Ange Postecoglou admitted he was 'sick and tired' of hearing excuses about Tottenham's problems and told all players who are not ready for the fight to leave the club.
The Tottenham boss said he was not worried about 'bruised egos' in his dressing room after labeling Timo Werner's performance against Rangers as 'unacceptable'.
“We have a fight here,” Postecoglou said. 'I'm not going to worry about bruised egos. We want to achieve things, we want to be successful and we are in the players down to the last detail.
'If someone is fit and can contribute and someone who feels like he needs something extra [motivation]they're probably not the right person. If they can't give me extra now, that shows where they stand.
'We are in a difficult situation because of our selection position. We have 15 fit players. If you want to make excuses, there are a million excuses why they can't be successful. If that's you, move on and go somewhere else.
'Last night it wasn't about Timo Werner, it wasn't about him. It could have been someone else. Other players could have given more. It's not about Timo, it's about the situation we find ourselves in. It could be anyone. It's not about putting anyone down or blaming anyone.”
Postecoglou also criticized Cristian Romero's recent comments, which suggested Tottenham's lack of success was down to club owner Daniel Levy's investment in a return to the century-old club.
“I'm sick of that too,” Postecoglou said. 'That's an excuse for me. That's why I think Romero's comments are an excuse. We are here. If we think there is something mythical that is getting in the way of success, then change it – otherwise what's the point. If you don't believe in it, don't come here.'
After Chelsea's loss on Sunday, Romero was asked whether Tottenham were suffering from limited spending and a lack of depth. He told Telemundo Deportes: 'The truth is that I would not like to comment, but…
'Manchester City participate every year, you see Liverpool strengthening their team, Chelsea strengthening their team, not doing well, getting stronger again, and now they are seeing results. Those are the things you have to imitate.
'You have to realize that something is going wrong, hopefully they realize that. The last few years it's always the same: first the players change, then the coaching staff changes, and it's always the same people who are responsible.
'Hopefully they realize who the real people responsible are and we move on, because it's a wonderful club that, with the structure it has, could easily challenge for the title every year.'
He backed Postecoglou, adding: “He is a great coach. We saw it in the first season. In this second one we suffered a lot of injuries.
'Players are the first to be criticized, and if we lose ten games the staff can be changed, but no one talks about what actually happens.
'We are very happy with this staff, me and my colleagues. We like the way they work and the football they try to play. We're trying to move on quickly.”
Comments