Jamie Carragher branded three Tottenham Hotspur players a ‘disgrace’ after Ange Postecoglou’s side were thrashed 4-0 by Liverpool in the Carabao Cup on Thursday night. Having picked up a narrow 1-0 victory in the first leg of their semi-final clash with the Reds, Spurs were just 90 minutes away from a shot at their first trophy since 2008.
It wasn’t to be, though, and from the very first minute, Arne Slot’s men were in firm control of proceedings. Liverpool dominated the match and ultimately ran out 4-0 winners with Cody Gakpo, Mohamed Salah, Dominick Szboszlai and Virgil van Dijk all getting on the scoresheet. As a result, the Reds booked their place at Wembley Stadium against Newcastle United. It was a disappointing evening for Tottenham, who have had a difficult campaign in general so far.
Three players in particular stood out to Carragher, though, and for all the wrong reasons, as he labelled Yves Bissouma, Rodrigo Bentancur and Pape Matar Sarr disgraces for their performances.
After the game, Carragher spoke about Tottenham’s issues on Sky Sports and he didn’t hold back. After initially claiming that Accrington Stanley had been a tougher opponent for Liverpool in their FA Cup clash last month, the former defender spoke about Spurs’ issues and that no one expected them to come away from Anfield with a result. Via the Standard, he said: “I’m not just saying this to try and make a headline, but actually I think of a cup tie Liverpool played at home a few weeks ago in the FA Cup. I think Accrington Stanley, now Liverpool didn’t play their best team. Don’t get me wrong… But they gave more than Tottenham and caused Liverpool more of a problem in that game. That’s not right.
“It was never in doubt before the game, it’s Tottenham. When do Tottenham ever win a big game? When do Tottenham ever go somewhere and surprise you and win against the odds? The odds were massively in favour of Liverpool, they’re at home at Anfield, they’re the best team in the country, possibly the best team in Europe right now. But it’s not just this Spurs team, they never shock you, they never do something out of the ordinary. Whenever they go into big games in football, no one ever believes they’re going to win. That’s not me as a Liverpool fan, those Tottenham fans there tonight, not one of them would’ve believed they were going to Wembley.”
Carragher then went on to slam Bissouma, Bentancur and Sarr for their performances in midfield. He thought they were a ‘disgrace’ and claimed their inability to even put in a challenge was ‘shocking’. In quotes shared via SportBible, he said:
“When I looked at those three midfield players today I thought they were a disgrace, those Tottenham midfield players. You’re playing a semi-final. First 15 minutes-half an hour, Liverpool will be on the ball, put you under pressure, but get after them, be aggressive.
“Maybe forget the ball the first half an hour but be aggressive, even if you’re camped in your own half. It was still so easy for Liverpool to get to the edge of the box. Those midfield players didn’t even put a challenge in. It was shocking.”
The result sent Tottenham crashing out of the Carabao Cup in the semi-final and the club’s 17-year wait for silverware will continue. Earlier this season, Postecoglou claimed that he always wins a trophy during his second campaign with a side, but that might not be the case with a Spurs team who are struggling right now. Still, stranger things have happened and they are still competing in the FA Cup and the Europa League, so you never know.
Leave a Reply