lost his job? I don’t know. Everyone tells me all I have to do is win a trophy.
“As a manager, you’ve got to hit a sweet spot of success, playing football everyone likes and getting every signing right.
“It is a difficult task but what you’ve seen in the past, I’m sure Erik will bounce back, he’s a good manager, top manager.
“You have seen it with other managers, I’m sure his career will continue to go on strongly.”
Champions await
Away from the news of Ten Hag’s sacking, Postecoglou will be hoping to see his side bounce back from the 1-0 defeat at Crystal Palace.
It is not going to be an easy task against Pep Guardiola’s side, but there is hope the home side can pull something out of the bag.
Postecoglou added: “I don’t think it’s about a reaction. It’s fairly understandable players and everyone are disappointed with the way things went at Palace – the performance and the outcome.
“We’ve got to get away from reactions and trying to atone for something. Part of the process for us is making sure, every game, we are trying to stick to our principles.”