Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou was quick to stand by his players, after they got into a scuffle on the pitch during their fourth straight defeat against Liverpool on Sunday.
As Spurs’ poor league form continues, one of the highlights in their most recent defeat saw Cristian Romero and Emerson Royal get into an altercation in the middle of the pitch as they confronted each other, forcing goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario to break up the fight when Tottenham were trailing 2-0 at first half.
It was a dark moment in the game for Spurs, one that added insult to the injury of defeat but while many were quick to blast the pair, manager Postecoglu saw the situation in a different light.
Postecoglu defends Romero and Emerson
“They care. They are not going to just be happy with the current situation” Postecoglou said post-match.
“Because they care, they want to improve. There is nothing wrong with that as long as it stays constructive. They want to change the situation and not just accept it,” he added.
His team trailed by four goals in the second half before Richarlison entered the game. Richarlison scored and assisted as Tottenham got two goals back in the match. This is now Spurs’ worst run in the league since Jacques Santini was fired in 2004 following four straight losses.
Postecoglou emphasised that his team did not possess a mentality issue, even though they missed the chance to challenge for fourth place in the last moments after Aston Villa’s loss to Brighton had created an opening.
“It’s got nothing to do with mentality,” he said.
“If you come to Anfield and don’t try to play, maybe that shows that you don’t have the mentality”.
“We definitely tried to play so it’s not a mentality issue at all. In fact, it’s the polar opposite of that. The mentality was for us go out and try to be a version of ourselves. We’re absolutely short but it gives me something to work with,” the Australian added.
The Spurs manager claimed that he was proud of his team’s performance despite the fact that they had given up 13 goals in their last four games, with their previous two away games ending in the team not scoring a single goal at Stamford Bridge and St James’s Park.
“It’s a hugely disappointing outcome but at least we were more like ourselves than in our last two away games where we didn’t try and play football,” he said. “At four-nil, we had a mountain to climb but when we play like ourselves, we put pressure on the opposition”.
