Tottenham have set up a Carabao Cup semi-final clash with Man United by beating Man City
There was a lot to be pleased about with Tottenham Hotspur’s performance against Manchester City in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday evening.
Ange Postecoglou’s side showed the best version of their attacking prowess in the first half, taking the game to Man City and racing to a two-goal lead before the visitors pulled one back just before the break. Overall, it was an excellent performance—a response that the Spurs gaffer would have wanted after the flat performance in the shock 1-0 defeat to Crystal Palace in the Premier League last weekend.
The win over Pep Guardiola’s men saw Tottenham book a spot in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals where they will be up against a struggling Manchester United side, who recently sacked their head coach Erik ten Hag. The Carabao Cup presents a golden opportunity to break their 17-year-long trophy drought, having last lifted a piece of silverware—interestingly the then-EFL Cup in 2008.
After Spurs made it to the last eight of the Carabao Cup, a debate sparked between the talkSPORT pundits over the importance of the competition for Ange Postecoglou’s side. Andy Goldstein started the conversation by asking whether this is the year Spurs end their long trophy drought.
Andy Goldstein: “Spurs, they’re still in the Carabao Cup after their win over Manchester City last night. Is this the year they end their trophy hoodoo?”
Jamie O’ Hara (in the background): “I’m actually going to the Villa game at the weekend, but I couldn’t care less about it. Tonight’s game is far more important.”
O’Hara – former Tottenham midfielder—then raised a few eyebrows within the studio when he claimed that Spurs would happily finish in the bottom half of the Premier League this season and lift the Carabao Cup by beating bitter north London rivals Arsenal in the final at Wembley Stadium. This led to Brazil opining that the Carabao Cup doesn’t count as a big trophy for Spurs, even though the fans will be out there on the streets celebrating and enjoying.
Jamie O’Hara: “I would happily finish 15th in the table this season and beat Arsenal in the Carabao Cup Final.”
Alan Brazil: “The Carabao Cup doesn’t count as a major trophy for Spurs if they win it this season. Sure, fans will celebrate, but it’s not ‘history’ like winning a League Cup was.”
Darren Bent: “This is a big trophy, right? It’s a major trophy for Spurs, no doubt about it.”
Spurs and Man United are set to battle it out for a semi-final spot in the competition in December. Brazil insists both teams have “bigger fishes to fry” than worry about winning this cup competition. Ex-Aston Villa striker Gabriel Agbonlahor, argued with Brazil, saying that for a big club like Spurs winning a trophy after so long would matter a lot for their fans.
Alan Brazil: “Tottenham and Manchester United have bigger fish to fry than the Carabao Cup.”
Gabby Agbonlahor: “It’s still a trophy for the fans. For a club that hasn’t won trophies regularly, any win matters.”
After a successful first campaign at N17 in which Postecoglou guided Spurs to a fifth-place finish in the Premier League, fans’ expectations of winning a first trophy in 17 years has increased expectation – which our gaffer fuelled in September by claiming “I always win things in my second year.”
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The Lilywhites are definitely on the right track under Big Ange and the win over Man City would give them a lot of confidence. Winning a trophy would matter a lot for the fans as our club with such a rich history have gone long without lifting a piece of silverware, with the 2008 EFL Cup the only success we have tasted in the 21st century.
Having said that, we totally agree with O’Hara and Agbonlahor about Tottenham desperate to win this year’s edition of the Carabao Cup. Let’s hope we do that under Big Ange!
