Ange Postecoglou has revealed that last season he was asked to lose Tottenham Hotspur’s match against Manchester City, a request aimed at preventing Arsenal from winning the Premier League title. Speaking amid growing pressure on Spurs, who currently sit 16th in the league with five games remaining, Postecoglou sarcastically questioned the criticism over finishing fifth last year, emphasizing that he was wrong for wanting to win the game despite being asked not to. He acknowledged the controversy but dismissed it as a poor story compared to the broader challenges of his tenure at the club.
The incident Postecoglou referred to involved the late 2023/24 season fixture against Manchester City, where Spurs had the chance to influence the title race by taking points off City, which would have benefited Arsenal. Some fans reportedly hoped Spurs would lose deliberately to aid Arsenal’s rivals, but Postecoglou resisted this notion, wanting to win the match himself. Ultimately, Spurs lost, finishing fifth and qualifying for the Europa League rather than the Champions League. Postecoglou has not forgotten that some fans preferred the team to lose that game, a situation he clearly found frustrating.
This admission contrasts with Tottenham’s recent emphatic 4-0 victory over Manchester City in November 2024, which Postecoglou praised as a collective team effort and one of the club’s best Premier League results. That win demonstrated Spurs’ capability and Postecoglou’s commitment to competing at the highest level, despite the ongoing struggles in the domestic league