Ange Postecoglou has come out fighting, with the Tottenham Hotspur manager under huge pressure after a disappointing season that could yet be rescued by a Europa League triumph
Tottenham Hotspur boss Ange Postecoglou has taken a swipe at Liverpool, claiming there is a "national campaign" when refereeing decisions go against them. Postecoglou also took aim at his own club and suggested that former players who now work as pundits should be more positive about Spurs.
Tottenham currently sit 14th in the Premier League and Postecoglou is under huge pressure, with Spurs' Europa League challenge expected to be a key factor in his future at the club. Tottenham face Eintracht Frankfurt in the quarter-finals this month and would qualify for the Champions League if they can win the tournament.
Speaking ahead of Tottenham's clash with Southampton on Sunday, Postecoglou came out fighting in his pre-match press conference. "I think in the time I've been here, we've had two decisions that have gone for us against Liverpool and there has been a national campaign, almost," he said.
"It seems like every fight ends up being an internal fight at this club. There's never any sort of defending of the club or the club defending itself. That's a unique challenge, but I accepted that challenge so I've got to try to find a way to overcome it."
When asked how Spurs should defend itself, Postecoglou explained: "By being more vocal. I hope not [just the manager]. I think you hear enough from me, you probably hear too much from me, to be honest.
"It doesn't have to be just from people at the club. I hear plenty of people talking and defending other clubs but it seems, with Tottenham, wherever there's a sore there's a real pile-on to sort of stick a finger in that sore and then we kind of accept our fate.
"You guys know the landscape better than I do, but it seems like…I never switch it [the television] on and hear any sort of strong voice. The only voice you hear is me. When we're talking about the bigger clubs, there seems to be a lot more voices. And not always defending. You need scrutiny and constructive criticism as well.
"We definitely get enough of that! But we never get any of the other stuff. I think the fact that out of last night the big story is my interaction with the fans and not the fact a game of football was materially changed by technology.
"VAR said 'clear and obvious'. Six minutes for clear and obvious and I'd have thought that would be the story from last night, but it's not. Again, it's my interaction with the fans and how I've made things more difficult. You kind of go 'OK, well, that's the challenge we face'."
Postecoglou is referencing the fact that Spurs fans chanted "you don't know what you're doing" after he replaced Lucas Bergvall with Pape Sarr against Chelsea on Thursday. Sarr then scored moments later and Postecoglou appeared to cup his ear towards the fans, only for the goal to be ruled out after a lengthy VAR check.
Postecoglou, though, denied claims his gesture was a response to the chants in a tense interview with Sky Sports after the 1-0 defeat. "I wanted the supporters to cheer," he insisted.
"I thought it was a cracking goal. They've booed my substitutions before. It had nothing to do with them booing my substitutions."