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Ange Postecoglou: Tottenham should stick with under-pressure boss this season and next, says Paul Merson

Sky Sports' Paul Merson has backed under-pressure Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou and believes he should remain in the job despite their dismal form; watch Brentford vs Tottenham on Sunday, live on Sky Sports Premier League and Main Event from 1pm; kick-off 2pm

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Paul Merson believes Spurs should give under-pressure boss Ange Postecoglou a chance

I feel sorry for Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou.

Tottenham need to be careful. They've had Jose Mourinho, they've had Antonio Conte, they've had Nuno Espirito Santo - those managers that the crowd have gone mad at. 'We want the Tottenham way'.

They've brought Ange Postecoglou in. We've seen what he did last season when he had a fit team and he got them flying and then they drifted away.

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FREE TO WATCH: Highlights from Tottenham Hotspur’s match against Leicester City in the Premier League

But he entertains, he wants to play on the front foot and he can do that when he's got his centre-half Micky van de Ven playing because he's the main man.

But stick with Ange. If he goes now, they're going to go with someone who's got to come up and shut shop up, play 10 at the back, play counter-attacking football - the fans will go mad again.

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The Super Sunday panel reflect on Tottenham's terrible form and whether sacking Postecoglou would be the right thing to do

Give him a chance. Give him next year as well and I'm not saying that because I'm Arsenal and want them to lose every week.

Tottenham are a good team to watch when they've got their players fit but Van de Ven has to play.

Also See:

Spurs need to buy midfielders

Sunday 2nd February 1:00pm Kick off 2:00pm

They need midfield players. They've got no midfield players. They've got Rodrigo Bentancur but the others haven't been good enough. They don't dominate football matches in the midfield. Whoever comes in doesn't dominate.

They have a half-decent goalie in Guglielmo Vicario. They've got two good centre-halves, or one very good and the other one - Cristian Romero - better when he's playing with Van de Ven.

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Ex-Spurs midfielder Jamie O’Hara believes Postecoglou is out of his depth with a sacking on the horizon

They've got a good centre-forward in Richarlison who's just starting to play now. Dejan Kulusevski would get in virtually every team in the Premier League but they need that spine.

The goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky's come in, and they needed a goalie, but that goalie isn't going to play when Vicario's fit.

This is the problem with Tottenham. It's alright going, 'oh, we'll go out and buy him, buy him, buy him', but none of them will play when all the others are fit.

Tottenham haven't got the money to give £70,000-a-week for people sitting on the bench.

Cup competitions give Ange and Spurs hope

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Sky Sports' Sam Blitz looks at the worrying numbers which show how Spurs have dived from the top six to just above the relegation zone

I'd be patient.

Who knows, they're still in all the cups. They've probably got more chance of winning the Europa League because they haven't got Liverpool in the Europa League.

They're still in all the competitions. I would sit tight.

Thursday 6th February 7:00pm Kick off 8:00pm

Where would the fans rather be: sixth in the league and out of every cup? Or 15th in the league but still in every cup?

The only problem is when those Daniel Levy [Tottenham chairman] banners start coming out, there's only one thing that's going to happen and that's, 'I'm going to take the pressure off me - off you go, manager'.

Tottenham's upcoming fixtures

  • Elfsborg (H) - Europa League - Thursday
  • Brentford (A) - Premier League - February 2, live on Sky Sports
  • Liverpool (A) - Carabao Cup - February 6, live on Sky Sports
  • Aston Villa (A) - FA Cup - February 9
  • Man Utd (H) - Premier League - February 16, live on Sky Sports
  • Ipswich (A) - Premier League - February 22

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