LONDON -- Under-pressure Tottenham Hotspur head coach Ange Postecoglou has said his team's lacklustre form means he is "in a fight" but the Australian backed himself to get the club out of their slump, adding he loves being in "the middle of a storm."
Postecoglou's future as Spurs boss has been called into question following a run of results that has seen the north London club record just one win in their last eight games.
Their struggles have caused a portion of fans to lose faith in Postecoglou's project and some of them were involved in a heated confrontation with the manager following Spurs' defeat at Bournemouth last week.
Spurs have won four away Premier League matches in 2024 and travel to face Southampton on Sunday in desperate need of a convincing victory over the division's bottom-placed club.
St. Mary's was the scene of former Spurs boss Antonio Conte's famous post-match rant in which he branded his players as "selfish" and accused them of not wanting to play under pressure after they let a two-goal lead slip to draw 3-3 with Southampton in March 2023.
Asked on Thursday if he would ever make similar comments about his own team in the way that Conte did, Postecoglou told a news conference: "Look, I don't think it's fair to comment. Antonio, like I said, is a world-class manager and has his own way of doing things, his own reasons for doing that.
"I am here, I am in for the fight. I am in a fight, for sure. For better or worse I am not going anywhere at the moment because everything is still in my power and my responsibility. I still have a real desire to get us through this stage so that people see what is on the other side. My resolve and determination hasn't wavered one little bit.
"I love a fight, I love a scrape, I love being in the middle of a storm when everyone doubts because I know what it is on the other side if you get through it. My job is to get through it."
Postecoglou's patience with some of the performance levels shown by some of the senior players within his injury-depleted squad has seemingly worn thin, with the 59-year-old saying Timo Werner's display in Thursday's 1-1 draw with Rangers "wasn't acceptable."
Earlier on Thursday, Postecoglou said he had no time for worrying about his players' "bruised egos" when he provides them with direct feedback on their performances and reiterated they need to make meaningful contributions on the pitch.
Asked whether those issues tie into the wider problems of Spurs' recent, trophy-less, past, Postecoglou said: "I'm sick of that. That's an excuse for me and that's why even with Cristian Romero's comments [about the Tottenham hierarchy], I just think that's an excuse.
"At the moment I'm here, I take responsibility. These players, we're here. If we think some mythical thing exists in this club that prevents success then change it. What's the point otherwise? Don't come here. I just don't buy into that.
"At the moment we're in a difficult situation because of kind of where we are squad-wise and team-wise. You either embrace this challenge. If you want excuses there are a million of them. There are a million excuses as to why we can't be successful but if that's what your crutch is, particularly in tough moments, then what's the point? Just move on then and go somewhere else."
Postecoglou confirmed that first-choice centre backs Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven will miss Sunday's trip to face Southampton as the severity of their respective muscular injuries continue to be assessed. However, fellow defender Ben Davies could return for the game at St. Mary's.
Team AnalysisVietnam The two-legged finals include home and away games. Vietnam will be at home first, and they hope to grab the advantage in goal difference, with strong morale.Vietnamese naturalized forward Nguyen Xuan Son scored twice in the last game. He made his first cap for Vietnam in this ASEAN Championship, giving 5 goals and 2 assists in his three starting games so far, and he is leading...
Let's start our Daily Laugh today. Epl week 19 LOL When you spot it Show yourselves. Next match: Supercoppa Italiana Semi-Final: Juventus FC vs AC Milan. Cristiano Ronaldo has Scored 97 GOALS since the start of 2023! Bro Traveled with his Mom all the way from Mongolia to Old Trafford.. ... only to watch Manchester United drop another stinker and lose again. Gotta feel for him and all the Manchest...
Amorim admits Man Utd will NOT have money to spend in JanuaryRuben Amorim has revealed Manchester United will not have money to spend in the January transfer window despite the need for new signings.Speaking candidly to reporters on Monday night about the possibility of January transfers, Amorim stated, "We don't have that possibility in January. You know the situation better than I [do]. It's not...
Liverpool star Trent Alexander-Arnold has been called out by Jamie Carragher after claiming he encouraged Real Madrid to submit a bid for him in January.The Reds have reportedly turned down an attempt from Real Madrid to secure the services of the right-back in the January transfer window.Liverpool star Trent Alexander-Arnold has been called out by Jamie CarragherAlexander-Arnold will be free to n...
Man United star Antony could leave the Premier League club during the January transfer window, and the winger may be offered a way out by a La Liga team. The agent of Antony admitted that several clubs have made approaches for the Brazilian ahead of the January window as the 24-year-old looks for a way out of Old Trafford having fallen out of favour in Manchester.Ruben Amorim vowed to help Antony ...
Barcelona could lose Dani Olmo for the second half of the season after LaLiga said the Catalan club are not in a position to extend the Spain international's registration ahead of Tuesday's deadline.Olmo, 26, joined Barca in the summer and was granted a temporary registration until Dec. 31, giving Barca time to comply with the league's financial fair play rules and prolong his registration until t...
Newcastle's Trippier to be sold in JanuaryNewcastle United could sell Kieran Trippier with a January move abroad on the cards, three years after he first joined the club.Williams and Isak headline Arsenal shortlistNico Williams and Alexander Isak are both under consideration as Arsenal aim to sign a wide forward in January.Could Spurs cancel Werner's loan?Tottenham could cancel Timo Werner's loan ...
Team AnalysisBrentfordBrentford scored 12 goals in the last 5 home games with a great offense.Brentford ended 3 of the last 4 games with UNDER. The percentage of UNDER has rebounded.Brentford are seriously hit by injuries so far. Major goalkeeper Mark Flekken and defender Ben Mee are doubtful with injuries, while Sepp van den Berg and Ethan Pinnock are unavailable with injuries.Brentford drew 0-0 ...
Christopher Nkunku and Mikel Arteta (Photo by Alex Grimm, Julian Finney/Getty Images)Christopher Nkunku remains eager to leave Chelsea in the forthcoming January transfer window, sources have told CaughtOffside.The French attacker has been delegated a role in the club’s ‘B Team’ this campaign, leaving him frustrated. He has only featured in 326 minutes of Premier League action so...
Martin Zubimendi with the Spain national team.The 2024/25 campaign has not gone to plan for Man City and in order to salvage what they can of the season, the Premier League champions are looking to bring Real Sociedad’s Martin Zubimendi to the Etihad. Pep Guardiola is currently facing a crisis that he has never experienced before in his managerial career as the Spaniard’s team sit fift...
