Ange Postecoglou has doubled down on his frank assessment of Timo Werner‘s sub-par showing in Tottenham‘s 1-1 stalemate at Rangers – but says it wasn’t criticism as he played down any fears of a row between the pair. The Australian has called for more from his experienced players amid the team’s turbulent times.
Despite a hamstring-stricken squad managing to claw back a point at Ibrox thanks to Dejan Kulusevski’s late equaliser, keeping them ninth in the Europa League standings after six games, Postecoglou was unapologetic about his half-time substitution of Werner.
Ahead of Sunday’s Premier League clash with Southampton, the Spurs boss emphasised that Werner, on loan from RB Leipzig, must step up, especially given the absence of nine first-team members. “It wasn’t criticism. It was assessment.
“With Timo it wasn’t about whether he played well or not. It was a difficult game last night. I’m asking 18 year olds to do some massive jobs and you want senior players, and he’s a senior player.
“He’s an international and he’s won the Champions League, there’s a level of application and performance you need to rise to to help the team. He didn’t reach that. I think me taking him off at half-time was a statement enough.
“The same way I won’t be hiding behind poor team performances, the same with and no different for the players or anyone else. It wasn’t criticism, it was just an assessment of his performance and on a really challenging night for us, which we knew going into it, it needs to be better.”
Postecoglou delivered a no-nonsense message amid Tottenham‘s challenging run, stating: “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.
“This football club, we want to achieve things and be successful. We’re down to the bare bones in players. If there’s somebody in the dressing room who’s fit, able to contribute but who feels he needs something extra in this moment, he’s probably not the right type.
“I need guys who, and we had some last night, understand the situation we’re in. We’ve 15 fit players and 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’re not able to give extra now, it kind of gives me an indication of where they’re at.”
As Spurs face multiple absences due to injury, with Yves Bissouma and Rodrigo Bentancur both out due to suspensions, Postecoglou rallied his remaining squad.
The pair started at Rangers, but will both serve suspensions at St Mary’s to increase the number of absentees for the Aussie.
He called on other senior players in the squad to step up ahead of a crucial week with Manchester United set to visit on Thursday in the Carabao Cup before league leaders Liverpool are in town on December 22.
Postecoglou added: “We are in a fight, we’ve got a limited number of players to call upon and We’ve got some big games that can set up our season.
“We just need people to have that level of commitment and application to find our way through. As much as I am talking about Timo, I am talking about the whole group and all of us right now.
“This is not about one person, it’s what we’re in and the situation we’re in right now. We’ve got a limited amount of players, we’re really stretched but we’ve got big games that can set up our season. It’s a great challenge. I want people who are up for that challenge.”
Content Source: www.express.co.uk