by Ange Postecoglou believes Erik ten Hag’s death shows why leading Tottenham to a trophy does not guarantee long-term success.
Ten Hag was sacked by Manchester United on Monday despite winning the Carabao Cup and FA Cup in his two-and-a-half years at Old Trafford.
Poor Premier League form and a lack of clear playing style ultimately contributed to Ten Hag’s sacking, but ahead of Spurs’ fourth-round Carabao Cup home game against Manchester City, Postecoglou admitted it wasn’t much of a surprise had been.
“No, not really shocked. As disappointing as it was, it was almost inevitable given the test he had,” Postecoglou said.
“If you look at Erik, he was there for two and a half years. He won a trophy every year, and in his first year they came third. If he was here with this record, would he have lost his job? I don’t know.
“Would he be subject to the same scrutiny? I don’t know because everyone tells me all I have to do is win a trophy, but I feel like it would be the same because it’s just the nature of the world today.
“As a manager you have to find the right point where you are successful, you have to play football that everyone likes, you have to get every signing right. At that moment you seem to get some kind of validation. Everything else seems to be that some clubs want trophies and not football, others want football. It is a difficult task.
“But from what you have seen in the past, I am sure Erik will bounce back from this because he is a good manager. You’ve seen it with other managers. I am sure his career will continue to be successful.”
