Ange Postecoglou made headlines when criticising Timo Werner after the 1-1 draw with Rangers in the Europa League - but he explained it was part of a wider message.
The Australian manager kept repeating that he needs all his fit players to "fight" in a week that could "set up our season".
There is no doubt that the conversation around Spurs is currently negative but the season can be salvaged. Even despite criticism of the performance at Ibrox, qualification for the knockout stage of the Europa League still looks likely.
Hit by an injury crisis, including the loss of key players Guglielmo Vicario, Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven, it is now incumbent on the remaining players to keep the season alive in the Premier League and Carabao Cup.
Spurs are 11th in the Premier League but face bottom-of-the-league Southampton on Sunday.
What follows is a match at home to Manchester United in the Carabao Cup quarter-final before Liverpool visit the following Sunday in the league.
Germany international Werner felt the full force of Postecoglou's criticism this week but he insists other players have fallen short, a category that does not include exceptional and versatile 18-year-old Archie Gray, or increasingly his star man Dejan Kulusevski.
Amid criticism and what he labelled an "injury crisis" given he has just one fit centre-back available, Postecoglou has laid down the challenge for his remaining players to keep the season alive.
What did you make of Postecoglou's criticism?
Is he right to call out underperforming players? Or did he go too far?