Ange Postecoglou dismissed the idea that he is angry about recent doubts about his tactics, but says he is tired of people trying to “poke the bear”.
Tottenham's tactics were criticized after Sunday's 6-3 defeat at home to Liverpool, with Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher saying after the result that “no one has ever won anything like this”.
But Postecoglou said his reaction was normal given the nature of a defeat in which Spurs conceded six goals for the second time in Premier League history.
“I wasn't angry. We had just suffered a heavy defeat and I take responsibility for that because I have seen the effect that has on everyone involved in the football club, so that weighs heavily on you,” Postecoglou said. .
“But I don't think there are many managers who come into job interviews after a defeat and feel a bit happy about it.
“Honestly, I get tired of the same questions and the same way of answering.
“I just think it's almost like people want to poke the bear to see if I respond. Obviously, after a loss, it's a lot easier for people to get a response out of you.”
Despite a stunning recent win against Manchester City, Tottenham have lost three of their last five Premier League games and have a long list of absentees due to injuries, including Guglielmo Vicario, Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven.
But Postecoglou has refused to be critical of the threadbare squad he has at his disposal.
“I can't be critical of this group of players in any way at this point,” he said.
“I think it would be unfair for someone to do that because what they're doing is an absolute maximum effort.
'That is supported by the physical parameters you set for what they do. They try to do it the way I ask of them.
“So how can I be critical of that? I think that would be hypocritical of me. The players are doing their part. They're doing it as best they can and that's a credit to them.”
“I still think this will serve us well in the long run.”
Nuno braced himself for the unknown against Spurs
Nottingham Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo has braced for the unknown as his side prepare for the visit of Tottenham.
Spurs have built a reputation as the Premier League's biggest entertainers this season. They scored the most goals of any team with 39, but only kept four clean sheets.
Forest, in fourth place, went into the match in fine form after three straight wins and were the first club to stop Brentford from scoring at home so far this season.
Asked what he thought might happen on Thursday, Nuno said: “You never know what will happen in the match.
“What we can see are good players, a lot of goals and also goals against. We analyzed yesterday that it was different in terms of goals and situations.”
“The result was a bit unexpected, but what we are preparing is a new game, new situations will arise and we are in for a very good game.”
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