Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou should not walk away from the Lilywhites even if some fans pledge temporary loyalty to Liverpool this weekend, ex-Spurs goalkeeper Kasey Keller has said.
Tottenham welcome the current Premier League leaders to North London for Sunday's Premier League blockbuster, where a win for the Reds would keep them at least six points clear of Arsenal at the top of the table.
A portion of Spurs fans memorably backed their own team to lose against Manchester City towards the end of the 2023-24 season, as the champions' 2-0 win ultimately meant that North London rivals Arsenal did not win the title.
Postecoglou was apoplectic in the aftermath of that result, but Keller - who represented Tottenham between 2001 and 2005 - believes that the "passionate" Australian will not be persuaded to take the walk if there are similar reactions on Sunday.
"I don't think so at all," Keller told Sports Mole when asked if Spurs fans hoping for a Liverpool win could make Postecoglou think twice about his own future.
"Good man manager" Postecoglou should not walk away from Spurs
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"It did seem that Ange was a bit concerned that some Spurs fans would have rather seen Man City win than Arsenal win the league. I don't see Ange walking away.
"He is a passionate man, you can see he has a strong belief in the way he wants to play and he is a good man manager."
Arsenal were two points behind Man City at the top of the Premier League table before Pep Guardiola's side travelled to Tottenham, who were still in with a shot of making the top four in the final few weeks of last season.
However, Spurs did not put up much of a fight at home to Man City, and Postecoglou subsequently hit out at the club's "fragile foundations" after he was also filmed arguing with a supporter behind his dugout.
Man City's victory at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium did prove telling in the title race, but Postecoglou's men also missed out on a return to Champions League football thanks to their loss, finishing two points behind Aston Villa.
Will Tottenham have any players back for Liverpool clash?
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Postecoglou was not asked about the prospect of Spurs fans celebrating a Liverpool win in his pre-game press conference, but the Spurs boss did deliver a couple of fitness boosts ahead of the visit of the Reds.
Destiny Udogie is expected to shake off the thigh concern that forced him off in the 5-0 win over Southampton, while Timo Werner could also return after missing Thursday's 4-3 EFL Cup quarter-final win over Manchester United due to illness.
However, Cristian Romero, Mikey Moore, Richarlison, Wilson Odobert, Ben Davies, Guglielmo Vicario and Micky van de Ven are still sidelined, while Rodrigo Bentancur serves the last game of his seven-match suspension.
Tottenham begin the gameweek languishing in 10th place in the Premier League standings, 13 points worse off than leaders Liverpool and five points adrift of the Champions League positions.
Kasey Keller was speaking to Sports Mole on behalf of William Hill Vegas.
Ben Knapton
