Ange Postecoglou snaps back at reporter’s question after Tottenham lose 6-3 to Liverpool

Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou speaking to BBC Sport: “It’s obviously a painful one for us. Credit to Liverpool, they were too good for us. They’re in a great moment, great form, feeling confident. It was a bridge too far for us, We looked like we lacked energy which is understandable.”

When asked if any factors apart from injuries are behind defensive struggles: “I’m just going to stop answering these questions. 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 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.”

Liverpool boss Arne Slot to Sky Sports: “The first 50-55 minutes is what you want, apart from the goal we conceded. 3-1 up and then it ended up being 5-1. We thought it was enough but Tottenham have far too much quality and they’re able to create and score.

“In the games they’ve lost here against the bigger teams, they’ve been in the game. It was a really good performance from us apart from the 20 minutes we decided not to run anymore. That 15 minutes is maybe useful for us. It didn’t hurt us today but in other moments, it’s good.

“Against every team, there’s an opportunity. If they go for man for man which they did for the first goal, then it needs one player to outplay the other and then you have an extra man. They have a very good idea about football. If you give them too much space then they will hurt you. I like what Ange does. He is at a club where they don’t win that much in the last 15 to 20 years.

“They should be one of the best players in the world otherwise you don’t play for Liverpool. Mo [Salah] got two goals and two assists. He played a very good game. With Trent, the focus might be on the great cross for the first goal but playing against Son is not easy but he did very well.

On Alexander-Arnold: “He has increased a bit but he can still do better. Fulham was ok, but for his standards, not top.

On being top of the league: “It tells you we are a very good team. Still three games to go until halfway but if you go here and play the game we did then it shows we are a hard team to beat. If it was easy to win the league then every team would do it.”

Liverpool boss Arne Slot to BBC Sport: “For 60 minutes we did everything we had to do, we were comfortable and good with the ball. The main thing is we worked very, very hard. But then the same players with the same quality thought that 10 or 15 minutes of not working as hard was good enough.

“Tottenam have enough quality to score goals if you give them chances. You have to be on top of your game for the whole game and we didn’t do that.”

Liverpool attacker Mohamed Salah speaking to Sky Sports: “We were quite good up front but defensively we need to improve as a team. Concedeing three goals is quite hard. It’s a good result, hopefully we just keep going.”

On playing against this Spurs team: “We expected that [a chaotic game], the way they play, they open the game, they enjoy their football, physically tough and mentally we always have to be in the game.

“They don’t change much the way they play, it’s intense. City came here and struggled, other teams too. I’m happy we won because they play an intense game.”

On becoming the first player ever to score 10 goals and provide 10 assists in the Premier League before Christmas: “I didn’t think about it before the game but I’m glad I have done it, something that makes me proud, I’ll keep working hard.”

On becoming Liverpool’s fourth all-time leading goalscorer: “It’s great to achieve that at such a big club, but the most important thing is that we won the game. Wherever I am going to end my career I am happy about it.”

When asked if there is an update on his future: “No.”

Liverpool midfielder Alexis Mac Allister to BBC Sport: “We spoke about it in the dressing room, we are not happy with the fact we conceded three goals, that’s very cear, but we score six, that’s not very easy.

“Tottenham are a good team, they press really high, they are aggressive, we knew we had to put the ball in behind and score the opportunities we had. We are happy with the result, there are many things to improve but we’re happy to get the three points.”

On the performance of team-mate Dominik Szoboszlai: “Dom is amazing, he can do everything, on and off the ball he is really good. He played a really good game, same with the attackers. We’re in a really good moment.”

On conceding more goals recently: “At the back we have to play simple and get the ball to them [attackers]. We worked on this the whole week and we try to improve every single day.

Here’s how fans reacted after Ange Postecoglou snaps back at a reporter’s question following Tottenham lose 6-3 to Liverpool…

@BaggieFans: So insufferable isn’t he 😂 look at Everton they shipped goals for fun and tweaked things and now have one of the greater defensive records in the league

@jonboy_avfc: Everyone has injuries, Ange. We – #avfc – had 3 ACL’s last year, Mings, Kamara, Buendia; 2 on the eve/start of the season, 1 shortly in, no chance to replace them; then players kept getting injured, knocks and niggles… 4th xxx

@kjohno10: Got those players missing but fails to give the less competent defenders more protection.
Can only play one way, which is unreal to watch… but the top managers are able to find a good balance between attack and defence.

@Field_83: Why Ange if you know your squad is bare, then you have to adapt to the way you play to grind out the results, not just rely on your total football method.

@Rhian1515: As a neutral I still find this fella absolutely unbearable, Everton are terrible but I’d hate him to manage us! Everyone has injuries is the first point, as well as this Spurs have been inconsistent for a lot longer than when they have had cb’s and gk out. Just answer the Q 🤮🤮

@dannypea: I feel for him on this, he’s got an 18 year old right mid playing CB, a second string RB at LB, an understudy keeper with two left feet and every prat keeps asking him if they’re too attacking! If he sat back and lost 3-0 would that have shut up the ‘experts’???

@PenmanDeclan: If you have injuries in defensive areas surely you change your tactics so that the defenders who come in are more protected? He doesn’t, still playing a kamikaze high line against the best team in the league so far, than goes off on one to a reporter.

@dwoodley1990: Well, that narrative is completely false. We have been inconsistent now for 12 months. We haven’t had injuries throughout this period. Yes, we currently have injuries to key personnel, but top managers adapt. Ange Postenoclue doesn’t know how to adapt. Time to go. #COYS #THFC

@HarryHotspurFC: Ask him why we still haven’t been able to defend properly for the past year even with a full squad.

@dougbagleyfdl: Excuses, excuses. We were losing games when all the players were fit. It is not funny. Tottenham Hotspur Football Club means so much to me and thousands of others. I want my Spurs manager to say these results are not acceptable but he seems to think that they are acceptable.

@mikeenglishcfc: The bloke is a complete prick when he loses. So unlikeable it’s untrue. Grow up and take some responsibility instead of constantly belittling people because you refuse to change from a system that leaves you completely open in every single game.

@DannyDare82:
1. Those injuries are a direct result of his training methods (see the injury issues he had at Celtic). 2. If you have to put together a make shift back four, play more conservatively so that back four isn’t hung out to dry #THFC #COYS #Spurs