It happens. Managers forget things all the time when asked questions. In the case of Ange Postecoglou, a certain fixture against Aston Villa apparently slipped his mind. While Tottenham are right to focus on trying to win the Europa League against Manchester United, the Spurs gaffer had something of a bad look.
While speaking during the UEL press conference before the final, Postecoglou mentioned the need to keep his players healthy with a certain "cotton wool" approach. The issue isn't necessarily that he wants to be cautious with his players, or even if he were to mention the intended priority of Spurs to focus on a trophy.
The issue does become that there's a match to be played within his stated 10-day rehab approach. His team faces Man Utd in Bilbao on the 21st. Maybe this slight detail wasn't included in his near-two-week approach, but Tottenham are expected to at least make an appearance at Villa Park on the 16th.
Most in the coaching space preach to their players the importance of focusing only on the next game and taking each match individually as it comes. It appears, however, that the Greek manager is throwing out that idea altogether and is instead going for the only chance of silverware, rather than looking to secure points in an otherwise meaningless endeavor from a trophy or qualification perspective.
Regardless of what may or may not be intended by the Spurs boss, this isn't a match that Villa can take lightly. Even in the likely event of Postecoglou resting key players, others are going to be eager to prove their worth and could catch the Villan starters flat-footed if Unai Emery's men aren't fully focused.
Needed continued focus for Aston Villa
Luckily for AVFC, the main reason why that likely doesn't happen is right there, Emery. The Spaniard is someone who hates giving up an unnecessary corner kick when up by three goals. Already, the Villa boss has mentioned how he doesn't like certain moments when those currently on the squad lose their focus and intensity levels.
An additional notable difference, when Villa were in all competitions, was that Emery insisted on being competitive and taking each match with the proper needed respect. It is, granted, slightly different circumstances now that Spurs can't achieve anything tangible in the Premier League. Knowing this, it might be enough for Villa to comfortably earn another three points in their quest.