Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou fired back at pundits after Spurs reached the Carabao Cup semi-finals following a chaotic 4-3 win over Manchester United on Thursday.
Spurs found themselves 3-0 up thanks to a double from Dominic Solanke and a strike from Dejan Kulusevski before two errors from Fraser Forster in playing out from the back allowed United to get back into the game with goals from Joshua Zirkzee and Amad Diallo.
Heung-Min Son made it 4-2 when he caught out United’s second-choice goalkeeper Altay Bayindir directly from a corner, before Jonny Evans reduced the deficit with a late header.
Spurs will now take on Liverpool over two legs in the semi-finals after a breathless win where they made it harder than it ought to be.
What Ange Postecoglou said in defiant message about his style of play
Postecoglou has had his fair share of critics for his expansive way of playing, with some feeling as though Spurs lack game management and create problems for themselves through their style of play.
But the Australian issued yet another passionate defence of his principles, delivering a brilliant interview when Sky Sports reporter Patrick Davison asked him what he liked from the early part of the United win.
Ange Postecoglou has led Spurs to the Carabao Cup semi-finals. Image: Getty
“I liked the whole bit mate,” Postecoglou replied.
“Are you not entertained?! What do you want? Do you want a scrambly 1-0? The studio’s probably going in a meltdown over my lack of tactics but I love the fact we go out there and take it to oppositions even with the fact we’ve got so many absences at the moment – goalkeeper, both centre-halves, left-backs – we’ve got kids on the bench.
“And yet these boys are maintaining their principles about trying to play the football we want to be. I think if we get through this period we’ll get enormous growth out of it.
“I really liked the way we played tonight. Obviously those two moments kind of taint the overall and it’s something that’s happened this year before. It doesn’t help us in terms of gaining traction and our consistency but in terms of the mentality, I love it.”
Carragher has been critical of Spurs and how they have been the architects of their own downfall on many occasions. The Liverpool legend did describe the interview as “brilliant” but had again made his feelings clear on Spurs’ approach, disagreeing with how they play the same way in every minute of the game.
The 46-year-old urged Spurs players to ignore instructions and alter tactics when game management is needed.
Carragher said: “What we’ve created now is robots on the pitch. I wasn’t a great player technically or physically, but I understood the game. Some of the things I saw tonight I wouldn’t have allowed to happen.
“The manager has told you to play a certain way but someone has to get a grip and say ‘no, we are changing for the next five or 10 minutes’.
‘It frustrates me when players can’t see how the game state changes and recognise they have to change their approach to suit it.”
Spurs are back in action on Sunday, hosting Liverpool in what promises to be another exciting contest at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.