Ange Postecoglou was involved in a heated clash with a BBC reporter as the Tottenham Hotspur manager insisted injury issues are to blame for his side’s defensive frailties.
Spurs were thrashed 6-3 by Liverpool as they fell into the bottom half of the Premier League table despite being the division’s top scorers.
It continues a recent theme of porous performances, with Postecoglou missing four of his first-choice back five amid a tough run.
Goalkeeper Gugilelmo Vicario and centre-halves Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven missed the Liverpool defeat, while Destiny Udogie was only able to make the bench as Djed Spence continued at left-back.
And Postecoglou was not happy when asked if anything other than those injuries were behind his side’s struggles.
“I’m just going to stop answering these questions,” Postecoglou said to BBC Sport. “If people can’t see the obvious I‘m not going to point it out.
“Make of it what you want, yes we’re conceding goals. If you want to discount the fact we’re missing a goalkeeper, two centre-backs and a left-back and that hasn’t coincided with what we’re doing… I don’t know what to say anymore. I think people make up their mind in their own way. They either think what I’m doing is good or bad, and that’s fine.
“It’s fairly significant, if you took out Liverpool’s goalkeeper, two centre-backs and a left-back – or any team other than Liverpool, they’d find it tough going as well.”
Spurs have conceded 13 goals in their last three home games in all competitions, though did keep a clean sheet against Southampton in their last away game.
They take on high-flying Nottingham Forest at the City Ground on Boxing Day.