LONDON : Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou said there is no easy fix for his injury-hit side after a 6-3 defeat at home to leaders Liverpool in the Premier League on Sunday.
Once again, the London club proved great entertainment but that was little consolation to fans who have seen them concede nine goals in their last two home league games.
They also showed their chaotic side in a 4-3 League Cup win over Manchester United in midweek, after which Postecoglou took issue with some pundits who questioned his tactics.
In reality, a three-goal deficit masked the gulf between Tottenham and Liverpool on Sunday, but Postecoglou once again came out fighting in some spiky post-match interviews.
In one, his patience appeared close to snapping when he was asked whether there were other reasons apart from a lengthy injury list as to why his side were down in 11th place in the table heading in to Christmas.
Tottenham started against Liverpool without first-choice goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, centre backs Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero, left backs Ben Davies and Destiny Udogie and forward Richarlison.
“You know what? I’m just going to stop answering these questions,” the Australian told BBC Sport. “If people can’t see the obvious I’m not going to point it out. Look, make of it what you want, yes we’re conceding goals.
“If you want to discount the fact we’re missing a goalkeeper, two centre backs and a left back as well and that hasn’t coincided with what we’re doing … I don’t know what to say anymore.”
According to Opta, Tottenham’s Premier League games under Postecoglou average 3.6 goals per game, the highest for any manager taking charge of at least 50 games in the competition.
Some are now suggesting that Postecoglou is more interested in style than substance and while Spurs fans still sung his name on Sunday, many took to social media or radio phone-ins to criticise him for Tottenham’s fragility.
“If people want me to change my approach, it’s not going to change. We are doing it for a reason, we are doing it because we think it will help us to be successful,” he told reporters.
“I get the idea that people think that I should just flip a switch and change and somehow that will miraculously make us a better team.”
Postecoglou said last month that if his side were 10th at Christmas no one would be happy, confidently predicting that they would have climbed the table by the festive period.
But that is now the reality. Asked whether he was feeling under pressure, he said: “I’m not sure what you mean by pressure. I’m not happy about where we are in the table. I’m not sure about pressure in what sense?
“If you’re saying that 10th means I’m not doing a good job and I maybe somehow should be uncomfortable, well that’s for others to judge.”
