- Tottenham face Manchester United in the Europa League final next Wednesday
- James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski and Lucas Bergvall have picked up injuries
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Ange Postecoglou has vowed to take no risks in Tottenham‘s last match before the Europa League final and angrily rejected accusations he is threatening the Premier League‘s integrity.
‘I’m not sure what people are talking about when they talk about the integrity of the game, I don’t know what that means,’ said the Spurs boss ahead of Friday night’s game at Aston Villa, who are among those competing for the top five and a place in next season’s Champions League.
‘We have certainly put out teams this year that because of our injury situation were not the strongest, but we still needed to play those games and it’s the same with other clubs.
‘If anyone thinks we are going to go out there and not do our absolute best to win – that’s the only time when integrity gets questioned.’
Postecoglou recalled his clashes with Tottenham fans a year ago, when they celebrated losing to Manchester City because it stopped Arsenal winning the title.
‘Apparently I was in the wrong for trying to win a game of football,’ he said. ‘That’s where integrity comes into it. That’s why I was so strong on it.
Ange Postecoglou angrily rejected accusations he’s threatening the Premier League’s integrity
Postecoglou vowed to take no risks against Aston Villa ahead of the Europa League final
Dejan Kulusevski, James Maddison and Lucas Bergvall all picked up injuries in recent weeks
‘When you put a line-up out there, you are trying to win a game of football but at the same time every club has its own interests and you have to prioritise what’s important for your club.
‘Champions League is very important for all those clubs fighting for it at the moment, I can see how important it is and every game and every decision is crucial but we are in exactly the same boat.
‘We’ve got Champions League qualification plus a trophy to win. It would be negligent of me if I wasn’t doing the best thing for our football club to make sure we achieve that.’
Spurs, who face Manchester United in the Europa League final on Wednesday in Bilbao, have suffered from injuries all season and the latest victim is Dejan Kulusevski, set for months out after damaging a kneecap in an innocuous collision with Marc Guehi against Crystal Palace on Sunday.
Kulusevski has undergone surgery and his absence leaves Postecoglou short of midfield creativity with James Maddison out for three months with a knee injury and Lucas Bergvall not yet back from an ankle injury.
‘We can’t lose another player to an injury,’ the Spurs boss added. ‘It’s just too finely balanced for us considering what’s at stake. Villa are obviously going for Champions League football and you see how important it is to them and we’re doing the same.’
