Ange Postecoglou deserves criticism for Tottenham’s premature exit from the Carabao Cup. While there was a logic to Postecoglou giving some of his fringe players a chance to stretch their legs at Craven Cottage, the Australian overdid it by making nine changes and must take a large share of the blame for Spurs blowing yet another chance to end their wait for a first major trophy since 2008.
That the game was decided by a penalty shootout is besides the point. The harsh reality is that a more ruthless side than Fulham would have buried Spurs by half-time and it was hard to know what Postecoglou had achieved by the time Kenny Tete, fully recovered from tearing a boot at the start of the second half, stepped up to win it for Marco Silva’s side. Spurs, after all, are not in Europe this season. Fixture congestion is not going to be an issue and they have ample time to prepare for their trip to Burnley on Saturday. What was the argument for playing such a weakened side?
