Nine

Ange Postecoglou has admitted he is tired of the questions around his tactics as Tottenham's poor form is placed back under the spotlight against Nottingham Forest.

Forest's magical season continued in style against Spurs as the home side claimed a 1-0 victory to cement their position in third on the Premier League table.

Anthony Elanga slotted his third goal in three games in the tight contest, with Postecoglou's men left scrambling into the gaps of several absent players.

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The loss for Spurs, currently positioned 11th, marked their ninth from 18 games.

Postecoglou's men have conceded 26 goals this season but sit second on the overall goals scored (39) so far across the competition. Liverpool are the only team to have slotted more goals with 40.

While the victory was one Nuno Espirito Santo likely savoured, given he lasted just four months at the helm of Tottenham in 2021, for Postecoglou, it was one that added to the already mounting pressure on his future.

Spurs are on course to reach the Europa League knockouts and have progressed to the League Cup semi finals but have not had the same success in the Premier League.

The Australian manager jumped to the defence of his team's results noting the extensive injury list is beginning to take its toll on the group.

"We are asking a lot of this group of players, a lot of these guys are playing every three days," Postecoglou said.

"It's only logical they are not going to be at their sharpest, but they are trying.

"It's obviously disappointing to be beaten. It was never going to be a game with too many chances, I thought we had a fair chance where we could have got something out of the game.

"I still thought we created some good moments, and we weren't able to capitalise on them. The keeper has pulled off some good saves to keep them in the game.

"We needed a goal to break them open and we didn't seem to get it.

"But it was always going to be a tight game here. We just couldn't get over the line."

Spurs have been without several key stars including centre-backs Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven and Ben Davies, while first-choice goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario has been ruled out due to a broken ankle.

Radu Dragusin joined the list of injury concerns for Postecoglou after he was seen limping off the field late in the match.

Postecoglou's horror run has sparked some fiery post-game reactions, with his response to the side's 6-3 defeat to Liverpool drawing the attention of reporters.

Asked about his response following his side's previous defeat, Postecoglou replied: "I wasn't angry."

"I don't think there are many managers that bounce into interviews after being beaten feel sort of cheery about it.

"Fair to say I am getting tired of the same questions and answering the same way.

"I just think it's almost like people sort of want to poke the bear to see if I react.

"Obviously after a loss it's a lot easier for people to get a reaction out of you."

Tottenham has launched an appeal against the severity of Uruguay midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur’s seven-match ban for making an offensive comment about South Koreans in relation to a remark about Spurs teammate Son Heung-min.

"I've said all along, he's made a mistake, we've accepted that he has made a mistake," said coach Ange Postecoglou.

"We believe the first one (ban) was harsh and we've appealed that, which I think is our right. That's the whole process."

Bentancur will remain suspended from domestic competitions while the appeal is heard. He is set to miss six Premier League games and an English League Cup quarterfinal against Manchester United. The ban doesn’t cover European competitions, so he can play in the Europa League.

Appearing on a Uruguayan television show in June, Bentancur was asked for a Tottenham player’s jersey and replied, “Sonny’s?” He added it could be Son’s cousin, too, because “more or less they are all the same.”

Bentancur later apologised to Son on Instagram, saying it was a “very bad joke” and he would “never disrespect you or hurt you.” Son accepted the apology.

Details of the decision released by the independent commission showed that Bentancur explained his comments “were sarcastic and a gentle rebuke” for the journalist calling his teammate “The Korean” and that he challenged the reporter’s description of Son.

The Spurs manager added: "I get that people want to burn people at the stake these days, but as I keep saying, part of this process, if you want a real sort of education, is to understand," added the 59-year-old.

"When somebody makes a mistake and they pay a penalty, part of that is education and hopefully treating him in a way that people see is the way forward.

"Whether it is Rodrigo or anyone else. I'm old enough in life, I've made bigger mistakes than that mate, but I was allowed to learn from it. Hopefully I'm a better human being because of that."

In its conclusions, the regulatory commission, however, wrote that “even on the basis of the player’s evidence and submissions, we consider the player’s conduct in using the words he did, in the full context in which they were used, was clearly abusive and insulting, and would amount to misconduct.”

The commission added that it also took into consideration the fact that Bentancur did not intend to offend Son or anyone else.