Tottenham boss Postecoglou says Man City game was ‘worst experience’

Tottenham Hotspur’s Greek-Australian Head Coach Ange Postecoglou gestures during the English Premier League football match between Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield in Liverpool, north west England on May 5, 2024. (Photo by Darren Staples / AFP) /

Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou said he suffered “cold sweats” worrying that his integrity could be questioned over his side’s midweek match against Manchester City, which the champions won 2-0.

The former Australia boss admitted he was wrong to scoff at suggestions that Spurs fans would want their own side to lose in order to deny north London rivals Arsenal the Premier League title.

City’s victory took them two points clear of the Gunners at the top of the table heading into Sunday’s final day of the season.

Despite the subdued atmosphere on Tuesday, Spurs made Pep Guardiola’s men work hard and could easily have snatched a point had Stefan Ortega not saved from Son Heung-min late on.

“That’s probably the worst experience I’ve had as a football manager in a game,” Postecoglou said at his pre-match press conference on Friday.

“Once I realised I’d got it wrong in terms of what the atmosphere was going to be like and what people felt, I got a real anxiety within me. What happens if Man City, the best team in the world, who were disposing of teams quite easily in the lead-up, what if we play as well as we can but they beat us 5-0?

“I got cold sweats thinking about people questioning my integrity and the people I work with.”

A furious Postecoglou was involved in an angry exchange with a supporter behind the Tottenham bench during the match and said after the game the foundations he had built in his first season were “fragile”.

Spurs just need to avoid defeat away to relegated