Ange Postecoglou admitted he was worried about his future at Tottenham but refused to change his ways after Liverpool thrashed Spurs to move four points clear at the top of the Premier League.
When asked if he felt any pressure, Postecoglou initially said: “I'm not sure what you mean by pressure. I'm not happy with where we are at the table right now.'
Postecoglou wondered if he felt any discomfort after saying before their win against Man City last month that he would be under scrutiny if Spurs were still 10th at Christmas:
“If you say that tenth place means I'm not doing well and that maybe I should feel uncomfortable in some way, then that's for others to judge.”
Since that win at the Etihad, Spurs have won just one of their five league games and lost three, with yesterday's match against Arne Slot's side leaving them 11th in the table. They visit fourth-placed Nottingham Forest on Boxing Day.
And despite conceding 13 goals in his last three home games, the Australian insisted his all-or-nothing approach would not change. Liverpool had 24 attempts on goal, with Mohamed Salah and Luis Diaz scoring twice, alongside goals for Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szobozlai.
'I think I've been very patient over the last 18 months, answering the same questions over and over again. If people want me to change my approach, that won't change, Postecglou emphasizes.
“We do it for a reason: we do it because we think it will help us be successful. If people don't understand the circumstances we're currently in, the challenges we have from a team perspective are as obvious as you want to make them. I get the feeling that people think I should just flip a switch and change and somehow that will miraculously make us a better team, but it is what it is. I'm going to keep going and stay focused on trying to build this team into the team we want it to be. In the meantime, we're going to accept that there will be challenges along the way.”
Spurs were missing seven first-team players, including their two first-choice centre-backs in Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero. Their injury-hit team was outclassed by Slot's Liverpool, who benefited from Chelsea's loss of points at Everton.
“It was a difficult day for us and a painful result,” Postecoglou admitted. 'Thanks to Liverpool, they are a very good team and are in a great moment. They are very established, in good shape and with great faith. It was just a bridge too far for us. You could tell we lacked energy and the ability to really compete on the same level with them.”
And Postecoglou confirmed that Spurs will be looking to spend money in the January transfer window.
'Yes, absolutely (reinforcement needed). I assume the right players are there. Again it's about making sure it's something that will help us build on what we're doing,” he said.
“Some of those will be internal. We are in different stages of getting players back from injury. We have a few long term in (Guglielmo) Vicario and Wilson (Odobert), but the rest will hopefully be back sometime in January. That will help us get numbers back and deal with the schedule, because the schedule isn't going to change. We still participate in all competitions, so it doesn't get any easier.'
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