Ange Postecoglou took offence with a BBC reporter’s line of questioning immediately following Tottenham’s 3-2 Premier League defeat at Everton.
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The reporter started the interview by saying “Ange, familiar story. What are your assessment of that performance please?”
The Australian queried the phrasing, responding by asking for clarification.
“A familiar story?” Postecoglou asked.
“Well in terms of defeat,” the reporter said.
“Yeah, okay. Great way to start an interview,” Postecoglou responded, clearly displeased.
The former Socceroos boss did answer the question, however.
“Yeah, look it was a tough result for us. Obviously in the first half we struggled to get control of the game. I made some changes in the team that probably weren’t helpful in the end,” he said.
“I had players struggling to come to terms with it, unable to capitalise on it. The second half the players put in the right response. Credit to them but we obviously fell short.”
It is the not the first time this season that Postecoglou has been annoyed by questioning from reporters after a loss.
When Spurs were battered 6-2 at home against league leaders Liverpool last month, Postecoglou was fed up with repeated question of his side’s injury issues, which have decimated their defence.
“I’m just going to stop answering these questions. If people can’t see the obvious, I’m not going to point it out,” Postecoglou said.
‘The obvious’ was on show again on Sunday with first-choice goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, and three of Postecoglou’s preferred back four in Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven and Destiny Udogie, as well as club record signing Dominic Solanke, all sidelined.
Everton, who now sit 16th on the table, led 3-0 at half time with Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Iliman Ndiaye picking holes in Tottenham’s understrength defence to find the back of the net before an Archie Gray own goal rubbed further salt into Spurs’ wounds.
The score line only looked more flattering in the end as Dejan Kulusevski scored in the 77th minute and Richarlison added another against his former club in stoppage time.
Postecoglou: ‘Spurs need reinforcements’ | 01:11
Postecoglou did shed light on their injury situation post-match, reiterating earlier words that there is no quick fix to the predicament.
“We had 11 or 12 missing tonight and apart from, we’ve got to see how Rodri’s going through the protocols, apart from him, no-one else is really due to come back,” he said.
“We’ve got a European game on Thursday, we obviously can’t use Djed or Reguilon in that, so we’re in this situation.”
Tottenham fans turned their anger towards chair Daniel Levy after the final whistle as they are desperate for the club to make moves in the current January transfer window to provide Postecoglou with reinforcements.
Chants of “we want Levy out” rang out from the away end, but the manager was steering clear of that issue.
“I separate myself from that. This is not about me, but what is about me right now is I have the responsibility of the group of players I do have, to try and get us through this, and that’s what I’ve got to focus on,” Postecoglou said.
“For me to focus on anything else is abstaining myself from the responsibility I have. I’m just determined to get us out of this. The club’s doing its best to…more about helping the players than helping me because they’re the ones we’re asking some massive jobs of 18-year-olds.
“We had a 17-year-old out there trying to win games of football for us. And others who are just playing week on week, so, you know it’s more about getting the players help rather than me help.”
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