Ange must weigh up gamble on 'fearless' rookies

FOR Ange Postecoglou, picking a team for tonight’s Carabao Cup third-round tie at Coventry is a balancing act that he can ill-afford to misjudge.

- Dan Kilpatrick

The Totten Ham head coachi s conscious of the need to rest players with a run of seven games in 21 days and give opportunities to his squad, but supporters will be unforgiving if Spurs squander the easiest route to silverware by playing a much-changed team for the second year running.

Postecoglou’s decision to make nine changes for the defeat by Fulham in the second round last season still rankles some fans but that result came during the Australian’s honeymoon period and in the midst of Spurs’ best-ever start to a Premier League season.

The context now is very different and defeat by the second-tier Sky Blues would feel disastrous for the head coach, who brusquely reminded a TV reporter on Sunday that he “always” wins a trophy in his second season at a club.