Tottenham boss Postecoglou stands by Werner blast and challenges players to end excuse culture

Ange Postecoglou is not worried about “people’s bruised egos” and dismissed the notion there is a “mythical thing at the club” that has prevented Tottenham from being successful.

Postecoglou tore into Germany international Timo Werner following last night’s 1-1 Europa League draw at Rangers, describing his performance as “not acceptable”.

Werner was hauled off at half-time at Ibrox but Postecoglou’s decision to go public with his criticism was a surprise given it is now the norm for Premier League managers to keep any chastisement within the dressing room.

Twelve hours on from speaking in Glasgow, Postecoglou was back in front of the media this morning to preview Sunday’s game at Southampton and he was not backing down.

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“No, it wasn’t criticism, it was assessment,” he said. “If we’ve played poorly, we’ve played poorly. With Timo it wasn’t about whether he’d played well or not, we had a really difficult game.

“I’m asking 18-year-olds to do massive jobs and you’ve got senior players – he’s a senior player, he’s an international, won the Champions League – that there’s a level of application and performance you need to rise to, to help the team. He didn’t reach that.

“Me taking him off at half-time was a statement enough. The same way I won’t hide behind team performances, it’s not different to players or anyone else.”

‘I’ve got no time for that sort of stuff’

Asked how Werner had responded, Postecoglou added: “I’ve got no time for that sort of stuff anymore. We’re in a fight here, collectively we’re in a fight. I’m not going to go around worrying about people’s bruised egos.

“We want to achieve things, we want to be successful. We’re down to the bare bones in players, if there’s somebody in that dressing room who’s fit, able to contribute, and feels like they need something extra in this moment, he’s probably not the right type.

“We had some last night that understand the situation that we’re in. We’ve got 15 fit players, in some positions we’ve only got two players. I’m not going to go around trying to get extra out of people if they don’t give extra right now. That gives me an indication of where they’re at.

“Timo is not where our season is at. It’s not about Timo. It’s not about bringing somebody down and blaming somebody. We’ve got a limited number of players. It’s a great challenge. I want people who are up for that challenge.”

Stop making excuses – Ange

Tottenham are 11th in the Premier League having won just one of their last eight games in all competitions, leading to theories that the club is just not built for success.

Argentina centre-half Cristian Romero also criticised the club’s board this week for a perceived lack of investment in the playing squad.

Postecoglou, however, feels the excuse culture has to stop and challenged his players to overcome adversity or move on.

He said: “I’m sick of that. That’s an excuse for me. That’s why, even with Cristian Romero’s comments, 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 where we are squad-wise and you either embrace this challenge [or], if you want excuses there’s a million of them to why we can’t be successful. If that’s what your clutch is, particularly in tough moments, what’s the point? Move on then. Go somewhere else.”

Saints’ struggles provide hope for Spurs

Tottenham will not have a better chance to get their season back on track than when they take on a rock-bottom Southampton side with just five points to their name this season.

Russell Martin’s men have struggled to adapt to life back in the top flight following promotion but Postecoglou won’t underestimate the Saints.

He said: “In all the games, they’ve played some pretty exciting and effective football against very good teams. Russell will probably be frustrated they haven’t been able to sustain it and get rewards for it.

“In football, the good stuff you do gets diminished because people invariably look at the outcome, the result, which is fair enough. Some of the football they’ve played has been as good as anyone this year, home and away.”