Ange must axe Spurs dud after an “inexcusable” 4/10 display

Tottenham Hotspur exited the FA Cup in the fourth round earlier this afternoon, falling to a 2-1 defeat against Aston Villa at Villa Park.

Jacob Ramsey put the hosts ahead within the first minute before Morgan Rogers struck halfway through the second period to hand Unai Emery’s side a two-goal cushion.

However, Mathys Tel scored his first Spurs goal in stoppage time, but it was too little too late for Ange Postecoglou’s men, as they lost for the sixth time in 2025 already.

It saw the club exit their second cup competition in the space of a week after losing 4-0 to Liverpool at Anfield in the Carabao Cup on Thursday night, with the Europa League their final opportunity to end their wait for a trophy.

Too many players failed to impress once again in the West Midlands, subsequently putting their future starting roles at risk as the Aussie looks to turn around their slump in form.

Spurs’ disappointing performers against Aston Villa

Rodrigo Bentancur started at the heart of midfield once again for the Lilywhites but failed to back up Ange’s decision to stick with him after Thursday’s defeat.

The Uruguayan featured for 72 minutes before being withdrawn, winning just one of the six duels he entered, being dribbled past twice and making no attempts to track back for the host’s second of the afternoon.

Lucas Bergvall looked off the pace once more in the loss, with the build-up of action undoubtedly contributing to his recent poor performances for Spurs.

The 19-year-old lost eight duels

, the most of any players, committing four fouls in the process and getting himself carded once again compounding his disappointing showing in the West Midlands.

Despite the lack of positive impact from the aforementioned duo, there was another first-team member who failed to impress, with the talent looking like a shadow of his former self once again today.

The Spurs player who dropped a 4/10 display against Villa

For numerous years, Heung-min Son has been the shining light in a below-par period for the club, often producing the moment of magic to dig them out of a difficult moment.

However, the same can’t be said in 2025, with the South Korean failing to meet the high expectations he’s set for himself during his time as a player in North London.

The display against Villa today was no different, with the 32-year-old wasteful with the ball at his feet, showing signs that the best days of his professional career are now in the rearview mirror.

Son featured for the entirety of the meeting, but could only muster a total of 23 touches, the lowest of any player who started the clash, with goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky registering more with his tally of 43.

The forward missed a gilt edge chance to get Ange’s men back in the contest, completing just eight passes and losing 83% of the duels he entered, leading to journalist Japtej Ghura labelling his display as “inexcusable”.

He also lost possession eight times within his 23 touches, highlighting his wasteful outing, getting dribbled past twice with his lack of explosive pace now evident – looking nowhere near the talent he once was.

To top off his showing, Son was handed a measly 4/10 match rating by Express journalist Sam Smith, compounding his misery after the Lilywhites’ cup exit.

Tel’s late goal is proof that is coming to the point where the South Korean may have to step aside to allow the next generation to take over in North London – a difficult decision undoubtedly given his career at the club.

However, football is a cutthroat industry and if the club are to progress and fight for a trophy at any point in the near future, it’s crucial that Postecoglou axes the forward from his starting lineup.