Ange Postecoglou is under immense pressure at Tottenham so you would think the last thing the former Celtic manager needs is a Europa League trip to face old enemies Rangers at Ibrox.
Scrub that, mate, it’s just the challenge the bullish, abrasive Australian is clamouring for after last Sunday’s 4-3 loss to Chelsea, which started with Spurs ripping apart a side suddenly being considered as realistic Premier League title contenders before imploding with some truly unbelievable defending.
Tottenham began the match in the scintillating style which saw them batter Manchester City 4-0 at the Etihad Stadium but finished like the team which failed to show up in dismal defeats to Crystal Palace, Ipswich and Bournemouth.
A trip to bottom club Southampton on Sunday is followed by a Carabao Cup quarter-final with Manchester United at home next Thursday with league leaders Liverpool visiting N17 the next weekend.
Spurs could conceivably lose all four matches and Big Ange, who has been cut from 25/1 to be the next top-flight manager to leave his post to just 10/1 with Bet Victor and Sky Bet, could be sacked before Christmas.
That would leave Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy looking for a 14th manager in 23 years and that’s where Spurs’ real problems lie. Postecoglou, like Mauricio Pochettino, Jose Mourinho, Antonio Conte and Harry Redknapp before him, has not been backed to the hilt in the transfer market with the club failing to go the extra yard to bring in real quality and provide strength in depth.
Spurs have done a decent job signing young players with huge potential like Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall while developing homegrown talent like Mikey Moore and Will Lankshear, but they lack experience and the hefty amount of injuries currently taking a vicious toll mean they are exposed when numbers get thin.
The list of candidates to replace Postecoglou isn’t exciting either. Eddie Howe’s Newcastle are below Tottenham in the table, Graham Potter didn’t fare well at Chelsea, Gareth Southgate would be a return to the Conte/Mourinho school of conservative football and Erik Ten Hag, well let’s leave that thought there…
All this will be a moot point if Spurs stop making incredibly dumb individual errors like the crazy challenges which gave Chelsea two penalties on Sunday and if they play to anywhere near their best they can win their next three matches at least.
Back Tottenham at 21/10 with William Hill, Ladbrokes and Coral to beat Rangers with Dominic Solanke at 23/4 with Unibet and BetMGM to break the deadlock and 19/10 with the same firms to score at any time.
But above all else, keep your fingers crossed it’s the good Spurs that turn up.
• Manchester United have not fared well since Ruben Amorim took charge at Old Trafford and the reset is obviously going to take a considerable amount of time. They should win their Europa League trip to face Viktoria Plzen in Czechia, however, and a 2-1 victory is 15/2 with bet365.
Marcus Rashford might be up for sale but he is is 6/1 to open the scoring with the same firm and Sky Bet and 41/20 with Unibet and BetMGM to score at any time.
Chelsea, meanwhile, are 5/1 with Paddy Power and Betfair to win by more than three goals in their Europa Conference League jolly to FC Astana.
• The Los Angeles Rams, fresh from a 44-42 victory over the highly efficient Buffalo Bills, can win with a 2.5 point handicap start at the inconsistent San Francisco 49ers at evens with Paddy Power and Betfair. Rams rusher Kyren Williams is 5/1 with Betfred to score the first touchdown with his 13th visit to the end zone this season.