Postecoglou takes blame for latest Tottenham loss, but retains faith

LIVERPOOL: Under-pressure manager Ange Postecoglou remained confident that he can turn around Tottenham Hotspur’s season despite a demoralising 3-2 loss at struggling Everton on Sunday.

Postecoglou’s injury-hit side crumbled in the first half at Goodison Park, conceding three goals, and a late rally failed to salvage what would have been a flattering point.

It was Tottenham’s 12th defeat in the Premier League this season, only the sixth time Spurs have lost as many as 12 games from their first 22 matches and the first since 1997-98.

With Tottenham down in 15th place and closer to the relegation zone than the top half, Australian Postecoglou appears to be on increasingly thin ice with the club reportedly linked to several possible replacements.

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He again lamented injuries after defeat at Everton, saying he only had 11 fit players to start the game after suffering another blow in the build-up with striker Dominic Solanke ruled out with an injury picked up in training.

Asked by Sky Sports whether his faith in his team was wavering, the 59-year-old said: “No it doesn’t. If you look at the situation we’re in, it will eventually dissipate. I certainly hope and believe it will.

“We’ll give ourselves the opportunity to get consistency in performance and results. I certainly haven’t lost belief or determination to turn it around and the players showed in the second half that they haven’t either.”

Tottenham have one only once in their last nine league games — against bottom club Southampton — and have lost seven in that period to slide down the table.

Speaking to reporters at Goodison Park, Postecoglou said he took responsibility for the latest defeat.

“It wasn’t great the first half. I guess the majority of that is down to me. I changed the team and changed the structure,” Postecoglou said. “We had a couple of setbacks in terms of player availability and we struggled to get control of the game and allowed Everton to capitalise on that.

“Obviously at halftime we had a mountain to climb. Fair play to the players, they kept going until the end.”

Postecoglou, who is without a long list of injured first team players, said no new signings were imminent in the January transfer window and that his sole focus was on working with the players he has available to stop the rot.

“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,” he said.

“For me to focus on anything else is abstaining myself from that responsibility. I’m just determined to get us out of this.

“I’m sure like everybody, the club’s well aware of our situation and they’re doing their utmost. As far as I know at the moment there’s nothing imminent, but you know, I assume between now and we’re getting to the end of the window that hopefully something comes up.”

Tottenham travel to German club Hoffenheim for a vital Europa League clash on Thursday then host second-from-bottom Leicester City in the Premier League on Sunday.