Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou has described Tuesday night as the "worst experience" of his management career.
Spurs lost 2-0 at home to Manchester City in a match which left Tottenham supporters' conflicted given a positive result against Pep Guardiola’s team would have put rivals Arsenal in pole position to win a first Premier League title in 20 years.
Postecoglou laughed off pre-match suggestions Spurs fans were happy for their own team to lose but faced a different reality on the night and reflected candidly about it ahead of Sunday’s trip to Sheffield United.
"Look, I will try and explain it in this way. That is probably the worst experience I have had as a football manager in a game," Postecoglou admitted.
"Because once I realised I got it wrong, in terms of what the atmosphere would be like and what people felt, I got a real anxiety within me of what happens if Man City, best team in the world and disposing of teams quite easily in the build-up, what if we play as well as we can, but they beat us 5-0?
"I got in cold sweats thinking about people questioning my integrity and the people I work with.
"Even watching the game back, there was a comment – somebody mentioned it to me – in commentary where someone says, 'oh Tottenham are having a real go here,’ and you’re laughing about it. But that is 26 years of my life and if nothing else, people should know I love this game.
"I would hate to think, as Manchester City could have done to us, if we were on the end of a heavy defeat, then people would be questioning whether I prepared the team.
"Before people say that’s not going to happen, we know what over social media would have happened, 100% and I would have to try to defend myself.
"That’s why I was animated on the night. I felt I just needed the boys and credit to them, I thought beside everything else our football was outstanding on the night and that was important.
"Not just for me, but for the players and for our football club because it would have cast aspersions on us as a football club.
"I don’t think anyone can say we didn’t make Man City earn that win the other night and it could have gone a very different way without anything changing from us just by Man City being Man City."
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