Ange Postecoglou showed frustration in response to a question about Tottenham’s aspirations for a top-four finish after suffering a comprehensive 3-0 defeat against Fulham on Saturday.
Spurs positioned themselves favorably for Champions League qualification after a big win in the previous weekend's match against Aston Villa, but lost that momentum following one of their most disappointing performances of the season at Craven Cottage.
Rodrigo Muniz continued his exceptional form by scoring the first goal shortly before half-time, and Fulham increased their advantage with another goal from Sasa Lukic shortly after the break.
Any hopes of staging a comeback were dashed when Muniz scored from close range on the hour mark.
Spurs had several chances to at least maintain their streak of scoring in every Premier League game this season, but poor finishing from Timo Werner highlighted a dismal evening.
Postecoglou’s team now trails Villa by two points, with Villa visiting West Ham the following day, and the Spurs manager was unwilling to discuss his team's prospects of securing a return to Europe’s top club competition.
‘It’s all over so we’ll just go for sixth. What am I meant to say to that?’ he remarked when asked to evaluate a damaging result.
‘We’re two points behind Villa. It’s 10 games to go, there’s so much football to play. I don’t worry about that stuff. It’s not about just falling into a place in the ladder.
‘We could finish fourth, great, it’s nothing this football club haven’t done. It’s about how we play.’
‘It’s something we need to analyze. I thought we were careless on the ball,’ he added. ‘We were too eager to advance. We lacked some certainty in our play in the attacking third.
‘It’s part of our development. Experience that disappointment and learn from it. It was indeed a bad day, but we don’t accept it. The first half was sufficiently even. It wasn’t up to our usual standards. We lacked the same intensity in our play. It’s a major part of our identity.’
Captain Son Heung-min, who had an unusually quiet night, was direct in criticizing his team’s performance, labeling it ‘unacceptable’.
He said: ‘It is very disappointing and very frustrating. Everybody has to reflect on their actions and say ‘it is my fault’. It was not good enough. We didn’t put in the effort we have put in this season. The performance, the attitude was not good enough.
‘Everyone needs a big wake-up call. In the Premier League, if you are not prepared, you get penalized. Aston Villa is an excellent team, as is Fulham. If you are not giving 100%, you get penalized. You don’t earn three points for free.
‘This is a step backwards. Now we must move forward. It is unacceptable, including me, it was unacceptable. We represent Premier League teams, we represent Tottenham.
‘This was not close to what we have been doing this season. It is very disheartening to watch this. The fans don’t deserve this. They come here with positive energy and good vibes. Losing in this way is very tough. The players are very down.’
