Timo Werner performance 'wasn't acceptable', Tottenham Hotspur injuries taking 'toll', says Ange Postecoglou

Tottenham Hotspur boss Ange Postecoglou says his side find themselves in "a bit of a struggle" after a 1-1 draw with Rangers in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday night.

The under-pressure Australian took his side to Scotland but left two of his best performers this season, Dominic Solanke and Dejan Kulusevski, on the bench.

The move might have backfired, as Hamza Igamane put Rangers ahead shortly after the restart, but not before Postecoglou hooked striker Timo Werner at half-time.

Europa League

Crouch claims ‘it would have been a travesty’ if Spurs beat ‘fantastic’ Rangers

With 15 minutes remaining, Kulusevski levelled for the Premier League team. Tottenham ended the match in ninth spot in the league phase table, level on points with Rangers, who are in the last automatic qualification spot.

In the Premier League, Postecoglou’s men sit in 11th, a disappointing position given the bright showing last season.

Speaking to TNT Sports, he acknowledged that it was not just a difficult game, but a difficult period in general for the side.

‘We’re in a bit of struggle’ – Postecoglou reflects on ‘important point’ at Rangers

Video credit: Eurosport

He said: "It's as expected in terms of the context of the game, tough game, obviously the crowd and atmosphere you'll deal with.

"Tight first half, I think both sides, then they score straight after half-time and then you kind of know you've got a mountain to climb after that.

"But I thought we worked our way back into the game and scored a good goal, it was a big save by Fraser [Forster] in the end, and I think in terms of our European season a really important point."

Postecoglou explained the starting XI tonight by saying both Solanke and Kulusevski needed a rest, adding: "We had to rotate tonight.

"It's no secret the issues we've got at the moment in terms of injuries and there's guys like Dom [Solanke] and Decky [Kulusevski] who've played a hell of a lot of football and we have got to protect them a little bit.

"But I thought they made a difference, I thought Lucas Bergvall was excellent when he came on, which is a great thing for us, guys like Archie [Gray] and Lucas, 18-year-olds, to be getting experiences like this is a positive."

‘They give up a lot of opportunities’ – Hutton points out Spurs’ weaknesses

Video credit: Eurosport

The former Celtic manager conceded that Tottenham were not at their confident best after recent poor results, saying: "I think it's kind of the situation at the moment that we're in, it's fair to say we're in a bit of a struggle.

"And being down on numbers the players understand that, a lot of them are asking for a lot of repeated efforts and it takes its toll.

"But we hung in there tonight which is important, the next round of the European games aren't now for a while, which will help us for sure. So like I said, I think when I look back it'll be an important point for us."

‘Not acceptable’ - Postecoglou unimpressed by Werner

Postecoglou was unusually harsh in his criticism of striker Werner’s efforts, which saw him subbed after the first half.

The 28-year-old is on loan at the club from RB Leipzig.

In his post-match press conference, Postecoglou said he had not met the required level to stay on the pitch: "When you've got 18-year-olds, it's not acceptable to me.

"I said that to Timo, he's a German international. In the moment we're in right now - it's not like we've got many options, I need everyone to at least be going out there and trying to give the best of themselves.

"We need everybody, including him, to be contributing because we don't have the depth to leave people out if they perform poorly. I expect a level of performance from some of the senior guys, and tonight wasn't that."

- - -

TNT Sports will show over 500 matches from the UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Europa League and the UEFA Conference League across the 2024/25 season. The streaming home for TNT Sports in the UK is discovery+, where fans can enjoy a subscription that includes TNT Sports, Eurosport and entertainment in one destination.

Europa League

Onana ability 'better than some of the Man Utd centre-backs' as error dissected

Europa League

'Lack of speed, lack of movement' - Amorim reflects on what changed in Man Utd turnaround