Tottenham's Ange Postecoglou believes Premier League managers should be treated with “more respect” amid continued criticism of his team's playing style.
Tottenham are tenth in the Premier League ahead of this weekend's matches, with seven wins, two draws and seven defeats from 16 matches.
Their inconsistent form has led to Postecoglou's position being questioned by some supporters and pundits, although his all-out attacking approach has provided entertainment.
After beating Manchester United 4-3 in the EFL Cup quarter-finals on Thursday, Spurs have scored three or more goals nine times this season.
In all competitions this season, Tottenham have scored 55 goals and conceded 31 in 25 games. Of all the clubs from Europe's top five leagues, only matches involving Chelsea (99), Barcelona (98), Bayern Munich (94) and Stuttgart (89) have scored more goals than those involving Spurs (86 ).
Speaking to Sky Sports after Thursday's win, Postecoglou said he loved “every part” of Spurs' latest chaotic performance and believes criticism of his methods has sometimes gone too far.
“You feel like 26 years of hard work should earn you a little more respect, and I'm not the only one,” Postecoglou said at a press conference ahead of Sunday's meeting with Liverpool.
'I've seen it happen to Unai [Emery, during his spell with Arsenal] and Nuno when he was here.
“I understand that not everyone will be a fan of the way I do things and even the way I play people will have different opinions.
“That's normal, that's healthy, but some of it was quite dismissive.”
Former Liverpool defender and pundit Jamie Carragher described Tottenham on Thursday as the most entertaining team in the Premier League, but also labeled them as naive.
He criticized Postecoglou for refusing to change his approach depending on the score of the match after they almost blew a 3-0 lead against United.
Asked about Carragher's comments, Postecoglou said: “People tell me he likes me, so that's a good thing.
“They say, 'did you hear what he said? But he likes you as a person'. So that's important to me. It's all valid, but I don't need anyone's validation to do what I do.
“Whether you agree with my approach or not, there is validity in both, and I have no problem with that. I love that people are talking about our games and analyzing our games.”
Tottenham have won just two of their last 23 Premier League games against Liverpool, drawing six and losing 15.
However, they beat the Reds 2-1 in a controversial match at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last September and could now record consecutive home league wins against them for the first time since a run of five between 2008 and 2012.
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