Comment
SILVER-WHERE?
Carragher was spot on – Tottenham have been pitiful in knockout stages for years, serial winners couldn’t even crack it
With a trophy at stake, Spurs have lost every big game since 2009
JAMIE CARRAGHER was spot on - Tottenham simply never win big football matches.
They might beat Manchester City for fun and even reach a final once every blue moon - but when silverware is on the line, Spurs are nowhere to be seen.
2
2
"There's a mental block with the club" - Carragher said.
He's right. This goes back years and is far deeper than Ange Postecoglou and his current flops.
Not even serial winners Jose Mourinho or Antonio Conte could crack it, so what hope does the Aussie boss have?
Managers and players have changed, but the type of abysmal performance we saw at Anfield has been seen time and time again.
READ MORE ON FOOTBALL
ZERO shots on target in a major semi-final? It's no wonder Tottenham haven't won a trophy since 2008.
They'll be waiting another 17 years at this rate.
Carragher said after the 4-0 Anfield surrender: "It was never in doubt. It's Tottenham!
"When do Tottenham ever win a big game? When do Tottenham ever go and surprise, win against the odds?
Most read in Football
BEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERS
"It's not just this Spurs team. They never shock you, never do something out of the ordinary.
"Whenever they go into a big game, nobody ever believes they're going to win."
Postecoglou bemoans Tottenham's lacklustre effort against Liverpool
In their slight defence, Tottenham's injury list is almost unheard of, and even at full strength, they have absolutely no right to rock up at Anfield and win.
But that wasn't Carragher speaking with his Liverpool hat on, his brutal assessment of Spurs was on the money.
Since lifting the League Cup in 2008, Tottenham have been nothing short of pitiful in knockout football.
Excluding the miracle of Amsterdam in 2019, when Lucas Moura's hat-trick against Ajax took Spurs to the Champions League final under Mauricio Pochettino, it's been atrocious.
Burnley, Sheffield United and Brentford - all outside the Premier League at the time - are the only semi-finals or finals Tottenham have won during that period - in 2009, 2015 and 2021 respectively.
Even then, they needed extra time to beat Burnley despite being 4-1 up from the first leg.
Spurs' record with trophies on the line
2009 - League Cup final - Manchester United 0-0 - Pens
2010 - FA Cup semi-final - Portsmouth 0-2
2012 - FA Cup semi-final - Chelsea 1-5
2015 - League Cup final - Chelsea 0-2
2017 - FA Cup semi-final - Chelsea 2-4
2018 - FA Cup semi-final - Manchester United 1-2
2019 - League Cup semi-finals - Chelsea 2-2 - Pens
2019 - Champions League final 2019 - 0-2
2021 - League Cup final - Manchester City 0-1
2022 - League Cup semi-final - Chelsea 0-3
2025 - League Cup semi-final - Liverpool 1-4
And tried their best to cock-up the second of those after squandering a 2-0 aggregate lead before Christian Eriksen eventually sent them to Wembley.
Basically, any time Spurs come up against half-decent opposition in a high-pressure knockout game, they lose.
Take out that trio, who they were expected to beat anyway, they've lost every other semi-final or final tie in the last 17 YEARS.
That is some going, especially considering Wigan, Portsmouth and Swansea - all currently outside the Prem - have won silverware in that period.
Even Newcastle... yes, Newcastle, are just 90 minutes away from ending their 70-year drought.
How humiliating would that be if the Toon, dubbed serial losers for decades, have won a trophy more recently than Tottenham?
Tottenham's top 10 biggest signings: Hit or miss?
1) Tanguy Ndombele - £52.7m
Ndombele joined from Lyon in 2019 with huge expectations after shattering Tottenham's transfer record.
But he would go on to play just 91 times for the club, scoring 10 goals and is now set to leave one year before the end of his contract.
2) Richarlison - £49.3m
Richarlison almost broke the £50m mark when he arrived from Everton in 2022 as Harry Kane's back-up.
And while his tally of 12 goals this season was a significant increase on the three from his opening Spurs campaign, he is being linked with a departure this summer.
3) Brennan Johnson - £46.8m
Johnson was signed by Ange Postecoglou last summer and has impressed in patches during his first season in North London.
He scored five goals and 10 assists in 38 games and will look to build on that in the 2024/25 campaign.
4) Cristian Romero - £44.2m
Romero initially joined on loan from Atalanta in 2021, before his impressive displays saw him secure a permanent deal the following year.
He is two games shy of 100 for Spurs and, while he can be reckless with his tackling at times, is beginning to form a promising partnership with Micky van de Ven.
5) James Maddison - £39.4m
Maddison was handed Kane's No10 shirt after arriving at Spurs and hit the ground running with three goals and five assists in his opening 11 matches.
But after getting injured against Chelsea in October, he failed to return with the same sharpness - managing just five goal contributions in 15 league matches as he missed out on England's final 26-man squad for the Euros.
6) Davinson Sanchez - £35.7m
Sanchez joined Spurs from Ajax in 2017 and played more than 200 games across a six-year spell.
But he was always considered a somewhat erratic defender who did not play more than 20 games in a Premier League season from 2020 onwards.
7) Pedro Porro - £34m
Porro was another signing who originally arrived on loan in January 2023, before he signed permanently last summer.
He has 54 appearances for Spurs under his belt, scoring seven goals and impressing under Postecoglou this season.
8) Micky van de Ven - £34m
Rapid Dutch centre-back Van de Ven was named Spurs Player of the Season in his first campaign at the club.
His pace, athleticism, and technical ability on the ball have made him arguably Postecoglou's best signing to date.
9) Moussa Sissoko - £29.8m
Sissoko came to North London for a substantial fee after being relegated with Newcastle and went on to enjoy five years at Tottenham, playing more than 200 games.
Unfortunately for the French midfielder, he is best-known for giving away a controversial penalty for handball in the first minute of Spurs' 2-0 Champions League final defeat to Liverpool in 2019.
10) Giovani Lo Celso - £27.2m
Lo Celso joined on loan from Real Betis in 2019 - a deal that was made permanent the following season.
He has 10 goals and eight assists in 108 games, with some Spurs fans still unsure about the Argentine.
And it's not like Spurs haven't had their chances.
For all the stick they get about being trophyless, they've had plenty of deep cup runs.
Thursday's embarrassment at Anfield was just the latest in a painful list for Tottenham, which includes one against Portsmouth, one other against Liverpool, one against City, two against Manchester United and FIVE against Chelsea.
That's now 11 defeats from a possible 11 against Premier League clubs in semi-finals or finals since 2008.
It's no wonder no one in the footballing world takes Tottenham seriously.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
Somehow, Spurs still have two chances left this season - the FA Cup and Europa League - and therefore could ultimately end their trophy drought very soon.
But if recent history is anything to go by, you can think again.
Topics