Ange Postecoglou claims he was 'asked to lose a game' at Tottenham as under-fire Spurs boss bemoans 'hysteria' of Champions League qualification

Tottenham could have given their north London rivals Arsenal a chance at Premier League glory, as they faced off with Manchester City during last season's run-in. Some of the Spurs faithful suggested the team throw the game on purpose to scupper the Gunners shot at finishing first. The Australian obviously baulked at the time, though his team were beaten 2-0 in a hotly-contested game. His comments on Friday suggest he hasn't forgotten the clamour to play for defeat.

Postecoglou has become more defensive of late, hitting back against fans and journalists as he fights to keep his job. The Australian pointed out that while Spurs' fifth-place finish last season was hardly praised, the teams currently vying for that spot are viewed as "brilliant" by the media and supporters.

Postecoglou said: "I love the frenzy around finishing fifth this year. They’re all brilliant, aren’t they? We finished fifth last year. Why is it such a disaster that we finished fifth? That’s what you need to ask everyone and yourselves… around this time last year, I was asked to lose a game, and I was wrong for wanting to win it.

"But we finished fifth last year, yet it's not a good story. A better story is my tenure has been a disaster and it continues to be. I just think that the kind of hysteria that is surrounding what’s happening at the moment is all premeditated for a certain outcome. Hopefully we can defy that."

All signs point towards Postecoglou's time being up in north London. His Spurs side sit 16th in the Premier League and their only route to Champions League qualification comes via winning the Europa League - they face Bodo/Glimt in the first leg of their semi-final on Thursday.