‘I don’t like seeing our supporters having to experience a game like that’ – Ange empathetic for fans following recent run | OneFootball

Ange Postecoglou is not entertaining any talk of his Tottenham side becoming more defensive but admits he feels sorry for the club’s supporters following their 6-3 defeat to Liverpool.

Whilst the north London club sits top of most goals scored in the Premier League, two more than Liverpool and Chelsea, they have conceded 14 goals in their last five matches in all competitions.

However, the Australian remains as defiant as ever in his approach and belief system, and will not bow to outside pressure to be more pragmatic.

“In today’s world we kind of search for perfection and it just doesn’t exist,” Postecoglou said.

“Whatever road you go down there’s going to be some pain, there’s going to be some challenges and if you’re always kind of seeking this, people say I should be more defensive-minded in my approach so that means I need to temper my attacking approach, make it a little bit more defensive to achieve what? Achieve perfection.

“Or if you’re too defensive, people say you should be a little bit more attacking. For what purpose? To be perfect. Well, none of that exists. And I think some people will always just look at it in black and white terms of just results and you can’t change that opinion. If I’m winning then I’m great, my system’s great, my beliefs are great, philosophy is great, if I’m losing everything’s [not great.].

“With these kinds of things, I tend to sit in the grey of just saying well let’s just see you know maybe we’ll end up being something nice if we let it grow.”

Postecoglou also says he is willing to be at the front and centre of any criticism over his team’s playing style.

He continued: “I’m responsible for it. I’m the one that’s kind of choosing the path we’re on. It’s difficult. I don’t like seeing our supporters having to experience a game like that and I don’t like the players giving everything and feeling the way they do and all the staff because everyone works hard and they’re all doing a great job.

“But ultimately after a day like the weekend, everyone kind of leaves fairly deflated and disappointed and unfairly judged in my opinion. That’s my responsibility. So, of course, it weighs on me, it weighs on me very heavily.

“But as I keep saying, my biggest responsibility is to try and change the course of this club and bring success to it. And as much as I take it pretty hard, I still feel like my role is to make sure that we stay the course.”

Up next for Tottenham is a visit to in-form Nottingham Forest, who are enjoying an impressive start to the Premier League season under former Spurs boss Nuno Espirito Santo.

Forest welcome a wounded Tottenham on Boxing Day in fourth spot, and Postecoglou has praised his opposite number’s resurgence after being sacked only four months in charge at Spurs in 2021.

“It’s really easy to dismiss a person on the back of something not working out, because that’s what it is. It obviously didn’t work out for him here, but he did a great job at Wolves. When he went into Nottingham Forest, people were almost underwhelmed by it.

“I couldn’t see why, because he’s got a strong CV and he’s already proven himself at this level. Sometimes we’re very dismissive of people’s kind of experience in a role, which I think is increasingly more so in today’s world experience I think is probably a key factor in how you navigate management.”