Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou says he loves “being in the middle of a storm” and intends to “double down” on his principles amid his team’s poor run of form.
Spurs are 11th in the Premier League and winless in five games in all competitions after a 1-1 draw at Rangers on Thursday left them ninth in the Europa League table.
“I am here, I am in for the fight,” said Postecoglou. “I am in a fight, for sure. For better or worse I am not going anywhere at the moment because everything is still in my power and my responsibility.
“I still have a real desire to get us through this stage so that people see what is on the other side. My resolve and determination hasn’t wavered one little bit.
“I love being in the middle of a storm when everyone doubts, because I know what it is on the other side if you get through it. My job is to get through it.”
Tottenham will aim to avoid a third straight league defeat when they visit bottom side Southampton on Sunday. A 4-3 defeat at home by London rivals Chelsea last weekend, despite leading 2-0, followed a 1-0 loss at Bournemouth, where Postecoglou confronted discontented supporters.
Asked whether he would stick to his guns despite recent criticism, Postecoglou said: “That is kind of where I sit. That doesn’t mean I’m inflexible and you don’t make slight adjustments, but in tough times you double down on your principles because if you get through there’s nothing to fear ahead of you.”
Despite the club’s injury concerns, Postecoglou added it would not be “healthy” to deviate from his long-term vision and dial down the intensity he expects his team to play with.
“It’s a fine line. How much do you dilute for the situation you’re in?” added the Spurs boss.
“I always think, ‘what’s the long-term effect of it?’ It may relieve some short-term pain but if that means people lose belief and conviction in what we’re trying to do, because we have found an alternative path that alleviates that short-term stuff, I don’t think that’s healthy and gets us where we want to.”
Postecoglou not worrying about ‘bruised egos’
Postecoglou also insisted he is not going to worry about the “bruised egos” of players after saying Timo Werner’s performance “wasn’t acceptable” in Thursday’s draw at Rangers.
Werner, 28, was substituted at half-time after losing possession 16 times, not winning any of his five duels and only completing 69% of his passes.
The German forward’s replacement, Dejan Kulusevski, scored Spurs’ equaliser in the 75th minute at Ibrox.
Postecoglou said he did not regret criticising Werner in public because his views were “an assessment”.
Former Chelsea player Werner, who is on loan from RB Leipzig, has only scored once in 19 appearances for Tottenham.
“Criticism is saying something that’s not really helpful,” added Postecoglou. “Assessment is trying to give people feedback to try to make them better and give people the opportunity to improve.
“With Timo, it wasn’t about whether he played well or not. It was a difficult game. I’m asking 18-year-olds to do difficult jobs. He’s an international, he’s won the Champions League, he’s a senior player. There’s a level of application you need to rise to, to raise the team. He didn’t reach that.
“Timo is not where our season is at. It’s not about Timo. It’s not about bringing somebody down and blaming somebody.”
Spurs travel to Southampton on Sunday (19:00 GMT) with limited attacking options as both Richarlison and Wilson Odobert remain sidelined.
Postecoglou admitted his side face a “great challenge”, but wanted players “who are up for that challenge”.
“We’re in a fight here. I’m not going to go away worrying about people’s bruised egos,” added the Australian.
“We’re here to win things. If there’s somebody in the dressing room who’s fit, who feels he needs something extra in this moment, he’s probably not the right type.”
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